There’s a moment that happens in a lot of New Zealand workplaces right now that would have been genuinely unusual even fifteen years ago. Someone in their early twenties is running a morning standup. Sitting around the table – or on the Zoom call, because it’s usually a hybrid situation – is a Gen X […]
How Your God-Given Personality Can Save You from a 9-to-5 Misery
Have you ever watched one of those reality shows where folks get sent on wild goose chases through swamps and up mountains? And the winner is always some cheerful fella who’s laughing while he’s slogging through mud, or some fiery competitor who’s roaring at everyone to move faster? Well, honey, let me tell you, that […]
Build Your Business by Building Your People
Back in the day, I had a fella come into my hardware store all flustered. Said his house was about to fall down ’cause he couldn’t find a single person who knew how to fix a leaky faucet without charging him an arm and a leg. He tried the Yellow Pages, he tried asking his […]
Hidden Job Market in New Zealand? How Your Personality Type Determines Your Networking Style
If you’ve been applying for jobs in New Zealand and wondering why it feels like shouting into a very polite void, here’s a statistic that might reframe your entire job search strategy: roughly 70% of roles never get advertised at all. Not 7%. Seventy. That number lands differently depending on where you are in your […]
The Big Five Personality Test: What It Actually Tells You (And What Most Tests Get Wrong)
The Big Five personality model is different. It’s not trying to sort you. It’s trying to describe you – accurately, honestly, and with enough nuance that you might actually recognize yourself in the results. It’s the most scientifically validated personality framework in psychology, which sounds clinical and boring, but stick with me, because what it […]
Don’t Let Your Talent Tangle You Up: A Catholic’s Guide to Humble Self-Expression
Ever see a man at a fish fry try to tell everyone every single detail about the catfish he caught? He’s not just sharing; he’s performing. His gift of a good day on the water has gotten tangled up in his ego, and pretty soon, you’d rather eat the coleslaw than listen to another story. […]
Work-Life Balance vs. Higher Pay: What Your DOPE Personality Type Actually Wants
Here’s a question that sounds simple until you actually sit with it: if you could have more money or more life, which one would you pick? Most of us have an instinctive answer. And then, about three seconds later, we start negotiating with ourselves. Well, it depends on how much more money. And what do […]
Tame the Chaos: Lead Any Workplace Change Like a Pro
You heard me talk about my buddy Earl, right? He ran the town’s only hardware store before I did – and he ran it like it was carved in stone. One Monday morning, we all showed up to find every single shelf empty. Earl had decided, on his own, that we’d switch from our reliable […]
What Is Executive Function – And Why Does It Explain So Much About You (and Your Teen)?
You know that feeling when you know what you’re supposed to do, you want to do it, and you still somehow… don’t? Or when your kid is clearly smart – you can see it – but they can’t seem to get out of their own way? Homework doesn’t get started. Emotions run hot over small […]