Seen one of those fella’s at the hardware store staring intently at a can of paint, then at his handiwork, and back again, like he’s trying to solve the riddle of the sphinx? Well, I once saw a man – let’s call him Trevor – do just that. He was trying to match the trim […]
What Canterbury, Otago & the South Island Boom Means for Your Career – And the Personality Type That Thrives There
There’s a conversation happening in New Zealand career circles that doesn’t get nearly enough airtime, possibly because the people having it are too busy actually building good lives in places like Christchurch, Queenstown, Dunedin, and Invercargill to spend much time evangelising about it online. The South Island is booming. Not in the frothy, overcrowded, cost-of-living-crisis […]
Finding God in the Quiet: Why Silence is Your Superpower
I remember my old pal, Earl. Bless his heart – he was a good man but a talker. I mean, you could get a sunburn from listening to that man spin a yarn. He’d come into the hardware store and before you could even ask him what he needed, he’d have told you about the […]
Master Your Team’s Talk: The Simple Guide to Speaking Their Language
Walking into that town council meeting was like trying to understand a foreign language. My friend Earl, bless his heart, laid out the budget with more numbers than a lottery ticket, while old Mrs. Gable just wanted to know if we could plant more magnolias by the post office. I sat there, scratching my head, […]
Self-Defined Success: How to Build a Career Around Your Life (Not the Other Way Around)
There’s a version of career advice that’s been quietly running in the background of most of our professional lives for decades, like an old operating system nobody ever updated. It goes something like this: work hard, climb the ladder, accumulate the markers of success – the title, the income, the corner office or its modern […]
Saintly Smarts for Your Bottom Line: How Integrity Is the Best Business Strategy
Back in my hardware store days, a fella came in, bought a whole truckload of 2x4s for what he said was a big ol’ deck project for someone else. I gave him the best price on town, shook his hand, and wished him luck. Well, six months later, my wife sees that very same pile […]
Can You Win an Argument and Still Be Friends?
Walk into my old hardware store on a Saturday morning, and you’d hear the sweet symphony of negotiation. “Now, Bojangles,” Mr. Henderson would say, holding up a can of paint, “This is fine, but it’s not the color I had in mind for the kitchen.” I’d smile back and reply, “Well, now, sir, that’s true […]
Reciprocal Mentorship: The Career Growth Strategy Kiwis Are Using That Most Australians Haven’t Heard Of
Let me paint you a picture of traditional mentorship, because I think it’s worth being honest about how limiting the model actually is. A senior person – usually older, usually more experienced, usually with more institutional power – agrees to spend time with a junior person who wants to learn from them. The junior person […]
Stand Strong in Faith Without Losing Your Friends
Ever find yourself at a family barbecue, clutching your sweet tea while everyone else is on their second beer? Or maybe you’re the only one at work who doesn’t use “God’s name” as an exclamation point during a frustrating Zoom call. It can feel lonely sometimes – like being a Catholic in a culture that’s […]