RWC Blog…

Like many people/ organisations that provide teaching services or leadership, I am interested in knowing where I “hit the mark” versus “miss the mark” when it comes to: a) The relevancy of the learning material/ resources that I provide to people who I am teaching/ leading, and b) The delivery of the information that I verbalise to those who I am teaching/ leading. So I’ve put together this simple Feedback Form: EIT Student Feedback Form …to provide the opportunity for…

Although I’ve only been teaching at the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) for a short time, I have been impressed with the calibre of lecturers and courses provided within the EIT School of Business. So much so, that – at the suggestion of a colleague from the horticultural industry whose sons attended EIT and who are now both enjoying successful careers (successes which the father largely attributes to their exposure to quality practical education delivered by EIT)  – I decided…

I ended my 2017 teaching year at the Eastern Institute of Technology yesterday with an Operations Management lecture that enabled me to leave students with a set of concrete proven practices and principles for them to apply in their commercial lives. Many of these helpful pointers have relevancy not just for our working lives, but for our lives generally… Wisdom #1 – build relationships slowly, and test the strength of the relationship and the presence of mutual trust and respect…

Having viewed a range of media recently (stemming from N.Z. and other countries) which addresses the likely impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on mankind’s opportunity to be gainfully employed, and from hearing first-hand accounts of how various industries are choosing to intensify their investment in mechanical and AI infrastructure, it seems to me that going forward the main employment opportunities that will be available for people to perform will be: Area 1 – Science and Invention. New discovery and innovation…

From time to time I am asked by students to give input into their thought processes in respect of understanding what work options/ pathways would potentially be a good fit for them given the academic qualification that they’re about to complete. I had one such case yesterday, which caused me to prepare a structured/ written framework for the student to train their thinking within.  It proved to be a helpful resource for this student, so I’ve converted it into an…

In light of the 40 % business failure rate that continues to plague New Zealand, there is interest growing among those who I work with at the Eastern Institute of Technology to at least consider how the traditional business model being adopted by most Kiwis may actually be instrumental in the failure of so many Kiwi businesses. Exposure of information to my lecturer colleagues on this topic has now been given approval, and in preparation for this delivery I have…

Today the Eastern Institute of Technology was privileged to have Sean Colgan onsite as a guest presenter to ‘Operations Management’ students. Sean owns the largest aggregates business in the world (annual revenue of NZ$1.2 billion). Website: https://www.irvmat.com/aggregates.asp It ranks as one of the 5 top American companies in respect of its scale/ performance; alongside entities such as Microsoft and Google, and has a customer base that spans 60 + countries.  It was an exceptional presentation by an exceptional person. Because Sean was…

I’m not sure of the source now, but I came across this expression during an earlier management role and I enjoyed (and still enjoy) the wisdom that it exudes: “You can’t wait for the storm to finish, you’ve got to learn to dance in the rain.” …meaning, it’s important to keep deciding and acting despite how busy/ complex/ problematic your life/ work environment may be; rather than wait for the ideal day/ opportunity/ calmer waters to come along before you make…

During Labour Weekend 2017 I spent some quality time with my son (aged 13 yrs) eating Kentucky Fried Chicken together on Napier’s Marine Parade. It never ceases to amaze me the level of truth that can come from kids (developing young men in this case). I hadn’t asked Sam for some time who his closest friends are at school…so I took this catch-up opportunity to do just that. When Sam responded with the name of one particular boy, I asked…

My wise Mum often uses the expression “give them wings to fly”, when talking about the development of people. Mum devoted her life to teaching – a career which spanned 40 years and which attracted the admiration of many people (parents and professionals in the education sector alike). Giving people wings to fly is about empowerment. Teaching people “how” to think/ do yet not “what” to think/ do. I often discuss with others, that as leaders/ teachers/ parents whilst we…