Friday Night Lights - chillin out on Friday

Friday night is the right time to kick back, enjoy good company and unwind from the week.  Add to the mix some great music and you set yourself up nicely for a great weekend.
This week I have been grooving along to the chill and funky sounds of Mr Scruff.

Why Mr Scruff?  There isn't too much bollocks or pretension in the music.  And if the internet had a sound - this would be pretty close to my imagining what it would nbe like.  Lots of sounds collected from all corners of the world, thrown into a big blender of imagination and then moulded together into a smooth concoction of sweet sound.

Thursday Tidbits

Here are a few interesting articles, quotes and bit and pieces to help inspire and enthuse you!

1. 30 Most Influential Under 30 CEO's of 2010.
   This list of people has been compiled by readers of the Under 30 CEO.com website and is pretty exhaustive.  It is a who's who of the modern online world - that's where all the money is.  Interestingly the first female doesn't show up until number 11 and is a celebrity (Justine Ezarik / iJustine) - so is she really a CEO?
   Authors note - One thinks she has been chosen due to her stardom rather than her actuial management style or skills.  Then again - if you've got it, flaunt it!
   (I will do some further research into this company to see what they do, how they do it and is this more than just a celebrity phenom?  Report to be posted in the next week or two).
2. Quote - Seth Godin from "Linchpin".
   "If you can be human at work (not a machine), you'll discover a passion for work you didn't know you had.  When work becomes personal, your customers and coworkers are more connected and happier.  And that creates even more value.
   When you're not a cog in a machine, an easily replaceable commodity, you'll get paid what you're worth.  Which is more."
3. Incredible - art by Gaping Void.

McKinsey Quaterly - Five Global Business Forces

Seriously, if you want to know what is happening inthe world it pays to listen to the people who know.  The great people over at McKinsey Quarterly are people in the know.

If they don't know - then there's something funny going on.  This video below captures the thoughts on where the world is going in relation to global business.

I recommend you watch it - click on the following link and check it out.

https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Global_forces_shaping_the_future_of_business_and_society_2701

 

Dress for success

One topic that I enjoy reading about and keeping a handle on is fashion and styles.  Keeping with the times and trends can be a seriously hard thing to do.  However it is worth the effort.  And keeping up with what is happening in the wolrd today need not be so hard.

I have a few blogs and websites that I keep an eye on to watch what is coming up.  Here in New Zealand we are fortunate in it that we have the polar opposite seasons to the Northern Hemisphere and we are generally 6 months behind when it comes to the average fashion trend.

Clothing styles from the US don't tend to take off too quickly here mainly due to the famboyance and OTT of some styles.  What NZ does do however is a real good job of watching what England, and in particular London, fashion trends are.

So here are the pages and people that I like to keep an eye on from time to time.

http://www.theartofdressingwell.com/

gq magazine

http://thetransformedmale.tumblr.com/

http://www.realmenrealstyle.com/

http://stylesalvage.blogspot.com/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/mens-fashion

You don't need to spend a fortune to keep it.  Watch what trends are upcoming, buy in advance, and buy in the off seasons.  Works for me.

Highlights from the Index of Economic Freedom

Every year the Index of Economic Freedom is published.  in the executive summary there a few key points made which are very interesting and very debateable.  I list some of the points I enjoyed in the following list.

• The positive relation-ship between economic freedom and prosperity is confirmed yet again in the 2010 Index.

• Gross domestic product per capita is much higher in countries that score well in the Index. The positive relationship holds true at all levels of economic freedom but becomes even more dramatic as economic freedom increases.
• Economic freedom improves the overall quality of life, promotes political and social prog-ress, and supports envi-ronmental protection.
• The 2010 Index provides strong evidence that economic freedom has far- reaching positive impacts on various aspects of human development. Economic freedom corre-lates with poverty reduction, a variety of desir- able social indicators, democratic governance, and environmental sustainability.
• As a result of increasing government interference in economic activity in many countries, overall progress toward greater economic freedom has been interrupted.

And here is the real kicker -

• Increased government spending did not improve economic crisis performance.

   

What do you think?

Source:http://www.heritage.org/Index/

 

I think, therefore I am.... Managing your self

Here are two quotes from people I have spoken to in the last few days –

“I think I undervalue myself”, “I will only be happy with someone else when I am able to be happy with myself”.

While these two statements are related to different issues the base issue is still the same.  That is being comfortable with yourself and accepting yourself for who you are.  I struggle in this area and I am really critical of both myself and my performance.  I have had to develop methods for dealing with self-negativity and I happily share them with you here.

• Blog.  This is my primary method of keeping sane.  Oprah Winfrey for years promoted the idea of using a journal to record one’s thoughts and developments.  Well this is my journal and record of development.  It just happens to be completely open to the public. 
• Keep a record.  With my training for running I keep a diary of my sessions and track my development across the days, weeks and months.  I do this as well with my job.  In my desk is a folder where I keep important or rewarding documents across a year.  In my folder I have letters of affirmation, performance appraisal reports as well as other prompts.  Such prompts include pictures of famous people who inspire me and scenes from movies that speak to me (The Godfather being one of them).
• Hobbies.  One reason I enjoy running is that I have a challenge before me every day of the week.  On the days that I run I have a clear goal to achieve and on the days I am not running the goal is – NOT to run!

Those are the ‘hard’ systems I use.  I also engage in ‘soft’ systems as well.  One of those is the use of affirmations.  The internal conversations that you have with yourself can either propel you forward or ensure you stay stuck.  One affirmation that I highly recommend is by Zig Ziglar.  Here it is here - 

"I, ......................... am a person with integrity, a great attitude, and specific goals. I have a high energy level, am enthusiastic, and take pride in my appearance and what I do. I have a sense of humor, lots of faith, wisdom, and the vision and courage to use my talents effectively. 

