Heading up to the waterfall

I had just returned from my offshore rotation, I had done ten weeks straight and had a couple of weeks back at home - I really needed it.

I really enjoyed this job, you need your breaks too, time to recharge before returning, it was a good break, a short trip to Singapore and a trip down the holiday house. I had some work commitments to perform, some short meetings and then prepare to return to site.

I returned to site and was straight back at work, I had meetings to attend as the area was not running well. There was the flight from Perth to Johannesburg, step off the flight, board the company charter jet and get in to work.

I was jet lagged, I did the Saturday shift, fixed my bike up and then headed off at 6 am Sunday morning. It was going to be a 96 km bike ride to the waterfall return trip, this was through tracks and some roads.

Needless to say, the trip to the waterfall is an uphill ride through some pretty unforgiving Congo jungle in the wet season. On a positive note, the return trip was going to be downhill and boy, were some of those slopes steep.

It was an excellent ride, sure, it was hard but you never remember the easy trips, there is no challenge in that. Ok, it is true I got a little banged up on the trip home, yes, it could have gone a little better, this was a life experience I won't forget and I wouldn't change anything.

Leadership studies

I became interested in leadership studies when a friend of mine was undertaking her MBA studies. We met as her son was learning to dive through our dive centre. She would drop him off before racing home to study and write up her assignments.

I was very interested in what she was doing and I was even more interested to learn she was working at the university as a marker. What a great way to gain exposure to both strong and weak academic papers. She has an opportunity to learn from the very students she marked.

So when she decided to head back to university to research and write her thesis on leadership, I was acutely interested in following her progress. Leadership is such an interesting and finicky issue, plenty of people write up leadership skills in their CVs yet I wonder how many actually demonstrate actual effective leadership qualities in the workplace?

I see motivational pictures mounted on the wall of an eagle soaring over the mountains looking down over the valley below. This isn't leadership; a manager, or indeed a director needs to inspire people through a shared vision that empowers team members to create value in the organisation.

When I see a leadership poster hanging on a wall all I see is an example of leadership lacking. I am yet to see the workers buying into a culture and vision, this is just token symbolism that fails to create the team-work that leads to outstanding performance.

Koblenz - where the Rhine meets the Mosel

Koblenz is a quaint little city located on the junction where the Rhine River meets the Mosel River. We were travelling up the Rhine by a combination of train and river boat, Koblenz is a logical short stop before heading down the Mosel river to Trier.

For me, just a day was needed to look around, there was the Festung Ehrenbreitstein Fortress to look around after taking the cable car across the Rhine, you can really see the different colours of the Rhine River and Mosel River - amazing.

I was reliably informed it is worth waiting around for cable car #17 as it has a glass floor. That is not entirely correct, it has a glass viewing box to look out the bottom, not bad and worth the wait although there is enough glass in the cable car to view the fantastic scenes.

After we got off the cable car we wandered around to the Memorial of German Unity where a band was set up, there were bars and food stalls with decent views of the fortress, Rhine River and the Mosel River. A number of river cruise boats were moored alongside the waterfront, it's a decent place to spend for an overnight trip.

Tradies - the new class of entrepreneur

Tradies are the new class of entrepreneurs in Australia and this is a positive step forward. For the uninitiated, what is a tradie? A trade is defined as a vocational occupation with skills and knowledge developed through a formal apprenticeship.

Trades can be divided into market sectors from the engineering sectors employing machinists, fitters, boilermakers and welders, technicians and plant mechanics. There is the building sector requiring bricklayers, tillers, plumbers, carpenters, cabinet makers, plasters and painters.

The automotive industry requires light vehicle (car) mechanics, heavy vehicle (truck and bus) mechanics, motorbike mechanics, spray painters, automotive electricians, panel beaters and auto body finishers.

Then there is the hospitality sector with chefs, baristas and wait staff all dedicated to the consumer experience. There is hairdressing and beauticians, sports and recreation, manufacturing, warehousing and logistics, mining and retailing.

What we are seeing is entrepreneurial tradies opening plumbing businesses, carpentry shops, contract tilers offering their services business to business (B2B), electrical repairers advertising directly to the public and opening retail premises.

Why sit through years of university for a worthless degree with little to no job prospects when you could complete a trade in the same timeframe earning money as you progress and completing your qualification with no student debt.

With the exception of the STEM areas where there is a definite requirement and demand, many tertiary areas do not have sufficient vacancies. I feel that if an individual then wants to progress to university as a mature age entrant then all good - that's what I did.

Tradies are completing apprenticeships, gaining further experience and then engaging in entrepreneurship to ply their trade - fantastic. Their skills and knowledge are in demand and they are employing people adding value to the economy.

Missing a Hong Kong stopover

I have been to Hong Kong before but I still really like to walk around and see the city, the last time I was in Hong Kong was just as I was completing my university studies, I recall working on my final unit in the hotel room.

