Location is everything

In Auckland city, New Zealand, there is a fantastic hotel that is literally 5 minutes walk from the Sky Tower and casino and is 10 minutes walk from the heart of Queen Street.  The hotel is new, fresh, clean, safe and great to stay at.

So whats the issue?

Well the great thing is that the hotel is now having to offer super cheap and discount rates for people to stay there.

Why?

The building owners and designers didn't factor in that a) car parking in the city is an issue and b) New Zealanders prefer to travel using their own vehicles rather than public options.  So hotel stayers and visitors stay in hotels where there are lots of car parks and car parking is free.  (Note - City Central Hotel does offer car parking but the spaces are limited and if you stay later than 10am it can be really expensive).

Why is this good?

The hotel has lowered tariffs to be super cheap for visitors and the rates are half of what other hotels are charging for the same size room and services.  So here's a tip.  the next time you need to stay somewhere in Auckland - check out the Central City Hotel.

(Image - http://www.flickr.com/photos/98023121@N00/339967426/)

Saying - Thanks

I found this video posted by Benjamin McCall on the PunkRockHR blog. Lets be honest - this is a damn cool idea and method of thanks from an employer!






How do you thank and acknowledge your employees?  How about giving them a day they will never forget.

Keeping It Real - Motivation

My recent reading list has included a lot of books that look at sports psychology and neuro linguistic programming (NLP).  There are a lot of lessons that are similar in sports excellence and in management excellence as well.

I uncovered the following list of motivating strategies that we can use as managers to ensure we stay focused and on target for our goals -

• Push the edge.  Look for a skill or weakness that needs work and start working on it.  Look for ways that you can encourage others to do better and improve their game. 
• Experience success.  Enjoy improving - an inch at a time.  Remember to enjoy the little successes.  When you string a lot of little successes together - then you will have some big wins.
• Change your thinking.  Learn from your mistakes.  Analyse, review and assimilate.  Remember what you've done well and focus on your wins.
• Get involved.  Be a part of decision making opportunities and involve others.  Take ownership of the goals and mission that you and your team are involved in.
• Praise others.  Look for the excellence in others and tell them.

• Vary training.  Make your professional development a mixture of technical skills as well as fun.  Focus on compliance and regulation requirements as much as you do for your management and people skills.
• Put yourself first.  Look after your body and yourself.  If you need a day off to relax your mental state, then take one.
• Find motivated peers.  Let others who are better or different from you challenge you and provide you with energy.  Create a support network of people that you can rely on to help you get better.  Hang out with people who will talk you up and will inspire you onto greater things.
• Think positively.  Be aware of the conversations that take place in your mind.  Are those conversations positive or destructive?  Practice focusing on the positive aspects of life. Don't ignore the negative but work on them and make them your areas of strength.
• Remember you dream.  "Spend time frequently  reconnecting with the real reason why you perform".

Adapted from: 'The Sport Psych Handbook' by Shane Murphy.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jontravelphotos/2525995599/)

Book Review - How to Do Business in China

Following on from my recent trip to China I thought I would expand my knowledge of the way business works in China.  I searched our local library and found a book that sounded like it would fit the bill perfectly (according to the title anyway).

So I picked up the book - "How to Do Business in China" by Nick Dallas (McGraw-Hill).  Subtitled - 24 lessons in Engaging the Dragon.

So what did I think?  Given that there are 49 pages of content - you can probably guess my thoughts.  This book is big on taking a common sense approach to doing business and launching yourself within the country.  The problem is that most of the lessons in this book are true for any foreign country that you may decide to launch in. 

This is a lightweight book that does little to actually school a person in what you will be walking into when you go to China.  There are plenty of great quotes and anecdotes but there is very little substance in this book.

One commendation I do have is the fact that the writer points readers towards subject areas and topics that will be worth their while if they are considering China as a future potential business partner or frontier.

Final thoughts - this is a nice, compact, short book that is an interesting starting point.  If you are searching for more depth and knowledge about business practice in China then you would be best to find a more specific book that will fit the bill.

Quote of the Week

""Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it."

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Being Successful

Once again the good folks at HBR.org took the words right out of my mouth.  So here is what they wrote -

"Success in business is not about having the most brilliant answer. It's about having a workable solution — and that requires developing an understanding of the unwritten rules of the organization.

To become more persuasive and effective, figure out who and what really matters. Ask successful people at your company what approaches and relationships help them most.

Be curious about the ways people get things done and observe the inner workings of projects and initiatives you aren't part of by building relationships with influential people. All of the information you gather can contribute to your own success in the future."

How to Decipher (and Achieve) Success at Your Company  (June 22, 2010)

Blaming Others

If it was you that stuffed up - own up, face facts, deal with it.  EOM.

Dealing With Negative Feedback

Three quick points about dealing with negative/constructive criticism -

1. Assess.  Was the feedback legitimate?
2. Review.  Was what was said relevant to your performance or your behavior?
3. Implement.  If you need to change something go ahead and do it.  If the feeddback was irrelevant or unnecessary - then ignore and move on.

In my view I find it is best to deal with what has been said and move on.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timbutton/2554303661/\

Understanding Your Place in the Team

Sports provides some great analogies and illustrations for the everyday manager and the everyday employee to use to better understand the workplace environment.  Today let us look at the roles within teams.

Sports teams usually have a combination of the following sorts of players -

• Starters,
• Reserves,
• Developing Talent, and
• New Recruits.

Knowing which one of these positions you fit into and currently hold can help you better understand the whys and how's of your job.

The starter - usually means you have had time to develop your skills, you understand the game plan, you have chemistry with your fellow team mates and you are reliable without being boring.

If you are a reserve - this probably means you are good at what you do but there is someone who is that little bit better than you are.  This isn't a crisis situation but it allows you the opportunity to watch what the starters are doing and to work on your own game out of the spotlight and the glare of watching crowds.

Developing talent - is usually a younger person who has been in the team for a while but still doesn't fully understand the game plan or doesn't yet have the same levels of chemistry with the remaining team members as the reserves do.  Developing talent is also usually on rotation which means they are exposed to the spotlight every so often and then are sent back to training for more development.

New recruits - doesn't need much explanation.  The great thing about being a new recruit is that you haven't yet been in the team long enough for your skills and personality to have been pigeon holed.  So the new recruit can showcase their skills and grasp opportunities that developers and reserves may not have the same opportunity to show off.  Recruits need to make the most of every chance they get to impress and build.

Starting on a team is never a guaranteed position.  Neither is being on the bench.  One thing great coaches understand is the capability and potential of their players and they have the skill to know when someone needs a rest, when they are peaking or when it is time to cut them loose.

So which type of player do you think you are?  Do you understand your role and how pivotal it is?

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianauer/3766020250)

FIFA World Cup

So it's now the weekend.  So what better thing is there to do than enjoy the FIFA Soccer World Cup?

My money is on Argentina to go all the way and to back this up - I have a $5 bet on them to win.

So to celebrate the enjoyment and festival that is the world cup I have added the theme song for the tournament just below.  Enjoy!