2017 and Thank You

Just 5 hours remain in the year we call 2017.

I could do a reflective talking about all the remarkable and many extraordinary events that have taken place, some fake others not but my fear is this would quickly become a Trump rant.

Instead, I will follow my instincts and outline what has impressed, surprised and delighted me in international and local politics, sport, books, movies and music these last 365 days less 5 hours

Politics - International........

The election of Emmanuel Macron as President of France seemed to break the sequence of protest election results. Brexit was unexpected and arguably unwanted and Donald Trump achieved victory on the back of an incredible platform and dislike of Hilary Clinton.

Macron does not have a traditional political heritage however he also conducted a campaign that was not purely based on hatred.

The initial indication out of Germany was also positive at it appeared Angela Morkel would be returned. This is a little less clear right now however chances are a coalition of support will deliver stable government in Europe’s dominant economy.

Politics – Locally......

A few things stand out in a year that was embarrassing by way of the pettiness, childishness and self-centred negativity by just about all local Federal players.

Senator Brandis speech after Pauline Hanson donned a Burka was outstanding and received a standing ovation from all Senators not aligned with One Nation.

The carriage of the Marriage Equality legislation was also a high point and demonstrated what can be achieved when politicians argue and prosecute their beliefs irrespective of political alignment.

Nothing else about this matter was positive including the process that resulted in the act being amended. The result however was.

My other positive is a little “left field”. I applaud Cory Bernardi for following his conviction, leaving the liberal party and forming the Australian Conservative Party. Having decided he could not turn the Liberal Party in to a Conservative Party, he left and formed a Party that aligned with his values.

Like or dislike the Conservatives, his actions are credible. If only a few other Members of the Liberal and National Parties would demonstrate similar conviction and join his party.

In World Sport........

Roger Federer provided a Master Class in how a great champion should behave when he competed in and won the Australian Open Tennis Tournament. Everything about him sets and example for everyone else to follow in all walks of life.

Chris Froome won two Grand Tours in 2017, French and Spanish and again his humility and class was always on display. Unfortunately, a cloud has recently appeared over his victory in Spain.

In Local Sport..........

Richmond climbing to the AFL Premiership was an event many never believed they would live long enough to see.

However, the real achievement was the growth and acceptance of the Women’s sporting environment in Australia.

Alysse Perry played the outstanding Ashes Innings of the year with her double century in the Test against England played at North Sydney. Her batting was outstanding for its power, grace, elegance and sheer skill. No better double century innings has been played in Australia these last 20 years – male or female.

Also becoming a house hold name is the Matildas Sam Kerr. Her goal scoring feats for the Matildas and in the American League have been outstanding.

2017 was the inaugural season for the AFL Women’s’ competition. TV ratings were huge and attendances put many main stream men’s’ sports to shame. The star, premiership captain, role model and best and fairest medal winner was Erin Phillips who bypassed her lucrative and successful American Basketball career to follow her AFL passion.

The growth and acceptance by the sporting public of the authenticity of women’s sport was a land mark of 2017.

At a personal level.........

Leaving Corporate Life has been refreshing, energising and fulfilling. I am not saying I would never go back, however I would be very fussy about what it is I would be doing and for whom.

Berlin was magnificent. I loved the City and all it offers. The marathon was also fun and satisfying.

My trip to the Tour Down Under was sensational. The atmosphere of health, happiness, involvement and inclusion that is Adelaide for 10 days in January is intoxicating. I look forward to this again in 2018.

Still on cycling, growing up in Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road is iconic. Cycling a section of the Great Ocean Road as part of the Cadel Evans Peoples ride was a highlight.

I managed to read some 40 books in 2017. Of these, perhaps 39 were non-fiction. As much as I try, I cannot decide my favourite however I have reduced the list to four books:

1.       This Road I Ride by Juliana Buhring.

Despite the title, this is not cycling book. It is more a voyage of discovery by a lady who identifies with no country as a result of growing up in a cruel cult. On escaping the cult, she fell in love with an adventurer who died in the wilderness while kayaking. Her voyage of discovery was by way of a bike ride around the world, a venture she never really expected to survive. She only learned to ride a bike a few months before leaving.

2.       Ghost Empire by Richard Fidler

A fascinating and educational look in to the one-thousand-year history of Constantinople. What is most enlightening is just how many of the challenges we face today, were unable to be resolved all those years ago.

3.       The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis

This book is many things including a unique look at Academic Research and those who conduct it. Two Israeli Psychologists with enviable combat records spend years researching and testing human behaviour and the impacts of decision making. The dangers of unconscious bias are investigated and solution sort. It can be heavy going at times but is captivating.