There are riots and civil unrest going on, I have been in riots before by accident, this is not something I wasn't to willingly engage in. For me, the most important issue was making my flight so I didn't want to get caught up in any disturbances.

Besides, the flight left at 3:05 pm so I needed to be back at 1 pm to be safe. With travel time to and from, it is a lot of effort for a couple of hours in the city. Not this time I guess, today just wasn't worth the effort or the risk.

The information age - full of misinformation

Apparently we are living in the Information Age, we are now exposed to an unlimited supply of data that even the most astute and educated individuals in the history of the world have never been exposed to before.

In not only previous generations but previous cultures, knowledge was power. Only the elite were educated, the masses were dominated by the ruling class left to fend for themselves. Hence, only royalty and nobility were educated; an argument may be put forward that this was to keep the elite in power - it's hard to deny.

Unfortunately this almost unlimited supply of information has somehow been corrupted with misinformation, conspiracy theories and interference by hostile governments and groups. The internet is the tool to spread misinformation, ironically, this should be the method to share true and correct information.

Yet, what I see on forums and online discussions is anything but informed and rational discussion. The lack of knowledge presented when an individual clearly has the ability to research topics and information from reputable sources is reasonably straightforward.

However, this is rarely the case as next to nobody owns encyclopedias anymore, people don’t have reference books or cite published and peer reviewed research, they prefer to reference Youtube, alternative news sites instead of mainstream news.

Now, whilst some better known sites have gone tabloid, the genuine news sites are definitely easy to spot. It isn’t difficult to work out what is a genuine news site, yet, many seem incapable to do so from the flat earth society, faked moon landings, the US government staging the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Area 51 other alien stories.

Crony selection

If you have been gifted a position in the government where you have not met merit selection based on addressing formal selection criteria, then you are in a crony position - it is really that easy.

Public sector selection principles require a merit selection process meeting employment standards as set out in public sector standards of human resource management. The merit selection process falls under four equity principles.

Merit selection requires a proper assessment of the KSAs, that’s knowledge, skills and abilities that is relevant to the position. The equity principle requires employment decisions to be free from bias, nepotism or patronage.

Patronage is the power to control appointments and deemed a privilege bestowed upon certain persons. Patronage is a form of favouritism that is deemed to be an abuse of power that rewards individuals or groups that is a corrupt process.

The interest principle is related to secondment where the employee’s interests are taken into account, in essence, this is to prevent bullying where an employee is not coerced into a position that is detrimental and consents. The transparency principle ensures employment decisions are capable of reviews.

So, where does that leave us? If government departments are promoting people without meeting selection requirements, the opportunities for corruption are increased. This can be the only reason they are bypassing required protocol. 

Notwithstanding, productivity is decreased because yes men and/or social climbers are the only ones parachuted into the best positions and team motivation decreases. They are the only ones in the organisation who benefit - not the people performing the work. 

You will see less collaboration, these are the ones taking claim for other’s accomplishments. This creates an atmosphere where team-work is lost as everyone wants to climb over productive people where back-stabbing and intolerable work practices occur. 

This is why crony selection is to be avoided at all costs where only the unethical individuals advance in the organisation. Productive people are demotivated and seek alternate employment opportunities, this is why talent leaves and non-performers remain. 

Resto Surfie Bar - Lapu Lapu

Mecky and I were out on a pretty dull Saturday night on Mactan Island when she spotted a bar from the back of the public utility vehicle we were travelling in.

We jumped out and decided to wander in for a look and it was surprising that for a well stocked bar, this place was empty. The bar staff were nice and friendly so I have to wonder, how a bar can be so empty on a Saturday night.

This is not a big place, the decor and facilities were more than adequate and I guess cost a fair whack to set up. This would be a challenge I would like to take on as a marketing project as a retiree.

Mactan is a holiday island so there are holidaymakers interested in an exciting night out. The question I would ask myself is, how could I fill this place? How would a marketer put this place on the map for a good night out?

I would target the young crowd, sure this bar is not in the centre of town but if it is seen as the place to be, people will come. Firstly, I would target the tourist markets of South Koreans and Chinese without neglecting the local Filipinos.

Their wine selection wasn't great, we purchased ourselves a bottle of Medoc, a 2017 vintage that wasn't great. For 1500 PHP ($29.41 USD) you should be expecting a little more but any frequent traveler to the Philippines would know French wine is a little hit and miss.

As a wine drinker, clearly I rate French wine and I especially like the Bordeaux region. I tend to think the French aren't exporting their premium wines to the Philippines. A couple of options Ina couple of price points would be interesting.

So wine options need to be improved, they had the option of an Argentine Malbec but this didn't interest me without a tasting. Without crowds and frequent turnover of wine by the glass, a tasting is out of the question.

A wine stock costs money, we all know that so turnover is important and that generally doesn't attract the young crowd but supplements existing customers. If you are a bar owner, you need to invest in your business and a well stocked bar is paramount.

This is the Philippines so labour is cheap, organizing a pick-up service for discerning clients is possible. This should initially target local customers and then expand to the hotels for foreign tourists. Certainly a business case needs to be explored to decide if such a strategy is viable, if not - drop it.

