Tag: culture

Observations Of a Nobody

I am Who I Am. 

At 68 and a lung doctors assumption that I will clock off in 2020 I think I may start to accumulate some thoughts and observations I see now without malice or retributions. 

After being  in the front line for most of my life either at work or in sport its interesting for me  to look about and try objectively to see how succession works and how people accept that across my landscape. 

My history evolved from leaving school at 15, apprentice boilermaker, boilermaker, cab driver, telecom linesman, Telstra manager, business owner, now on a disability pension from asbestos. 

Outside interests are football, golf primarily but participated in many other associations including politics. Those interested still persist today but have stepped back and now take a broader view of how things have evolved over my time and how the younger people are managing the situations similar to what I/we  addressed in the past.

Please if I fall into the dialog of “the older I get the better I was” syndrome kick me in the balls if you can find them. 

Being trained in PR and human behaviours, industrial law, unions,  as part of a extensive and clinical journey I was privileged to do via Telstra helps me achieve a broad vision of how people , many friends and acquaintances, manage their lives after ceasing or winding down to retirement or what some see as a new start to new life, volunteer organisations, Non for profit organisations (NFP), charities, men sheds, you get my gist. 

Yes, I was caught up in that scene  for many years and I feel I did contribute some of my skills and time to help or assist  in those organisations mainly a golf club. I had the experience in retail hospitality, as part of my previous business, actually running a business skills, and I had free time to offer and labour to save costs. 

After taking up roles from committee to president gave me a fair idea of how the business works, and at times I was guilty of thinking I had all the answers when problems arose. I forgot I was not running my business but was running a organisation with varying experienced people in roles with good intentions but not used to making decisions that people who live out of the till to make a wage do. Hard decisions, practical decisions and at times unpopular decisions, which they took personally not in a business context. I was hard to keep the natives on track, a skill in fact keeping them in the loop, yet guiding them to what’s good for the members may not be good for the business.

This scenario is not uncommon in NFP organisations often frustrating and chases good experienced people away as they cdo not have the time or patience to educated, sometimes the willingly uneducateable. 

As I have said above people see volunteering as a chance to give back and give people the opportunity to work in community starting always in good spirits, but over time human behaviour takes varying paths, and often people revert back to their working days and consider other volunteers  as subordinate. 

Me, guilty as charged at times and when I realised the fact I was going down that road I set a personal benchmark time limit box of  3 years to be in any position of authority within a NFP.      

 My theory is one year to learn the role, one year to implement any improvements and one year to prepare a succession to the next occupant of the position. 

This prevents hierarchy development and siege mentality around election times, where factions  and  enemy of the club syndromes are created by those who struggle for relevance in their lives. 

Probably loss of relevance for some is undereestamated. Many in their previous working careers see themselves as having some social status above that of others due to their jobs or professions and expect that status to transfer to their volunteer positions. This attitude translates to some as social discriminators which divides organisations sometimes with  irreparable consequence. Exclusivities of company, and information sharing are weapons of survival used by the factional leaders to keep their status in tact, and often not seen by those who are being manipulated. 

This happens commonly in clubs and  practiced by both sexes but more efficiently by the female members commonly called Queen Cow Syndrome.  

I could continue with this factional issue but I believe my time would be spent better on solutions.

The Three Year Succession Plan distributes depth of  experience across the organisation which does not mean people have to stand down but have to surrender that particular position. Half Committee elections are also a tool that retains experience and corporate direction but introduces new talent to educate, and after two terms ie 6 years one  must step away entirely for a term before renominating. 

Cry’s of not filling positions will occur but that also will contribute to innovation in managing new business and managerial opportunities.

Unfortunately with often shrinking memberships due to attrition (people falling off their perch) the effort to go out and sell the c clubs to new prospective members is not given its true priority. Culture, that non inclusive culture is a cancer that must be irradiated. Youth must be encouraged and the practice of belting people with rule books must cease, regardless of code or sport. Fun is the primary and critical  objective not fucking rules and the people who think rules are the primary part are usually the toxic group trying to exert  their  personal status to any newcomers. Rules are learnt over time not thrust upon by autocratic dinosaurs. 

