Getting to Excellent

Great post Caroline ... we can so often get caught...

2012-02-11T16:13:32.953Z

Great post Caroline ... we can so often get caught up in the busyness of life rushing from today into tomorrow ... I know I do it too!

I love Michael's mantra and may borrow it for the forthcoming week - 'mushrooms tomorrow' :-)

We were in Turkey last October with the family and...

2012-02-08T10:34:53.567Z

We were in Turkey last October with the family and I was cooking dinner one evening. I went to the local Turkish supermarket to get ingredients. I couldn't see mushrooms anywhere so I asked the guy who was vaguely supervising the outdoor fruit and veg section 'mushrooms?. There was a long pause before he replied 'tomorrow.'

In out=r family this has become a motto. If someone gets a bit hyper s/he is taken to one side and told 'mushrooms - tomorrow.'

Ahh yes Caroline, I agree the 'estimating'...

2012-01-11T19:01:49.942Z

Ahh yes Caroline, I agree the 'estimating' can be a challenge. I've taken to using my early morning gym time to start the creative process for blogging and writing .... it does help.
1. reduces the time on the laptop
2. numbs the 'pain to gain'gym experience
3. boosts the creative efficiency!

Hi Caroline I agree Randy Pausch's book is an ...

2012-01-03T17:01:32.793Z

Hi Caroline
I agree Randy Pausch's book is an very inspirational read.

Wishing you well for 2012. Hold onto your dreams and may they all come true for you.

Hi Caroline Happy New Year and may all your wishe...

2012-01-01T22:49:36.998Z

Hi Caroline

Happy New Year and may all your wishes come true in 2012. Serendipity will help.
Best wishes 2012.

Ps On your blog offer two thoughts 1/Do you know the story told by a philosophy professor about the 2 cups of coffee and the mayonnaise jar? and suggest a short video (wait to near end!)by peter senge on the creative process on priorities, enjoy

If you are looking for a simple stopwatch you can ...

2011-10-22T16:33:19.510+01:00

If you are looking for a simple stopwatch you can to try out this method I recommend http://ipadstopwatch.com

Absolutely Mike, but surely this isn't an eith...

2011-08-24T11:30:14.327+01:00

Absolutely Mike, but surely this isn't an either/or. Qualitative evaluation is more difficult and more subjective, but just as necessary. We have recently been working on a system that incorporates both - quantitative scores for how training was perceived, as well qualitative comments on what they liked/disliked or thought was useful. Both have their place. Whether something needs to be measured in order to get done, is a bit more complex. The things we like doing or have to do, always get done - what an old boss used to call the eat and sleep routines. But when you are trying to change behaviour or ensure that important things are always done, then measurement has a place. I suggest.

Hi Mike Wise words that are not always easy to fo...

2011-08-24T11:23:28.076+01:00

Hi Mike

Wise words that are not always easy to follow. I no longer use a watch but rely on my mobile phone for the time. A glance at a phone is even worse, as one might be thought to be checking email or text messages. Putting the thing out of reach is an excellet idea!

But Caroline, having studied evaluation you know t...

2011-08-20T18:05:57.456+01:00

But Caroline, having studied evaluation you know that something doesn't need to be measured to ensure it is done. Your examples are all very true but what about the social worker who sees imperceptible signs of enthusiasm in a person who has hitherto assumed that they have no worth? Qualitative evaluation, as you remarked in your MBA project, 'goes behind the numbers to understand what is happening, rather than taking the numbers at face value.' Quite.

I agree completely. Particularly if the person spe...

2011-08-20T18:00:43.523+01:00

I agree completely. Particularly if the person speaking is a member of your staff, you need to make them realise that it is their space and they are empowered to use it as they wish. I used to take my watch off to avoid any suggestion that I might glance at it and convey the impression that time was bounded. Wise words.

Access is one thing, but successful navigation is ...

2011-08-03T06:41:14.207+01:00

Access is one thing, but successful navigation is quite another... and this depends on using the appropriate type of filter. And/or in a search reveal very different results.

Welcome back Caroline ... did those thyme scented ...

2011-06-30T20:03:01.655+01:00

Welcome back Caroline ... did those thyme scented hills inspire the therapeutic tidy? I agree great to have a Season Clean ...off now to have a 'database dust' after reading your post!

All models are wrong, partial or incomplete, their...

2011-06-16T09:38:54.757+01:00

All models are wrong, partial or incomplete, their power is derived when used in conjunction with other complementary models

Yes and it is stress reliever! You have all these ...