Mosswood Amy's 2014

Every trip down to Margaret River in the South West coast of Australia has seen me miss every opportunity to visit Moss Wood's Wilyabrup winery. Just three hours drive south of Perth, this winery remains elusive for me to visit.

I found the soft oak influences not overbearing, this Bordeaux style wine is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot. I have drunk pure Petit Verdot and found it a little too strong in tannin although it has fantastic blackcherry and violet flavours.

Likewise, I have found Malbec to be too one dimensional as a stand alone wine but perfect for blending with generous blueberry flavours. The Mosswood Cabernet is a very expensive bottle of wine, what I like about the Amy's collection is I am able to drink Mosswood on a budget.  

A day in Ghent

I was looking forward to a day in Ghent, I know of this city from the wife of a good friend and really wanted to explore this interesting city in Belgium. Fantastically, Ghent is just a 40 minute train trip from Brussels, the ticket cost was a reasonable €11 - so here we come.

I hadn't done too much research into this city, this is a normal practice for me as I want to be surprised instead of expecting to see certain sights. I did know they had some wonderful canals throughout the city, that much I did know.

It is fair to say Ghent exceeded my expectations, the areas around the canals were very picturesque as expected. There were some interesting churches to explore and just walking the streets was worthwhile.

I especially enjoyed the views from the numerous bridges, I would certainly recommend a day in Ghent to any of my friends sightseeing in Europe. This was the best city in Belgium to visit in my opinion.

Where's Larry?

We all develop workplace sayings and comebacks, they change with workplaces and situations, but they can define what is accepted in the workplace. This creates the culture of the workplace, whilst the leadership defines the culture, what is accepted practice is what defines the working conditions.

My favourite comeback is "Where's Larry?" This is a very poignant comeback as Larry is no longer with us. No need to worry, Larry is still alive, he hasn't left this world, he is just no longer employed in our workplace.

So, what happened; well, Larry was moved on to a less significant role within the organisation. How did this come about? Well, ironically Larry didn't fare so well after the CCC investigation. So what is the CCC you ask?

The CCC is the Corruption and Crime Commission; apparently, public sector corruption is frowned upon and misappropriation of government funds is considered a bad thing. The CCC was established to investigate state government corruption.

So, when you are accused without evidence of reporting misappropriation of government funds to a regulatory body; apparently, you are the bad one. However, I am still there and Larry isn't. The cronies he embedded during the period of mismanagement are still there, just the leader is missing.

Still, they are no longer as brazen as they once were; they are very cautious, whilst they are not ashamed of their actions, they no longer enjoy the benefits they once did. The nervousness is laughable, they still think they control the place despite everyone there claiming higher salaries.

So they are now where I want them, they have easy jobs; sure, but no longer claim inappropriate benefits and they are paid significantly less than the rest of us. In this case, cronyism hasn’t resulted in more money for this crowd.

This is the appropriate remuneration that they should be paid, their corrupt payment cycle is being watched, they work for us now and they are paid less than us. Their little pathetic power comes at a significant financial cost - there is justice after all.

Red of Africa tea

It is no secret the TWG Tea is my favourite tea, I didn’t really seek out a tea that I liked. I just happened to wander in a TWG Tea outlet and they made a pretty decent recommendation - great recommendation actually.

Transiting through Changi allows me to top up my supplies as this tea is difficult to obtain in Perth. Sure, there is David Jones in the city but their range is limited and David Jones at Karrinyup shopping centre no longer retails any TWG products.

Likewise, when I am in Singapore I can head to Marina Bay Sands, Orchard Road or more of their numerous locations for silver service. So for Red of Africa tea, I am mostly limited to trips to South East Asia at the moment.

So what do I like about Red of Africa tea? The red robista tea is very much to my tastes, I learnt that after a recommendation in a TWG branch in the Shangrila outlet in the Philippines.

The red coloured tea is perfect when served cold in a highball glass. You can add sweetener to flavour if you wish, but my preference is unsweetened and that's the way I will continue to drink it.

Red Horse beer

I can't say I'm a fan of Philippines beer, the leading brewery in the country is San Miguel in terms of sales and brand awareness. An option worth exploring when in the Philippines is Red Horse Beer.

Not that I reckon it is great beer, it is in my opinion the best of a series of poor options. So what is better about Red Horse? Firstly, I will have to compare local beers as none of the Philippine beers stack up against imported beers.

So, apart from the obvious, why would you choose Red Horse over San Miguel? I believe Red Horse is a better beer because it has a stronger flavour first and foremost. My research indicated this is indeed a full strength beer with an alcohol content of 8%

What really threw me is learning this is brewed by San Miguel Corporation, the beer was developed as a direct competitor to higher alcohol imported Asian beers. Whilst an enormous business in the Philippines, the San Miguel Corporation produces plenty of dubious quality beer, at least Red Horse is a half decent product.