I have character, and am a smart, talented person. My beliefs are strong, and I have a healthy self-image, a passion for what is right, and a solid hope for the future. I am an honest, sincere, and hard-working. I am tough, but fair and sensitive. I am disciplined, motivated, and focused. I am a good listener and am very patient. I am an encourager, a good-finder, and a forgiving person. I am caring, unselfish, and committed to doing the right thing.

I am family oriented, open minded, and an excellent communicator. I am a student, a teacher, and a self starter. I am obedient, loyal, responsible, and dependable. I have a servant's heart, am ambitious and a team player. I am personable, optimistic and organized. I am consistent, considerate, and resourceful.

I am intelligent, competent, persistent and creative. I am health conscious, balanced and clean. I am flexible, punctual and thrifty.

I am an honorable person who is truly grateful for the opportunity life has given me. These are the qualities of the winner I WAS BORN TO BE, and I fully intend to develop these marvelous qualities with which I have been entrusted by God.

Tonight I am going to sleep wonderfully well. I will dream powerful, positive dreams. I will awaken energized and refreshed, and tomorrow's going to be magnificent.

God, my family and my true friends love me no matter what!"

Feel free to change any bits that you don’t consider to be relevant to you.  You could also write your own affirmation that is more specific to you.

Recommended action steps –

1.       Start a journal or blog.

2.       Complete a healthy self assessment of yourself and start researching what development options are available for you to start to progress.

3.       Use affirmations.

4.       Read the book Linchpin by Seth Godin.

2011 New Years Resolution - graphic style

 

I borrowed this graphic from the gaping void people.  I love it!.  It totally encapsulates my state of mind and philosophy for 2011.

You can see the original version by clicking here, or you can view more by heading over to gapingvoidgallery.com.

Book review: Barack, Inc.: Winning Business Lessons of the Obama Campaign

This is a neat and tidy little management book that describes and explains the hows and whys of the strategies used in Barack Obama's successful presidential campaign.

Common sense approaches to management - people and campaigns.  That is the easeiest way to describe this book.  There is nothing to flashy or gorund breaking about this book.  Rather it neatly captures the essences of what President Obama did right in his campaign.  There are plenty of anecdotes and nice stories that back up what the authors have written all the way through.

Here are the three core things I got from the book -

• Keep cool.  Temperament is vital.
• Keep in touch.  Social media is where it is at for allowing people to interact with you.
• Keep in front.  This relates to both leadership and direction.

It is a simple book that has been well written.  A good reader could complete this book in 3 to 4 hours.

My thoughts on NZ's trade agreement with Hong Kong

What a great idea!  Negotiate a trade agreement with the most competitive and financially sound market in Asia.  No trade agreements are ever reached without a lot of hard work, a lot of schmoozing and without a doubt a lot of concession making.

Here are a few basic facts about Hong Kong -

• Population:7.0 million,
• GDP (PPP): $306.5 billion, 2.4% growth, 5.7% 5-year compound annual growth, $43,924 per capita.
• Unemployment: 3.5%
• Inflation (CPI): 4.3%
• FDI Inflow: $63.0 billion

(Source: http://www.heritage.org/index/country/hongkong)

Here are a few basic facts about New Zealand -

• Population: 4.3 million
• GDP (PPP): $115.4 billion, -1.6% growth, 2.0% 5-year compound annual growth, $27,029 per capita
• Unemployment: 4.2%
• Inflation (CPI): 4.0%
• FDI Inflow: $2.0 billion

(Source: http://www.heritage.org/Index/Country/NewZealand)

So Hong Kong wins in all areas.  Interestingly New Zealand ranks at number four in the region on the Index of Economic Freedom.

So what do these numbers tell us?  Hong Kong has strong wealth, a growing economy and will provide huge possibilities for trade in the future.

What interests me about these trade agreements is what does New Zealand have to offer that Hong Kong would want to partner up with us?  Seriously.  New Zealand has a lot of land, a lot of primary goods e.g. dairy products, tourism and wood products.  Another thing that New Zealand has is a lot of smart and analytical people.

China and Hong Kong are both friends of New Zealand and a lot of kiwi's (slang) head over to those countries to establish, grow and expand their business opportunities.  I sincerely hope the economic benefits of such an agreement create waves into the future and not just ripples in the short term on a very big pond.

So we shall wait and see how this relationship develops over time.  I would expect that there will be few tangible results or effects for at least 3 to 6 months.

If anyone needs any help - I'm always available.

My 2011 work and business goals

My 2011 work goals aren't as well defined or laid out as my 2010 goals.  That may change as the year proceeds but in the meantime here are the areas I am focussing on -

• Knowledge.  I need to increase my knowledge and robustness of understanding for my workplace and the various areas of knowledge therein.
• Relaxation.  This year I will worry less about trying to get somewhere and be someone.  instead I will focus on enjoying what I and my team are challenged with.
• Expansion.  2011 is a year for growing both personally and socially.  In 2010 the social area was one that I did miserably in as far as my workplace.  This year I aim to correct that.
• Value add.  This is my key work goal for 2011.  I want to be able to add value to my job, my team and those around me through who I am, what I know and who I know.  This is the area that I really want to nail and do well. 

With some hard work and sweat mixed in with a dash good luck hopefully I will succeed.  If I can straing all these areas together then I am sure I will continue to 'go places'.