A Better Life ...

Dedicated to the memory of LSK.

This blog is to honour someone I don't remember meeting, and to raise a challenge - what more can each of us add to the relationships and meetings we have each day?

I have just been to a friend's father's funeral. I might have met him briefly, but I was probably too busy doing my "stuff" to have used the opportunity to meet such a remarkable, loving and generous man.

People eulogise about the best memories. By all accounts this man lived a remarkable life. He started in a new country with nothing, took lowly and menial jobs at first, building quite a remarkable business life.

But what stood out in the eulogies was his love of his family - he felt he was rich beyond measure because of the love of his family - he was happily married to the same woman for 53 years. They walked around the park holding hands every day until 3 months before he died. He had seven grandchildren - as he said, one for each day of the week. He lined his front steps with flowers to celebrate the birth of each child and grandchild, and every person he met with interest, respect and genuine care and affection. He was known by his employees as the best boss they could ever have, and his word was as good as any binding legal contract.

He did what he said he would do.

Think how much more joyful our lives would be if we could all be a little more like this man.

Life Balance Tips

Gail Kelly, CEO of St George Bank in Australia, and soon to be head of Westpac Banking Corporation in Australia is not only a successful businesswoman but a wife and mother of four (including triplets).

Her key points on balancing life include:

• Deal with what needs to be done as it comes up. She does not "compartmentalise" her life.
  
• Live in the moment.
• Don't worry too much
• Love your life
• Run life as a whole - prioritise across all areas of your life, making sure that there is time for the important events, holidays, school concerts or whatever is important to you. Gail Kelly has been known to leave work to attend important events in her children's lives!
• Most importantly - keep things in perspective.
  

Quite possibly nothing new, but it is nice to hear successful CEO's able to put it into practice - and if they can, maybe we can do some of it too.

To find the calm in the chaos of hectic multifaceted lives, take some time to find what you truly value and appreciate, and bring some elements of this into your daily life. The goal is to be able to work and live in accordance with your values - if this is not entirely possible, allow yourself some moments each day to live and value your values, and appreciate your achievements and capabilities.

If you want to read a little more about how Gail Kelly does it, follow these links:

http://www.abc.com.au/news/stories/2007/08/17/2008434.htm?section=business

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/business/items/200705/s1929272.htm

Great Management Strategies

I recently attended a business breakfast in which Gail Kelly, CEO of St George Bank gave some insights into her style of management. She is a remarkable woman who arrived in Australia in October 1997. She not only heads a medium recognisable bank in Australia but is also a wife and mother of four (including triplets) - and is soon to be heading up Westpac Banking Corporation, one of the largest banks in Australia.

Her management tips include:

• Apply dedication and discipline to achieve your goals
• Have the right person in the right place - be clear about selection criteria so that you can recruit people who match the values of the corporation or business.
• Look after the heartbeat of the business - what it stands for, who it serves, and what the customers truly want. True service comes from understanding your customer's needs, so define your value to your clients - who and where they are.
• Work within the culture of the business - use the infrastructure and people that are already there and improve on this. Celebrate the achievements of your staff.
• Allow time to establish the correct building blocks, and growth takes time.
• Leadership is what you do and how you do it. It is behaviour that marks a true leader.

These might all be fairly standard ideas regarding management in the twenty first century - they are just stated so clearly and succinctly it is a joy to hear them.

To read more about Gail Kelly follow these links:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Business/Gail-Kelly-to-head-Westpac-as-new-CEO/2007/08/17/1186857719777.html

http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/ceo-who-gave-birth-to-triplets/2005/07/02/1119724845747.html