I have a real issue when I have to work with people who do not work with the same passion, enthusiasm and work ethic as I do.
However, I wonder if I set the bar to high, and have unrealistic expectations or I just don't like working with people and prefer to do it myself.
Difficult, as we cannot work alone and have to understand that in order to get a project completed on time and within budget, the sole worker cannot undertake everything by them-self.
So, how to overcome this problem. Planning, guiding, nurturing, motivating, pleading and whatever else it takes to get a job underway.
There is no right or wrong answer, the choices are not to whether to get involved in group work or not, just that its better to be able to choose your team before you start.
Can be very frustrating though. Just letting off some steam as having the same problem as students currently undertaking group projects throughout the college.
And the answer is...
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Moments in time...
I have a personal goal for capturing personal moments in time that I hold dearly to myself that I am able to recall and thank that I can feel them at any given moment.
Sounds a bit philosophical, but let me explain. I was recently in Yallingup celebrating my wife's cousins 50th birthday with a lunch at Lancers, having travelled down with my son, his wife and my grandson, Hamish.
On Sunday morning, Hamey had just been fed, bathed and was a little unhappy with life...crying for reasons that no adult can understand, but looking for something. I took him off his parents and went outside from the beach front chalet we were staying in and stood watching the ocean. Just me and my grandson.
The wind was blowing, cool, but not cold. The sun was up and warming his back. The sound of the sea one can listen to forever. And then I started to speak to him. Just a comforting grandfather speaking to his grandson and within an instant he had not only settled, but was looking over my shoulder at the ocean, watching a seagull and for a short period of time, we were connected in no other way that anyone can describe.
For that special moment in time, we bonded. We looked at each other, a smile came onto his lips, I smiled back, and it was done, moment captured to last the rest of my life.
The smile, however, was a front for Hamish throwing up on my jumper... but it was my moment only shared by us.
Then out of the blue we..., I like that, 'we' saw a whale swim past with her calf about 200 metres offshore. Both coming up for a breath simultaneously, and I felt connected to nature. Perhaps it also was a grandfather looking after his grandson! who knows, but it was my special moment in time.
I have many special moments in time and can recall them all.
Whats yours!
Sounds a bit philosophical, but let me explain. I was recently in Yallingup celebrating my wife's cousins 50th birthday with a lunch at Lancers, having travelled down with my son, his wife and my grandson, Hamish.
On Sunday morning, Hamey had just been fed, bathed and was a little unhappy with life...crying for reasons that no adult can understand, but looking for something. I took him off his parents and went outside from the beach front chalet we were staying in and stood watching the ocean. Just me and my grandson.
The wind was blowing, cool, but not cold. The sun was up and warming his back. The sound of the sea one can listen to forever. And then I started to speak to him. Just a comforting grandfather speaking to his grandson and within an instant he had not only settled, but was looking over my shoulder at the ocean, watching a seagull and for a short period of time, we were connected in no other way that anyone can describe.
For that special moment in time, we bonded. We looked at each other, a smile came onto his lips, I smiled back, and it was done, moment captured to last the rest of my life.
The smile, however, was a front for Hamish throwing up on my jumper... but it was my moment only shared by us.
Then out of the blue we..., I like that, 'we' saw a whale swim past with her calf about 200 metres offshore. Both coming up for a breath simultaneously, and I felt connected to nature. Perhaps it also was a grandfather looking after his grandson! who knows, but it was my special moment in time.
I have many special moments in time and can recall them all.
Whats yours!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
What was she thinking
I have no idea why someone who was supposed to sue David Jones for $37 million for sexual harassment would even consider hiring a publicist. Kristy Fraser-Kirk has been offered less than $1m to settle the issue.
Will she, won't she. Lose and she'll have a multi-million dollar fee to pay lawers. Win and she'll get no more than about $500k. Accept the milion, she'll be seen to have sold out for money and be seen to have been in it for the money.
