Why I like TED: As if I need to explain!

For those of you who are asking yourselves: “TED… what is he talking about?” let me explain. TED is an annual event that brings together the world’s leading thinkers and doers to share ideas that matter in any discipline—technology, entertainment, design, science, humanities, business and development.

TED captured my imagination about 5 years ago and has since been a cornerstone to the way I learn about innovation and continue to challenge my views and perspectives. I turn to TEDTalks almost weekly to be inspired, challenged and moved by the stories people tell about the world on a myriad of topics.

My enthusiasm for TED led me to apply to and attend TED Global in the UK 2010. After attending TED Global I was lucky enough to host a TEDx event in Wellington as a way of sharing my experience and passion for TED.

In the spirit of “ideas worth spreading”, TED created TEDx so we can host local events.  TEDx is a program of self-organised events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. The TEDx event, speakers and TEDTalks videos combine to spark deep discussion and connections.

This weekend is another step in my TEDx journey as I am attending TEDxSydney toady as a learning opportunity before hosting a larger-scale TEDxAuckland event later in the year. TEDxSydney is considered one of the best, if not the best, TEDx event globally so it will be fantastic to learn what goes into the perfect event mix.

I am incredibly excited and can’t wait for the lights to go down and the talks to begin!

Passionate and wrong: the power of passion.

I am often referred to as a passionate person. But the truth of the matter is I am not always passionate.  And my passion can sometimes lead me to make bad decisions.

That said, I remain a massive advocate for passion being the driving force behind anything you choose to pursue, both professionally and personally. Passion focuses your priorities, it wakes you up in the morning, it picks you back up when things don't go as expected and it has a funny way of being the attracting element that connects together some of the most exciting and high achieving teams.

As I have gained more experience in leadership roles, I have found passion to be my biggest strength and most frustrating weakness.  More often than I would like to admit, I get myself into a situation where I make a quick decision about what should be achieved and how, but on further inspection and analysis my decision wasn’t always the best fit for the situation.

It’s important I get this right as I am often called into companies whose biggest challenge is they know what they are ‘meant’ to be doing but no one is making decisions that drive the changes required to grow. They all want a quick fix. 

What I have learnt form these kind of ‘fix it quick’ assignments is there is nothing to gain from rushing into plans and decisions passion-first - it can be very damaging. It is often said you have two ears and one mouth so you can listen twice and speak once. I add this to the old builders’ adage of measure twice cut once, and the two combine nicely with a dash of experience to help me channel my passion in a focused and intentional way. 

May passion be my reason for getting up in the morning for now and forever no matter where it leads me. 

Positive Words: Use your words for good

By coincidence last night I had the absolute pleasure of being seated at dinner with Sir Eion Edgar. During the evening we got onto the topic of the impact that a few words of encouragement and support can have in someone’s life.

Sir Eion told the story of some people that recently came to say thank you to him for his support. He went on to explain that, from his perspective, he hadn’t done or said a lot and how important it was to be aware that the words you speak have a very real impact on those around you.

While he was talking it brought back memories of people in my life who have given me encouragement that probably wouldn't know to this day how much it meant to me and the impact they had. What became clear to me was that whether you have a Knighthood or not you’re able to make a difference to someone with the words you speak.

While it seems like an incredibly obvious observation, I found the message of the conversation began to capture my thinking. Two things became present to me.  First, I often get the opportunity to speak at functions & events.  And second, my day is always full of interactions with people. Both of these things give me an opportunity to share words that make an impact. 

I would love to believe that as a result of this exchange I will be more thoughtful with the words I speak, but it takes more than good intentions. It will take practice and a commitment to never settle for less than your ever-improving best. I hope you can join me on this journey. 

The more P the better: How words beginning with P drive my life.

A few weeks ago I was on the way to the airport with two of the Jobs crew Matt Walker & Missy. Due to a mixture of overtiredness, stress and the nature of my personality they were the recipients of rambling from the back seat about why no one in their right mind would want to be involved in a startup and how horrible life is.

The more I realised I was rambling and the more I tried to be more positive and constructive, I began to make larger generalisations until one even caught me off-guard with it's relative brilliance.

The statement was: all you need to be successful in business are things that start with P.

This conversation occupied us the rest of the way to the airport. Not only because it was obvious that the P’s in business do drive success, but because the combination of Missy, Matt and I can be a catalyst for immature conversations.

So here are the key P’s we came up with (that are suitable to share):

1. Passion
2. Patience
3. People
4. Processes
5. Procurement
6. Precision
7. Profit
8. Products
9. Positioning
10. Persistence

I don't think I’ve stumbled on the key to the universe here.  But, as I stepped back through this interaction I discovered that I don't often take time to assess what are the things that drive my life at work - and as is often the case my life at home too. This time I grouped the P’s, and it was interesting to reflect on how often I pay attention to these different components of business and how often I take action around them.

I wonder what I would come up with if I had to list the L’s of business. I think it's well worth taking time to look at what’s in the mix of things that drive your success, and then making time to develop and extend them.

CHANGES: ANZAC DAY & A NEW JOB

As a 10 year old boy scout I vividly remember the moment I understood that ANZAC day was more significant than just the excitement of hanging out with the ‘cool old army guys’ and marching in front of a crowd in my boy scout bests at the local parade.

It was the moment I looked up at my Scout Leader to see tears streaming down his face in the church service following the parade. He was a soldier himself and a total hardass. As much as he was awesome to us, he spent most of his time barking orders and asking if our ears were painted on - most commonly after watching us mess around despite having been given clear instructions as to what to do. To see a man of this nature be moved to tears astonished me and my understanding of ANZAC began to change from this point.

One thing that's changed for certain is that as I grow older and begin a family, I better understand the significance of those losses and how they would have affected families and communities around New Zealand. As is so often said, the sacrifice made by these men is thereason we can live in peace with such freedom today.  For this I am truly thankful. 

'They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
Lest We Forget.'

On ANZAC Day I am inspired by the sacrifice of our forebears to give our generation the privilege of living in a country where we can work hard to create our own destiny.  For the past two years I have been the Chairman of jobs.co.nz, and it has been exciting to be involved with a company that is focused on people’s futures. 

Today my role is changing. I am formally taking on a role in the jobs.co.nz management team as their CEO. I am incredibly excited about this opportunity and I am enjoying the idea of having a ‘real’ job again. For those of you who don’t know much about jobs.co.nz, it is an innovative job board with an awesome social recruitment offering. I have a clear mandate from the new look Board to grow the company considerably and I am determined to deliver this, so watch this space.

I have a real passion for seeing people get a job they love and I see this role with jobs.co.nz as an opportunity to make this happen on a larger scale. Thank you to those of you who have supported me over past two years and I look forward to having your support as I take on this next challenge.