RWC Blog…

I was reading a very well written article by Kirk Hope (CEO of BusinessNZ) this afternoon, in which he highlighted innovation as being the underlying ingredient that enabled Team NZ to secure the Americas’ Cup this time around. I wholeheartedly agree. He also commented on how little N.Z. companies are devoting to Research & Development – only half a percent of GDP, compared to 3 % of GDP in the case of many other developed countries. Wow – what a…

During one of my Strategic Marketing lectures at EIT recently, we were setting the stage for students to start their major assignment for this course. The opening discussion revolved around  being prepared to think outside of normal bounds…to explore new ground on which to base an innovative business model and marketing strategy.  I posed the notion that “fear” is a significant determinant of how conservative/ constrained strategic thinking ends-up being. I have found over the years that the more fearful…

In opening the current semester with the Eastern Institute of Technology students who I am presently teaching, I set the “classroom cultural canvas” in the following ways.  Firstly, I advise that every student in the class will have a unique perception in relation to the issues/ topics that we will be discussing throughout the semester. We are all individuals, each of us is unique, and we each see the world in a unique way…and most importantly the views/ opinions that each of us…

Next week I start to deliver lectures in relation to a Degree course titled “Operations Management”, at the Eastern Institute of Technology. This course focuses on principles/ theories as to how to achieve efficient and effective operational environments – particularly production environments.  I will be opening this course by discussing how “people” come first in operations management – particularly where communicating the outcome of decisions stemming from data analysis is concerned. Too many times I have seen the irresponsible use…

Among the management roles that I have fulfilled to date, I have had the good fortune of having worked in senior management roles within what I would term a mid-sized company (multi million dollar annual sales turnover) and also a very large company (annual revenue comprising multiple hundreds of $ millions).  What I’ve found is that whilst larger companies enjoy clear advantages which are largely linked to economies of scale, larger companies (generally) tend to evolve at a slower rate…

If you’re a leader and you’re seeing results coming through that delight you – celebrate, and make sure that you extend your celebration to include the people who were responsible for achieving the fine results that “spun your wheels”. It’s perfectly O.K. to be happy when things are going well – and to show some of the happiness that you feel. You’ll be surprised the “rub-off” effect your happiness will have on others around you – if you show it.…

You know the saying “You are what you eat” ? Well, there’s a similar saying which is equally true, and that is “Your self-image will largely determine your performance in life“. There are highly experienced business coaches helping schools in N.Z. to help Kiwi kids develop a positive self-image, for research shows that performance is closely related to how we perceive ourselves. If we have a positive self-image this perspective/ feeling produces self-confidence, which in turn leads us to apply…

Following-on from the theme of the importance of strategic/ creative/ innovative thinking.. Even during our young school years we are encouraged to “use our own initiative”…to think for ourselves. Then why is it the case that still so many adults in work environments ask their employer “how do I ?” and “what should I do ? type questions…even when the situation/ problem/ issue doesn’t really require the employer’s direct involvement ?  The simple answer is, either: a) the employees concerned…

How do you lead people to work in accordance with the direction that is agreed for your organization ? I know of some companies that rely pretty much solely on their written Employment Agreements to ensure that employees contribute their inputs and deliver outputs which are expected of them…not really guiding their efforts until an employee steps out of line and performs at odds with their Employment Agreement. And then typically the conversation follows the formal line of: verbal warning,…

The term “symbiotic relationships” in an organization context simply means that each person in the organization relies on all other people in the organization to perform and contribute to the best of their respective abilities. And the strength of an organization overall is determined by the strengths/ skills of the individuals who comprise the organization. In a production line context, people who fulfill roles further downstream in the production process rely on their colleagues who fulfill roles towards the front-end…