are you on the rite track: Recent Episodes
John Barley
Are we on the rite track understanding the purpose of MINDFULNESS
Virin Gomber is a practitioner in MINDFULNESS. He coaches people in business and for their personal needs to overcome barriers that emerge in our everyday existence.
Virin is a Mindfulness Success Coach helping individuals become top achievers. He is a co-author of a book “The missing piece in self love” The book is an Amazon best seller
The core of his work with entrepreneurs, professionals and driven individuals helping them achieve next level success, happiness and balance.
He offers a unique blend of mindfulness, smart strategic planning and neuro science. He has a multitude of qualifications. A Masters Degree in Quantum Physics, interior design, marketing, public relations, journalism and neuro linguistic programming.
He has been a success coach for 10 years and 25 years of mindfulness experience, coaching groups, training corporates. He has created a set of strategies to craft his Mindfulness success system.
In this interview we discover how and why Quantum Physics can give us a better understanding of the application of mindfulness in our everyday stressful anxious existence. What value can Mindfulness and the understanding of Quantum Physics provide to our ability to be creative and overcome that feeling of anxiety and being overwhelmed.
Being overwhelmed prevents us from being proactive and creative. It prevents us from having clarity of the true issues.
Mindfulness provides the tools to be able to breakthrough that feeling of anxiety and overwhelm. It enables us to find the value in what we do daily in our business and our lives.
It is like breaking through the limiting beliefs that we all have. We can see what we want but we have the glass ceiling that prevents us reaching for what we want. Mindfulness permits us to breakthrough that glass ceiling.
Glass ceilings don’t only exist in our personal lives it also exists in business. Sadly businesses are run by people and it is the people that drive the success or failure of a business.
Goals and objectives are set at the beginning of the year but for some strange reason sometimes those gaols are not realized especially if the business is in the SME sector. RiteTrack NZ Ltd is about helping businesses and the business owners get on the right track to ensure its success. To protect the potential of the people and the business.
In this instance it’s not about protection with insurance. It is about protection by being prepared to push forward and being resilient to the changes in the business environment.
To achieve this there needs to be understanding of the information that is presented to the business owner, hourly, daily and weekly, to make sure the optimum results and opportunities are reached. The potential of the business. To many this would seem like the application of more pressure being placed upon the business owner who is already overwhelmed.
Even with the pressure being applied there is still a challenge for business owners to stop the leakage of potential revenue in the supply chain of the business.
Mindfulness is a tool that can be used to help prevent, leakage of opportunities. Mindfulness provides the understanding to the business owner to see the opportunities and have the energy and mental space to overcome the limiting beliefs. To recognize that it is not more pressure that makes the difference. It is the ability to stand back and understand the root cause for the failures and then deal with them to eliminate them , manage them or pass them to a third party.
Operation Market Garden 1944 WW2
Imagine being at the door of a DC3 about ready to launch yourself out the door on the sound of an order.
Your about to launch yourself into another world of fighting and survival. The culmination of hours of training in safety and security. Knowing that by the end of another day you would be able to sleep, eat and be with friends.
These men of the paratroopers were brave but also professionals who did not tick boxes before they threw themselves out the door of an aircraft.
Today in our own battles at work and in business we are expected to tick boxes to show that we are compliant. Are we Health and Safety compliant? We need to ask; “are we?”
The purpose of this podcast is to look at the culture of safety within a professional organization, through the experiences and knowledge of an ex paratrooper.
The objective is to show that for businesses to be compliant under Health and Safety requires more than just ticking boxes.
STATEMENT : Health and Safety compliancy belongs within the values of the business. It starts in the minds and soul of the business leaders and owners. Not because they have to. Because they want to. They want to be different. They want to have success and they want to be resilient.
In the paratrooper regiment the soldiers do not have to check lists for the parachutes. They don’t have tick boxes. The only factor that has a tick box for safety is the aircraft.
The parachutes are packed and prepared with care. Strict processes and system are followed.
Why is this? The answer is relatively simple
1)Aircraft can be seen by the inspector, engineers and pilots
2)Aircraft need to be maintained. This is a constant. Without maintenance of the aircraft it will not fly and it will crash killing all those on board. The mission will be a disaster even before it starts.
Safety in regards to people is a constant. It is in the mind. It is in the philosophical core and soul of the regiment. It is a culture of care.