4.       Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance

A look at what drives this unique individual including the contradiction that has many devoted to him while at the same time being driven to extraordinary lengths and sacrifice to keep things moving forward. One of the most fascinating sections explained why Musk has such an incredible risk tolerance.

In reality, this autobiography should be “Part One” as the Musk story is still unfinished.

I had no such problem deciding on the best movie. It was clearly Hidden Figures, the story of the Computers of African American decent who made the first American manned venture in to space possible.

My music discovery of 2017 is the daughter of a school friend and if it wasn’t for this friendship, I would not be aware of the artist.

Her name is Nussy and her music is as interesting as it is captivating. Here is an example of her work.

While on music, at a completely different level, I was delighted to discover a track by Nick Cave. It is his version of the iconic Seekers hit, The Carnival is Over. I cannot claim to be a devoted Nick Cave fan or to be a student of his work. However, there are many thousands of songs I would have tipped him to cover before this one. Listen here.

All we need now is a duet of Nick Cave and Judith Durham.

I want to acknowledge the diverse range of people who contributed to my life this past year.

The writers, photographers, teachers and educators, thank you. To the financial services professionals some since retired, your interaction, counsel and advice is appreciated. To the cyclists, runners, the hockey players and cricketers past and present, your banter and inspiration is valued. To the school friends and the work colleagues of my youth, the re-established connections have been a delight.

To those who work tirelessly for Motor Neurone Disease, your work is outstanding and I have been proud to have made a minor contribution and look forward to continuing to do so.

I was moved to be a part of the Darkness to Daylight event on 3 May raising awareness of Domestic Violence and perhaps my only regret about leaving Corporate Life is not being able to be part of this in 2018. (I am open to invitations to make a guest appearance in a Corporate Team)

I was also humbled to learn of the work of RizeUp in helping victims of domestic violence re-establish their lives and I am keen to make a meaningful contribution in 2018.  

As for 2018. The only thing for certain is it will be the best year ever, if you make it so.

Work Christmas Memory and Wishes

So many memories spring to mind when reflecting on the last working day before Christmas.

My first “real” job was with the Commercial Bank of Australia* in their Melbourne Office.

The events in Melbourne with the rogue motorist mowing down a crowd of people had me thinking about this time in my life today.

Every work day for nearly 5 years I crossed at the intersection of Elizabeth and Flinders Street where the event occurred yesterday. I was one of many thousands following this daily routine and can only assume that 32 years later,  there are many thousands more doing the same each day. 

In my Melbourne Office days, the last work day before Christmas would start with a champagne breakfast on the banks of the Yarra River.

Two things come to mind about this event. The first is I have no recollection of there ever being any food as part of this breakfast and I can only remember drinking beer, usually a 6 pack of VB.

Our department was not one where Christmas Eve was quiet, at least not in the morning. We received and sent foreign currency payments and there was inevitably last-minute import/export payments to be made as well as transfers to those travelling overseas.

How we did what we did having consumed a heap of pre-work alcohol is a mystery.

Things usually calmed down about 3pm and drinks in the department from then on were relaxing, team building and fun.

It was a more relaxed time and most of these events would almost certainly be frowned upon today.

From there, we tended to disperse to our own events.

In my case, it was a train home, pick up my car, my girlfriend and a catch up with friends at the Palace Hotel.

Up to this pint, I can argue life was more simple and safe.

Having had a 6 pack before 8 am, drinks again from 3pm and then to the Hotel by car, there was no issue about further drinks and driving home. It was pre breath testing and enforcement of the 0.05% blood alcohol limit.

The dangers on the roads today are far less than they are today and while our roads are better and our cars are safer, the alcohol laws have also made a huge contribution.

Go safely this Christmas.

There are new projects and new subjects to address in the New Year.

There are new roads to ride and routes to run. 

New places to visit and experiences to behold. Most importantly, there is much more to see, do and learn, more to hear, read and share and more people to meet.

Thank you to everyone who has taken a moment to read my work these last 8 months. And extra thank you to those who have taken the time to provide comment, encouragement and suggestions.

Enjoy Christmas in whatever way is your custom. Above all, be happy.

I will be back on 31 December.



*Commercial Bank of Australia merged with The Bank of New South Wales in 1985 to form Westpac

Meaningful Decision (Resolution) or a Guaranteed Fail?

Without a plan, a decision (or resolution) is useless.

It is that time of the year when we make resolutions. We may not call them resolutions as such and we just might decide that we need to do things “better” next year. Whatever we call it, a supporting plan is essential to its success.