Levels of committee or what I prefer boards should be flattened. Experience people who have little time are more efficient than those who heap[s of time with lethargic attitudes. This causes untold  frustration to those who’s skills are current, not superseded. 

Amalgamations and partnerships must be considered as part of any business plan, IN GET A BUSINESS PLAN, a Professional Plan,  and stick to it, and make sure the membership know that plan which will explain someway of contentious decisions at times. 

Well that’s about my views and experiences and as a good citizen I have no interest in maintaining/ creating my status. In fact I’m a nobody other than an observer of situations and conversations and thats the way I want it, and I can let go and just be me and talk to, accompany anybody, I want without judging who or what history has allegedly occurred. 

As you can see with this article could make my own enemies and don’t need to told who to like or dislike as I don’t have to make those decisions, I just treat people as I find them. 

If the hat fits wear it, and I am who I am. 

 

     

           

 

Less Overheads better for Ipswich Ratepayers.

As our Council administrators get on with their jobs and we see basically nothing has changed in regards to day to day life of ipswich ratepayers.

Council staff are getting on with what they do best, so the question at the end of the day is “are we over governed” when it comes down to this extra layer of divisional councillors and the costs involved.

Remember please Local Government is facility of State Governments, not a seperate level of government.

In a world where we everybody has to qualify with qualifications to make a living under and directly overseen by superiors daily, I think the days of people being given massive wages on a popularity vote is well out of step with current society standards.

We cannot revert to any part of previous administration practices or culture or nothing has been achieved out of this dissolution process as it will re infest.

Ipswich is blessed with people of exceptional talent as we have seen by the top 100 run by QT, all of which I’m sure many have the skill sets required from hands on experience to sit on a board or take responsibility for facets of our great city.

No they may not be good at giving ratepayers money away to boost their own popularity come election time, or grabbing microphones or headlines at look at me rags, as true managers of our great city need to be business and socially focused on the city as a whole, not just 10 little patches each with if we are to believe the spin each like Shiltz and no nothing about the rest.

Less overheads would be better for ratepayers and qualified not popularly Appointees would serve our new beginning better come 2020.

One Law for All

          Keating said LAW IS LAW.

Australia went to a plebiscite on Gay Marriage and endorsed it overwhlmly  and it was  passed int Law accordingly. Agreed not all accepted  the law but that’s democracy.
Im sure some people incarcerated disagree  that robbing from the rich and giving to the poor is also conflicts with their faith in human equality but I’m sure any calls for special treatment would be totally rejected, the law is the law.
So, calls from  faith based entities calling for the special right to discriminate in schools is similar to reclassifying the laws of theft into categories justified theft for those who honestly believe they are doing the right thing and illegal theft for the rest.
People choose to follow faith, some choose not to have faith, the law should apply to both regardless and none should have a divine right, or above common law.

Our Visit to Queensland Parliament..

The invitation came, we thought no, then why not.

My local State Member Jim Madden’s office emailed me a invitation to join him and some other constituents to a afternoon BBQ and tour of Queenslland Parliament House on the 2nd December 2018 and after some hesitation both headed off to a unknown destination for a adventure. Not bad for two over sixty sixes.

Planning as I do the journey I proceeded past my beloved German Club and proceeded to cross the Story Bridge, down Ivory Street, past the old Waterside Workers Club of my childhood, left at the Customs House and down to what I thought was Parliament House,confusing that with the Parliamentary Annex which was our destination.

Typically we asked security who sent us to get a parking available but not explained to the security guard it was for disabled, consequently we circled the place twice then out of frustration returned to the guard who said Oh, park right here, this is the place your looking for. R..I..G..H…T..!!!!!

On entry we were scanned, X-rayed and interrogated all part of the hospitality then aimed towards the lifts and told the 7th floor was the target zone.

