Timely Tip for Parents
19 August 2015I truly believe that bringing up children is one of the toughest assignments there is – and one of the most important. It’s not for those who crave instant gratification – you sign up for the long haul and there’s no sending the squalling, dirty, and often unappreciative merchandise back. And as for time management […]
How To Save Money While Training The Kids!
24 April 2013It was a sunny Monday morning, May 1998. Kate and I were planning our next client newsletter. She was one of my two part-time assistants and the one who assisted with marketing activities. She turned to me and said: ‘Robyn, you’re wasting money with our newsletter.’ I looked at her in alarm. After all, everyone […]
Who To Delegate To, Even When You’ve Got No-One
4 April 2013The comments to my last article about delegation hit the nail very firmly on the head. One reader said: ‘The biggest problem with this scenario is that before you can delegate you need to have someone to delegate to.’ And this was answered very well by: ‘The step to employing someone is the hardest step […]
To improve – inspect: the four keys to great delegation
21 March 2013Even in small businesses, great delegation is a vital skill for any business person who wants to expand or increase turnover. However, the problem is, very few have formal training in it. Many folk lurch along, doing their best, often overwhelmed by their own work as well as the needs of their people, trying not […]
Values-Based Teaching Saves Time! (And gives heaps of other benefits)
11 February 2013I find all this very heartening – the fence at the top instead of the ambulance (and paddy wagon!) at the bottom. From a time perspective, surely all teachers want to reduce wasted time. What we’re seeing with these great practical examples is that by focusing on values you will change behaviour, thereby saving time with tiring […]
Can We Teach Values and Attitude? They Are in Christchurch
It’s amazing where a story comes from. I was sitting in Wellington Airport with a corporate client, when he happened to mention he’d recently stepped down from being Chair for the Riccarton High School Board of Trustees, in Christchurch. ‘They’ve got a great programme running at our school – the Riccarton Way.’ Bill added. My […]
Two Common Delegation Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Delegation or the lack of it can make or break not only a farming business, but any business. As I work with both large and small companies in a very wide range of industries around the world, I constantly hear that many owners and managers struggle with delegation. I’ve noticed two major mistakes made by […]
The Curse of Diversification
When tough times come for farmers, efficiency becomes even more critical. There’s a very valid business and time-management principle you might like to consider if increased effectiveness and profitability interest you. A general principle in any business is to maintain focus – on your core business, the work in hand, the top clients, the processes […]
The Challenges of a Four-Term Year – How Can We Squeeze It All In?
We’re a funny lot, aren’t we? In the past, the cry was always ‘The school terms are too long. The students are so tired they become impossible; the teachers are exhausted; no-one can do their best work.’ Now, on all hands we hear people cry ‘Term has just started and before we can blink it’s […]
How to Keep Good Staff
We know that getting staff is often a challenge, but keeping good people once you’ve got them is very much a factor of how the employer manages his or her team – and it’s rarely about the money. Let’s start from the exit end. Why do people leave their jobs and sometimes the profession? From a […]