You may decide you will become more efficient and spend less hours at work in order to restore some balance to your life.

Let’s assume the decision or resolution is to achieve a better life balance, spending  less time at the office.

I addressed some time ago the impossibility of “not doing” something and that it is only possible to do something. (Eliminate "Don't" - The Results May Amaze - 18 November 2017) For example, not spending so much time at work should be expressed as a positive or something to to do. For example: spending more time on my fitness, with my children, reading, gardening, or whatever you will do with the spare time.

This provides a tangible objective, one that can be seen, visualised and focused upon. 

The next step in supporting your resolution is to record it by writing down what you will actually do.

Will you play cricket at the park, pick your daughter up from ballet (apologies for gender stereotyping here) or walk each afternoon with your partner?

Will you join a gym and attend twice a week and once on weekends or will you jog two evening a week?

Maybe it is reading you want to do more of. Do you need to invest in a e-reader, join a book club or dust off the library membership? Maybe you simply need to know where your local bookstore is and  join their loyalty program.

The next step is to identify just where you can free up time at the office.

Do you seem to have a lot of late afternoon meeting requests? Refuse them and suggest and earlier time.

Perhaps you have a two hour weekly meeting with your team.

Think about this for a moment and what is being achieved. 

For years, every Monday afternoon I attended a two hour plus management meeting and every week I dreaded it. I dreaded it because little was achieved and what was achieved could have been addressed in half the time. Why would we think a meeting we convene with our own team would be any different in the eyes of the attendees?

Seek input from the team as to how effective meeting are and what they want from it. I would do this about once every 6 months and the feedback was extremely valuable. I would remove myself from a meeting and leave the Chair to a team member who would then provide me with collective feedback, no names no fears. Some of the feedback was most confronting however it is “our” team meeting, not “my” team meeting.

This is just one example of where we spend time rather than invest time. We tend to look outwards and blame others for our busyness and long hours.

It is extraordinary what can be achieved and what can be saved by first looking at ourselves and our own practices.

As for my above references to efficiency, more on that another time.

In the meantime, happy resolution plan making.

Futility of Measuring "Inputs"

“I will do this for one more year and then I will have enough to afford to do something else”.

“If I work hard for another 6 months I will achieve the promotion then it will be easier”.

“Just 3 more months and this project will be completed and then I can get back to normal”.

Or perhaps it goes like this:

“Sales have dropped off and we all have to work longer to make up for it”.

“There is a recruiting freeze so we are covering for vacant roles”.

At different times I have used one or more of these phrases to justify my actions and my work habits. I have used them knowing them to be an excuse and a crux of security.

And when each mile stone comes around, there is another to take its place; they overlap.

One more year wasn’t “enough”, the promotion was yet another 6 months away, then another 6 months and each project was replaced by another.

And at the end of the year, we look back with a sense of exhaustion and compliment ourselves and each other on the inputs we have achieved.

But what has been achieved and who cares?

Have you ever taken a moment to asses, and I mean really, deep down and honestly asses what “SUCCESS” means to you.

If we judge success on our "inputs", we will never be successful.

Controversial comment? Maybe, but think about it.

If “inputs” are our measure or the crux we cling to to justify ourselves, there is always more to give. Enough is never, ever enough. There are more hours in the day and we will always be seeking to do more in the same space of time.

Judging our success by way of inputs will always result in dissatisfaction, frustration and failure.

As we continue to look back on 2017 and forward to 2018, honestly assess what you mean by and how you measure your own success.

If your measure happens to be financial, do you have a figure in mind in order to know when you have achieved success. If you are on the treadmill of always wanting more for the sake of having more, you will never achieve success.

If this is you, perhaps another measure will be more positive and the side benefit will be financial gain.

Perhaps you desire the financial success in order to buy the next car, house of holiday. Ask yourself “who am I trying to impress”?

I will bet that whoever it is, won’t care and won’t be impressed anyway.

If someone is worth anything at all, they will care about “who we are” rather than by “what we have”.

Revew Your Year - With a Positive or Negative Focus

When reflecting on your business life of 2017, what is your focus?

Are you thinking about the positive achievements, the frustrations or the outright negatives?

We often spend time reflecting on the year past and re-setting for the year ahead.

In Australia, is it more socially acceptable to be self-deprecating than it is to be self-congratulatory.

When relaxing at the Christmas Party, we will laugh at ourselves over the client order that was mucked up or the complaint that was misunderstood. We will laugh off the dreadful recruiting decision we made and discovering new assistant accountant was sleeping in the office having given a false address and how when checking the address, it turned out to be a vacant block of industrial land. (True Story)

It is with this negative mentality that we tend to review the year about to conclude.