She will be tarnished either way for the person who decided to sue DJ for $37 m and who would want to hire her. A Women's group, book club or other.
She did the right thing by saying NO. She did the wrong thing by demanding money as compensation, and a great deal more than has been paid anywhere in the world.
Why did she do it. Young, naive, given the wrong advice, watched too many American movies, who knows.
But her future is clear. She'll be the person who will end up the victim.
Will she be able to get a job after this or go on to the speaking circuit as a womens right activist, her life will change.
What should she have done then...
Will she, won't she. Lose and she'll have a multi-million dollar fee to pay lawers. Win and she'll get no more than about $500k. Accept the milion, she'll be seen to have sold out for money and be seen to have been in it for the money.
She will be tarnished either way for the person who decided to sue DJ for $37 m and who would want to hire her. A Women's group, book club or other.
She did the right thing by saying NO. She did the wrong thing by demanding money as compensation, and a great deal more than has been paid anywhere in the world.
Why did she do it. Young, naive, given the wrong advice, watched too many American movies, who knows.
But her future is clear. She'll be the person who will end up the victim.
Will she be able to get a job after this or go on to the speaking circuit as a womens right activist, her life will change.
What should she have done then...
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Come what may...
Life throws many interesting curve balls at each and every one of us and yet, know one knows exactly what to expect or what will happen.
I look at my new, shiny and precious grandson and want to wrap him in cotton-wool and make sure the world doesn't spoil this bundle of love.
As I watch a program about a young girl on 60 minutes, who having fluid drained from her brain at 4 years of age, she started having compulsive fitting, whereby her mother, under medical advice, had literally half her brain removed.
They interviewed someone else who had half her brain removed, now in her late twenties, and without much use of her left side of her body, she can still drive, recently completed her Masters degree and is a ten-pin bowling champion.
The funny moment was when she stated that as the missing half created a cavity in her head, which later filled with spinal fluid, if she moves too quickly, she said there's a kind of 'sloshing' sound, humour - still intact.
We have such a gift of life that to abuse, misuse or even neglect it seems futile in having a reasonably healthy life in the first place.
Now consider organ donation, some people have the misfortune of not having such a healthy existence whereby their bodies break down and don't function normally. Unlike a car, spare parts can't be picked up off the shelf and replaced so easily.
Hence, the need for people to honestly say that their organs can be and are free to be used upon their death, now that's a gift you can't buy for someone, a new lease of life.
The upcoming project bodes well for reasoning out the registration of organ donation, but the truth is, people are cautious and unaware of the simplicity or ability to register for organ donation.
PR people, that's now your task.
I look at my new, shiny and precious grandson and want to wrap him in cotton-wool and make sure the world doesn't spoil this bundle of love.
As I watch a program about a young girl on 60 minutes, who having fluid drained from her brain at 4 years of age, she started having compulsive fitting, whereby her mother, under medical advice, had literally half her brain removed.
They interviewed someone else who had half her brain removed, now in her late twenties, and without much use of her left side of her body, she can still drive, recently completed her Masters degree and is a ten-pin bowling champion.
The funny moment was when she stated that as the missing half created a cavity in her head, which later filled with spinal fluid, if she moves too quickly, she said there's a kind of 'sloshing' sound, humour - still intact.
We have such a gift of life that to abuse, misuse or even neglect it seems futile in having a reasonably healthy life in the first place.
Now consider organ donation, some people have the misfortune of not having such a healthy existence whereby their bodies break down and don't function normally. Unlike a car, spare parts can't be picked up off the shelf and replaced so easily.
Hence, the need for people to honestly say that their organs can be and are free to be used upon their death, now that's a gift you can't buy for someone, a new lease of life.
The upcoming project bodes well for reasoning out the registration of organ donation, but the truth is, people are cautious and unaware of the simplicity or ability to register for organ donation.
PR people, that's now your task.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Surrounded by PR
Every where I look at the moment there seems to be some sort of publicity, PR, spin or whatever taking place.
