Quarantine the negative. If you receive some disappointing news in the morning, don’t say: “I’m having a bad day.” The day is long. Why write it off because of one bit of bad news? Say instead, “I had a bad morning.” Better still, “I had a bad hour this morning.” Then make it a habit […]
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To leaders everywhere. Think of Covid’s social restrictions as a world-wide energy depressant, the effects of which are akin to mild sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation makes you irritable, snappy, grouchy, lethargic and disengaged. Now imagine that you are managing an entire workforce that is mildly sleep deprived. How should you adapt your style of leadership? […]
Some WFH productivity tips for those, like me, who spend most of their working day in meetings. Cut the length of all your virtual meetings by 25%. A one hour face-to-face meeting should be replaced by a 45-minute virtual meeting. Maintaining concentration in a video chat is harder than in a face-to-face meeting and – […]
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To my real estate valuer friends, a little comedy to end the week. A classic exchange from my all time favourite Australian comedy – The Castle – celebrating the sometimes absurd things we see when inspecting properties. Darryl: See that lattice up there? Valuer: Yeah? Darryl: Fake. Plastic. Gives the place a Victoriana feel. Valuer: […]
Here’s something my father repeatedly instilled in me as a teenager. “The best bet you can make is to back yourself. It may seem risky to others, but backing yourself is not risky. You are intelligent, hard-working and honest. It’s only a matter of time before you succeed.” What is worthy of being spoken to […]
On the wisdom of trees. Many years ago – way before the advent of Uber – I was talking to a taxi driver who grew up in the countryside. “I wonder”, I mused out loud, “why violent crime in the city is so much higher than in the country.” “That’s easy”, he exclaimed. “Have you […]
In defence of optimism. Remember, no matter how bad things get – you are only ever one phone call away from turning it all around. Think about it. One phone call from a client, an investor or a recruiter – and whatever you’re currently worried about will be ancient history. Better still, don’t wait for […]
To those who have much, more will be given. When an important task must be delegated, to whom should it be assigned? The busy. Why? Because they’ve already worked out how to get things done on time, almost all the time. When you have a spot to fill at a time management course, who should […]
A note of caution to real estate investors. Real estate taxes are rising. Total debt held by Australian governments will more than double from pre-pandemic levels, to just under $2.0 trillion by June 2023. That means in the three years from 2020-2023, we will hand over a tax invoice to our children and grandchildren of […]