Whenever I pull these on for a photo, a lot of people will say to me You don’t see gumboots like that very often, mate!
And I tell them Mate, you would if you were out and about connecting with ordinary hard working kiwis as much I am.
A lot of them will look back like I they haven’t quite understood me, but no worries. I just love to share my learnings and bring as much to the table as I can each day.
I guess some people will look at me and say There’s a CEO who’s worked in 210 different countries, he probably hasn’t had much time to get his hands dirty.
Wrong! You can take the boy out of Canterbury but you can’t take Canterbury out of the boy. Let’s pull on the old Red Bands, I’ve got some handy common sense Kiwi tips for you. Only, these aren’t the usual ones your Dad showed you, these are my own thinking-outside-the-box specials.
People look at this photo and say, How did you do get that paint on so smooth and even and without getting any on your hands and where’s your drop sheet?
And I tell them, Ever heard of a Roomba? If you just step onto one of those and then stick your hand out with your brush full of paint, the Roomba takes you up and down the floor and that leaves you free to do some blue sky thinking and laser-focused strategising.
Yes, but how do you get more paint on the brush? they ask, and I say, That’s where the teamwork in this family really kicks in. Amanda’s great at the detail stuff. When the brush runs dry I say, “need more paint, honey,” and she will slip it out of my hand and go and top it up again.
Of course after a while she’ll be clearly wanting a go on the Roomba herself because she’ll say, Why don’t you go for a walk and finish your blue sky thinking?
And of course I’m always happy to step away to let her complete the execution. That’s what leadership and delegation is all about.
Some people look at this photo and say, You’re looking a bit awkward there, if you don’t mind us saying so, and I say Nah it’s just the camera angle. I love a power tool. You just hold it like a gun and squeeze.
The pointy end is called the Chuck Norris, probably because in America where they invented it, that’s shorthand for being able to do anything. I lived and breathed the American way of life so long, this stuff is second nature to me.
Anyway, the important thing is you just pop the screwing or drilling or tightening bit into the chuck norris, and then you tighten it to keep it in.
It takes a special touch to get the tightening just right. I often try to do it and then when I start the drill, the pointy bit goes flying straight across the room. Once things are quiet again, Amanda usually pops her head in and says, Do you think it might be time for a walk? I can finish up here for you. And she gets hold of the bit, or a new one if the first one’s broken and closes the norris with her special touch.
The thing I like to impress upon people is once you’ve picked up these basic critical skills you can apply them all over the place.
For example: Now that you know how to use a drill, you know how to use a fire extinguisher! Just get your drill and hold the pointy bit against the extinguisher and squeeze until you’ve made a little hole and all the stuff comes whooshing out.
You should see people’s faces when I use this to demonstrate to them what blue sky thinking can do for you.
Although to be honest, I sometimes have to wait for Amanda to catch up with some of my ideas.
The other night she said, Is it really true you just gutted the climate targets? Is that really what being blue-green is all about?
And when I said to her, I haven’t been briefed about that. I’ll have to get back to you, she made that funny sigh she does sometimes.
And then she said, Also, you know that ordering homeless people off the street is a bit like sweeping all these broken drill bits under the carpet. I end up just having to pick them up later or the Tesla gets another flat tyre.
I said, I haven’t been briefed about that either sorry. Do you want to come for a walk? I feel some Blue Sky thinking coming on.
