P U B L I S H E R ’ S D E S K
It isn’t the best coffee in the
world. In fact, middle of the road
is fair.
But the coffee isn’t the reason
myself and Hayley Media operations
director Lisa Harris start each day
at ‘That Café’.
The location of our daily planning
meeting that creates the agenda for
‘immediate’ business and outlines
the ‘ongoing’ – a concept stolen
from Redwoods Engineering, I
might add – gets our support
because the owners work hard.
They try bloody hard. Each day
they battle being new to the
business and a subsequent lack
of experience. The couple faces a
huge language barrier and a host
of other challenges; but despite
that they are giving it all they have
got. That’s a quality I’m prepared
to back, albeit for the sake of the
beans’ erratic flavour.
As we chatted en route to That Café
on a particularly sunny Takapuna
morning, my eyes caught a local
man that I’d seen before. Him lying
in the sun along the side of the
road wasn’t unusual… I’d seen this
homeless man sunning and warming
the bones on a couple of occasions.
But I could not stop looking and
turning my head as we entered the
café… and as we opened the door
the twitches of his legs confirmed a
growing awareness. My 24-year-old
nephew has battled epilepsy his
entire life; and I’ve seen plenty of
how fits start.
From that point it was all Kiwis to
the fore. In the true spirit of helping
– yes, in Auckland… and Takapuna,
even. And yes, lattes were unbelievably
left behind to fend for
themselves. I got on the phone to
the ambulance and started walking
to the man, leaving Lisa to organise
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blankets. IRD workers, residents
of the Bob Jones’ owned building,
stopped the traffic as they skipped
the road to his aid.
The man had hit his head and blood
was running down his face. Not
knowing him to any depth, or of any
possible medical conditions that he
might have, added immensely to a
grim moment of controlled mayhem.
Yet, amid the mayhem, I felt the
warm fuzzies at people coming
together - just because they could -
to help another.
By the time the ambulance and staff
arrived and explained that the man
was a regular of theirs, the man was
trying to flee at all costs. We were
told of how he just didn’t want help.
His life – on the streets – was where
he wanted to be despite the efforts
of many over a long period.
I don’t know what had caused this
man to deny the help of people in the
present and past, and for it to reach
such point of it being detrimental to
his health. But I do believe in taking
as much positive out of negative
situations as you can – there’s no
point in bad times winning on all of
the fronts.
And the thing I took from this,
and have definitely applied it into
business infrastructure, is that
there are always people that are
there willing to help. To lean on, to
partner up with, to initiate a collaboration…
to help each other move
forward. Daily grind can get to
anyone as most will attest to, and
that grind can consume, allowing
laurels to be sat on and things to
be left unattended. Continually
transfer that to your business.
Evaluate all parts of your business,
often… look to repair or inject
needed life.
In business, like life…. check
constantly. Recognise. Respond.
Repair. Thrive. Accept the help on
offer throughout that entire process.
Make 2019 your year. The
companies in our Profiles of
Success section let them help you
achieve just that. Merry Christmas
and a safe New Year to all.
NB No lattes cooled during the
writing of this editorial.
Greg Robertson
Editor/Publisher
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