On entry welcomed accordingly and after introductions proceeded to have light refreshments and good conversation with fellow Ipswich people.

The subjects were broad but all ended up on a political narrative with topics from all levels of government with varying opinions, complying with the location.

After a sumptuous lunch, love the snags, we set out to tour our place of democracy in Queensland.

And impressive it was, steeped in history and tradition, and enlightening to us who follow the political game on what we see via the media and how it really is.

I got to sit in the Speakers Chair and that was recorded, as that is not how it works in my house where she who must be obeyed reins and often I’m in the Opposition.

We were treated to a extensive history lesson and fittingly the day concluded in the Parliamentary Chook House, home of the chickens who look after the herb and vegetable gardens used in the Parliamentary kitchen. Yes they do have real chefs and people employed in hospitality.

Really it’s a experience worth engaging in if you truly interested in how our democracy works.

Thanks Jim Madden Alp Member for West Ipswich. And staff for a memorable balmy Sunday afternoon indulging in Queensland history.

Time for our Youth To Shine.

Oh dear, the older we get the more wiser we are supposed to become.

We will always get those who think the old days were the best, the lifestyles were simple, so that’s good enough for us today, why change, and Now that group has become a political movement.

I’m a 50’s kid and we lived a dream compared to our parents, but ask our parents now if they lived a dream you will get a completely opposite response.

I’m yet to see those pushing the Trumpian ideology of protectionism, anti climate, anti migration, anti equal women’s opportunities, racial and religious divide, provide one forward thinking policy. They see our countries future is to go backwards to the way it was.

The hate youth involvement because it shakes the foundations of what is your place in society , your too young to understand, the cry, forgetting that youth today has 1000 times the access to information that was only available when a newspaper was finished being read or when the radio TV was turned on.

At 21 I could not have a beer in a pub but I could go to war at 19. Only the well off could go to university regardless if you had the talent, as long as you had the money, while the state school kids had to fight for a single grant, and the trades were regarded as the lower end of the class divide., and the shop assistants and labourers were servants.

They will have you believe they were the good times, and they were for the privalaged.

I see a case in today’s world for the voting age to be dropped to 16 as those young people today know and are aware and mature as much as some of the so called adult punters that go to the polls and vote informal deliberately, or turn up just to avoid fines.

We’ve run our race, started wars, split nations, invented weapons, diseases to destroy the the planet, yet say to our youth your too young.

What utter rot.

The LNP’s Trump Faction hard at work.

I would be the last person to tell the LNP how to do their business, however putting that aside I do take issue with the media description of them having a “female” problem within their ranks.

The truth is they have a “male” problem and if you look at their team sheet the line up speaks fo itself. People like Abbott, Abetts, Dutton, O’Sullivan, supported by the Kroger’s support fed by Jones and Hadley and Sky after Dark no wonder the boys club mentality sets a very slanted platform for any person who wishes to contribute let alone a female.

Personally,politically, I hope they don’t change, dig coal, close the borders, deny climate change. Reject renewables, and bully women out of the way, but that’s not good for our nation, any nation, and Victorians agreed, Saturday.

We need to install a government/governments that will look to our future, provide adequate and timely infrastructure and jobs with plans for our kids and elderly that will accommodate our growing population, and stop the scaremongering and fabricating excuses for ideology incompetence, and the real question is the LNP prepared to pay price of keeping the Trump faction worth loosing women’s participation at the ballot box..

The baseball caps have it Scomo.

Our Lingo is Precious.

Since the last round of musical Prime Ministers I have noticed a number of suttle image and cultural changes that trouble me.

Firstly it’s the new baseball capped advertising billboard PM mirroring Trump, then comes the lingo where our Returned Service Men and Women referred to as Veterans, our Emergency Workforce of Police and Ambulance, Fire Fighters and support are blanketed with the term of First Responders, all lazy American terms or lazy English..