We reflect on the errors, the mistakes and the poor decisions and allow these to dominate how we feel about our work and the level of satisfaction we perceive.

As the days to the end of 2017 become fewer, reflect on the things you have done well and your successes.

Remember the team member you supported and encouraged and who is doing a great job and feeling great about doing so.

Be proud of the Client you assisted, staying late because you knew that was when they were best able to have an uninterrupted phone conversation.

Celebrate the negotiation with the supplier resulting in an improved margin on a high volume item or the new re-cycling program you proposed that has decreased the office waste that goes to landfill.

In the celebrations that are still to come this year, it is perhaps not possible to talk about your great achievements. However, avoid talking about the negatives. Say nothing.

I suggest that consciously mentally or physically listing achievements and successes while refusing to participate in negative levity, will enhance self-appreciation and result in improved personal brand and value.  

What is the worst thing that can happen?

It may only be that when you next have that promotion or new job interview and are asked to list your achievements, you will be ready.

Behaviour Diligence - Avoid Apathy

I have received much comment and feedback following my Post on Tuesday highlighting the issues raised by Women in the music industry.

Most of the feedback was encouraging and supportive, and was all much appreciated.

I was however concerned by one alarmingly common feedback theme.

About a dozen people commented not having seen or been aware of the letter signed by 360 women from the music industry drawing attention their experiences of harassment, discrimination, exploitation and generally bad behaviour.

With the events in America and United Kingdom and now in Australia, the danger is the mounting number of revelations will start to become routine and either be passed over by the media, or in this case, not noticed as it perhaps blends in to the ordinary “news of the day”.

We are desensitised to so many events; Natural disasters, violence, detention and extraordinary actions of several world leaders hardly raise an eyebrow.

We must avoid becoming desensitised to matters of harassment, intimidation and exploitation against Women in the workplace, or against Men. We perhaps don’t look at entertainment and sport as being a workplace, but it most certainly is.

In the meantime, as the number of shopping days until Christmas reach single figures, make the most of it.

Technology - More or Less?

Just about everyone I have spoken to these last 2 weeks is referencing relief that 2017 is drawing to a close.

Across the board, it seems 2017 has been a more stressful, demanding and exhausting year than ever before.

Why?

The advance year by year in technology means that never before have we had so much help and support in the workplace.

Data that once took a few days to extract and compile, we can now consume in real time. Decisions can be made and an advantage exploited or a measure corrected, in real time.

How much easier and less stressful is that?

Information can now flow directly from the client in to the business data base whereas once there was a need for a manual intervention. The client information is now updated in real time, whereas not long ago it would be an overnight process.

Transactions and enquiries now take place on-line, taking out the stress associated with the personal interaction of a face to face or phone based staff member.

Again, a far less stressful situation, allegedly?

And, no longer do we need to get up from our workspace and move to another place for a meeting. We can click a couple of times at the pre-arranged time and all connect via computer and have a virtual face to face meeting on our screens.

None of the stress of walking, catching a lift and finding the domiciled meeting room.

How about those pesky phone conversations, where individual expression and personality shone through? Thankfully, there is little need for this stressful activity now as we use the inhouse instant messenger system.

Is it any wonder as 2017 draws to a close there are more expressions than ever of exhaustion, stress, frustration and desperation?

Again, with all the technological assistance, it is meant to be easier, not harder.

What we no longer have is the same level of personal interactions with colleagues and customers.

Further, the personal conversations we do have be they face to face or by phone will tend to confrontational.

The customer complaint or service failure will be addressed by way of a direct communication.

The staff or people issue will be resolved by face to face negotiation.

Both are "confrontational".

We no longer have the “water cooler” conversation or the easy banter that accompanies the routine discussion. Discussions conducted via messenger or e-mail and meetings via video tend not to include such personal, perhaps trivial associated chat.

The removal of many of our personal interactions changes the way we feel about our workplace. We may not realise it when it is happening but I suggest it contributes to our overall sense of stress and fatigue.

Unknowingly, we may feel the work we do is less meaningful than it once was. My take is the increase in our electronic interactions in place of personal communications has resulted in our workplaces becoming less personal.

I usually aim to conclude observations such as these with some remediation action recommendations.

Efficiency and cost demands dictate an ever increasing drive for technological innovations, not less.

Our workplaces are changing rapidly and the common belief is many of the jobs currently in vogue will not exist in 10 years time.

Perhaps it will take this transition to “new work” and "new jobs” not yet envisioned to resolve the overall problem however until then, it may well be that it gets worse before it gets better.