2011-05-24T12:59:22.796+01:00

Yes and it is stress reliever! You have all these things milling about in your head about things that have to be done. When you have actually scheduled them, the stress goes away because your immediate future is knowable. Whew

I was also a beginner blog writer only for improvi...

2011-05-15T19:00:37.661+01:00

I was also a beginner blog writer only for improving my activities online and for learning anything even a new word daily.

And now I am thinking to do a business online !!

I am surprised at your supermarket story, especial...

2011-05-11T16:45:35.700+01:00

I am surprised at your supermarket story, especially if it was Waitrose. I thought they operated the John Lewis 'never knowingly undersold' maxim. But I suppose it depends on how the business wants to differentiate itself. Ryanair does so purely on price - although it isn't cheap - and so gets away with treating its customers like manure. People go back (amazingly) just because of the price. Virgin (using some outdated and sexist advertising, it has to be said) offers quality and service and people go back for that. So it's always a shock if one gets good service from Ryanair (does it happen?) or bad service from Virgin - or Waitrose.

I go to the opera a lot and mostly I refuse to pay Royal Opera House prices. We go more to English National Opera, which is cheaper and more exciting. But the audiences at the ROH are much more likely to boo and hiss than those at ENO, almost certainly because they are subliminally comparing the cost of their tickets with the quality of what they have seen or heard. It's all about expectations, isn't it?

Like your point that as complexity increases the n...

2011-05-01T22:47:50.318+01:00

Like your point that as complexity increases the need for order increases as well.

Half the battle is stopping that increase in complexity in the first place. Organisations routinely put in place new phone lines, new policies, new PO boxes, set up new product models and new data bases, but rarely rationalise the old stuff.

If we focused on cleaning up behind ourselves we wouldn't need to worry about order so much.

near to twelve midnight the evening quickly after ...

2011-04-29T03:35:27.139+01:00

near to twelve midnight the evening quickly after the Australian available Men's Tennis last Hewitt proposes to Cartwright using a $200,000 diamond ring from Tiffany's.

The advertising declaration was drafted by Cartwri...

2011-04-29T03:34:24.607+01:00

The advertising declaration was drafted by Cartwright's publicist in Sydney quickly after 1am and faxed to Melbourne's playground Hyatt Hotel, especially where it absolutely was authorized by Cartwright, Hewitt, and their managers Stephen Harmon and Justin Cohen.

So what is going to be the unbelievably ideal time...

2011-04-29T03:33:22.236+01:00

So what is going to be the unbelievably ideal time to concern a advertising release? Well, it all is dependent near to the timeliness and information worth near to the story.

AAP done a questionnaire of all information Rooms ...

2011-04-29T03:32:28.150+01:00

AAP done a questionnaire of all information Rooms in Australia last yr and found out the unbelievably ideal time to post a advertising launch is between 6 and 9 am and three and 6 pm.

With an enormous account be reasonable and even-ha...

2011-04-29T03:31:23.294+01:00

With an enormous account be reasonable and even-handed with all the advertising so everyone gets the data on the identical time.

Caroline A very good thought and one I found it ha...

2011-04-28T23:19:11.944+01:00

Caroline
A very good thought and one I found it hard to answer from a business perspective. Maybe its what others say about us, do people come back, whats the competitions perspective, how do we feel about our business. I worry the usual customer satisfaction metrics are not enough. Robert

great post, am your right, bloody meetings, i am y...

2011-03-31T10:55:45.711+01:00

great post, am your right, bloody meetings, i am yet to meet someone who likes meetings. i suggest organizations should adopt the meeting collaboration tools/ software. that has proven to be very productive. but in what ever way people choose, preparation is key coz is is Scarce.

We influence the quality of our lives through our ...

2011-03-25T11:15:35.460Z

We influence the quality of our lives through our body (health, exercise), mind (consciousness, knowledge, intellect, imagery, stimulus, willpower, commitment, coinfidence, motivation, curiosity), environment (eg family, work, leisure, fresh air, sun, place, atmosphere), relationships (self, personal, business) and intuitional listening(the inner guide that speaks to us when our mind is still, between our thoughts - sometimes through art, poetry, music, dance, symbolism and metaphor).

We nurture all the above, hopefully in harmony. We attempt to change or improve them for the better - to become who we really are.

The other important factor is timing. When do we elect to change something and when do we wish to feel the effect of that change?

Shine on!
Paul Burr