Politics - can't miss out on the opportunity to bag the amount of spin and hype surrounding everything from the Worm to using terms of engagement 'fair dinkum' and 'moving forward'. Albeit kissing babies is certainly on my agenda, but if I see any politician even come close to my grandson, well, watch this space...I'll be creating my own publicity.
Watching the debate made me cringe in that the pre-determined questions, were well answered because there were a pool of publicity, media and PR people planning the answers. What happened to knowing what you are going to advocate because you truly know and believe in your own policies. And then you had the audience male vs female agenda, waste of TV space.
Masterchef is finished, hooray!, love the show, cannot stand Matt Preston, he needs to speak with Jenny Craig before the next program, and now I understand that riding on the back of this successful show is Junior Masterchef, Yawn! tears and tanties from the young chefs now.
More on TV, watched a fascinating new series Undercover Boss, about the top CEO of a large corporation in America who goes incognito in his own business to see what its really like. And as much as I liked the idea, what a great opportunity for some self and corporate promotion in being seen to do the right thing. Waste Management now has a new image and its gooooddd! Go figure.
As future PR, publicity, spin doctors you have to be very mindful in what you say, to whom, when and how you wish to portray your business. Be warned, spin is addictive.
Politics - can't miss out on the opportunity to bag the amount of spin and hype surrounding everything from the Worm to using terms of engagement 'fair dinkum' and 'moving forward'. Albeit kissing babies is certainly on my agenda, but if I see any politician even come close to my grandson, well, watch this space...I'll be creating my own publicity.
Watching the debate made me cringe in that the pre-determined questions, were well answered because there were a pool of publicity, media and PR people planning the answers. What happened to knowing what you are going to advocate because you truly know and believe in your own policies. And then you had the audience male vs female agenda, waste of TV space.
Masterchef is finished, hooray!, love the show, cannot stand Matt Preston, he needs to speak with Jenny Craig before the next program, and now I understand that riding on the back of this successful show is Junior Masterchef, Yawn! tears and tanties from the young chefs now.
More on TV, watched a fascinating new series Undercover Boss, about the top CEO of a large corporation in America who goes incognito in his own business to see what its really like. And as much as I liked the idea, what a great opportunity for some self and corporate promotion in being seen to do the right thing. Waste Management now has a new image and its gooooddd! Go figure.
As future PR, publicity, spin doctors you have to be very mindful in what you say, to whom, when and how you wish to portray your business. Be warned, spin is addictive.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Welcome to a new era...
In undertaking the diploma of public relations, you have committed yourself to engaging in a higher level of learning in understanding the art of communication, so congrats on making this commitment for your future careers...with no regrets.
Key to understanding your commitment is to know that the learning process shifts slightly to your own ability to manage your time, quality of work, partnerships when working in groups, integrity and work ethic, this is now your responsibility.
The level of opportunities now increases as there will be more guest speakers creating opportunities for networking, liaising with university speakers, graduates and potentially working with Curtin University on a PR project.
i am also envisaging, mentoring with the Cert IV PR students in assisting them with their course, keeping them on-track and helping wherever you can.
You'll be creating your own professional profile and developing the ability to start self-promoting.
All in, the diploma course this year presents a higher level of participation and self-driven content where my role shifts to a more facilitator and supervisory role.
Good luck.
Key to understanding your commitment is to know that the learning process shifts slightly to your own ability to manage your time, quality of work, partnerships when working in groups, integrity and work ethic, this is now your responsibility.
The level of opportunities now increases as there will be more guest speakers creating opportunities for networking, liaising with university speakers, graduates and potentially working with Curtin University on a PR project.
i am also envisaging, mentoring with the Cert IV PR students in assisting them with their course, keeping them on-track and helping wherever you can.
You'll be creating your own professional profile and developing the ability to start self-promoting.
All in, the diploma course this year presents a higher level of participation and self-driven content where my role shifts to a more facilitator and supervisory role.
Good luck.
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