Lets not hand over our culture and language and reject Americanisation or we will be left with that word “bunch” as a description for anything plural instead of a bouquet of flowers.

It starts with the little things that are important if we are to remain who we are.

Leave TELSTRA Employees Out of it.

I feel the pain of TELSTRA complaints every time I see and hear how customers are responding to the lack of service, performance and lack of basic good corporate citizenship.

I don’t expect customers of the this day and age to appreciate the corporate ethics the company had before it was decided the shareholders held more priorities than customers. I agonise when I see guards left on footpaths for years, pits crumbling, non identifiable people accessing the network at pillars knowing how confidentiality and privacy protocols no longer apply or monitored.

Every day in Australia we see good people in uniforms go to work and represent a company, cop the abuse, and do their best for a employer knowing full well they are working with people and systems that are not performing to our standards but may meet some benchmarks set by a bean counter that only understands profit and outsourcing Australians.

Shannon’s experience is common, and will continue until we take back what Australians owned and paid for before privatisation.

I had a American telecommunications expert tell me the network I was accountable for was “too good” and costing too much to maintain and customers had to expect delays in installation and repairs, FACT and that was just before the days of Blunt as MD. That signalled lip service to customer service.

Outsourcing responsibility, accountability, service and especially company brand is a decision only someone who has no respect or appreciation for the vastness and history of the Australian telecommunications network and the attitude accepted by overseas call centres of its “just another call” is not acceptable here and never will be, but please remember those Australian employees you vent your spleen on today are not the people who sold the farm and it’s machinery.

Referees Blamed for Government Incompetence.

Dannielle Fords “Cutting Umpires Slack” article (See Below) should be read and digested by not only the arm chair warriors but the men behind the microphones and front the cameras and the scribes who present themselves as keepers of all knowledge on sport.

Anyone who has refereed sport experiences critical analysis for decisions that occur within tenths of a second and now we see the media gaggle question the Video Assist because it exposes infringements too well or or takes too long.

The VAR systems is accepted as the normal in European sport and unfortunately we Australians are yet to embrace it as this nations downgraded NBN speeds delays swift decision.

For instance in Bundesliga the centre in Cologne can monitor up to 5 matches at one once and have a decision expectation via 19-21 cameras on each ground within 26 seconds unless a on field intervention is required., Australia one per ground at snail mail speed., so when the squarkers in suits whinge they should be asking the question why do we in Australia are incapable of delivering the technology accepted as the norm overseas.

This is a classic example of when near enough is not good enough and our politicians felt our 55th place in the world in internet speed was acceptable for them I assure them running 55th when our sporting standards is effected just doesn’t cut it with the masses.

Ratepayers Pay for Strategic Genius’s Failures.

I can only applaud the administrator to cut the losses ipswich ratepayers on the city’s mall but unfortunately it will not repair the damage council caused to the the businesses and long standing trading family’s of our great city when it made the the diabolical decision to build Riverlink.. The total incompetence of that decision thinking stripping patronage from a facility that was already ratepayer funded to appease developers then sell it off to overseas owners who used it as a tax dodge, then proceeded use our funds again repair and renew several time since, all of which failed and costed us possibly billions over time. 

The city’s strategy may have looked good on the drawing board but councillors failed when it come to realising that the although Ipswich population  may have be growing the wages weren’t and by introducing extra competitors the slices get smaller. 

I see Springfield residents are demanding extra attention and funding, may I suggest those residents take a drive around ipswich and long standing neglected ratepayers do not have curbs, channeling, parks, footpaths but are blessed with garbage pickups and maybe sewage full stop. Another council strategic masterpiece. 

The real lesson is we cannot let developers set the agenda as it has in the past administration, as ratepayers are sick of seeing photo shoots of suits in hi vis bibs and silver shovels and I fear with the opening of this Costco thought bubble will be counter active to bringing customers back to support our city centre let alone existing retailers in shopping centres 

Good luck Greg, in sorting out this scramble egg.

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