How can we nurture and grow this culture in a business? It is a value that needs to be understood. It needs to be ingrained into the hearts of the men and women.
Can we identify the wellbeing of the culture of care and its value within the organization? Can it be measured or compared to other results? Is it perceived or is it for ever present?
Where does it start and when does it start? Listening to Heinrich’s story it starts in the hearts and minds of the leaders. It starts with their values and the value they see in their people.
Can it be measured?
The answers to these questions are only seen in the results. For a Paratroopers mission, it is the success of the mission. The number of men that return to base. The ability to place a battle on the board as a victory and the names of the soldiers will never be written on the boards that speak of the honor of the dead.
In business the result is in the achievement of the KPI targets and the attainment of the desired results.
The outcomes.
It is seen in the level of maintenance of the physical assets on the business. The machinery, the tools, the building, the amount of waste, the level of engagement of the people. It is seen in the delivery of the product or service. How much wastage, how many returned products, how much credit to clients and customers. These are all dollar values that are reflected in the end of the year results.
If you wish to know more of this philosophy and practice, we invite you to our website www.ritetrack.co.nz and view the content of the modules under Drive to Perfection. OR obtain a free monthly newsletter. Register with bit.ly/ritetrack
Episode 2: Simone de Haas
The entrepreneurial spirit and its place in culture change of a business or a venture.
What is required?
We continue to look at the Entrepreneurial Spirit and how it impacts the management of culture change within a business. What happens when there is a need to join three sperate organizations with three different cultures? How do you create one cohesive team and a culture that will deliver the final objective?
The five ‘Cs’ to define the soul of the new venture
Care, clarity, communication, creativity, and connection. These elements permitted the joint venture of three companies, 3 cultures to work together to create one result – the Landmark Project – the laying of a rail line across Australia
Empathy – there is a need for empathy in this process should there be a disruption – like COVOID 19 How does a period of time such as COVID 19 impact upon the delivery of the project. How does it impact the lives of others?
We look again at the subject of pivoting and how does pivoting apply and affect the values of the enterprise. Will pivoting have an impact upon the level of resilience within the business if we understand the jointly held values?
Does the soul of the business embody the values of the business?
How do we transform the culture of a business? How do we use the art of storytelling to transform the journey of change in the minds of the people from having to do a task to want to do a task? How does a story impact the feelings, behavior and thoughts of the people involved in the business or venture?
Is there the necessity to be empathetic and vulnerable during this process of storytelling so that it is engaging and captivating? What do the stories have to achieve?
Is effective storytelling dependent upon the different management styles or can each style of management create its own style of storytelling?
The future of business and Entrepreneurial Spirit.
The need to be more human-centric as there is a shift to a heart-centered business – a business with a soul – leadership with care and compassion.
Simone de Haas unravels the mystery of entrepreneurial spirit. What is it and does it provide guidance for us as we operate our businesses?
Simone explores for us the necessity to understand the SOUL of a business. What is it and does it have anything to do with the spirit of the business?
What is the connection between entrepreneurial spirit and the soul of the business?
What is and does the business actually have a soul? The soul of the business is the heart of the business. The business has a purpose.
Example: Simone has a theatre business based in Queensland Australia. The business is in the entertainment industry. A business created to provide an environment where people will laugh due to
the stagecraft of the actors and the script of the play. The purpose of the business is to create magic in people's lives.
Do PIVOTING and RESILIENCE exist in this realm? Is there a need for pivoting if you know the purpose of your business?
Pivoting is knowing the method of delivery of the purpose of the business
Resilience is the manner in which we deliver – we thus need perseverance and fortitude
Example: the level of discipline and passion to deliver and give people an experience that goes past and beyond the practical to provide magic in their lives.
Entrepreneurial Spirit is the creation of something that has never been done before. A drive and passion to create. It defines the purpose of what is wanted. The magic of creating something from nothing that is of value to others.
Resilience is a major factor of Entrepreneurial spirit – being resilient to negativity. Persevering to overcome the failures to find success.
What are business owners doing to find the soul of the business and not being just another “me too”
Episode 2
The last episode we looked at the security of data and considered the difference between commercial PCs and Retail PCs. We considered the necessity of care within the business. Care also applies to the necessity of ensuring that the data of a business and the business wellbeing is secure.
We considered how a lack of security impacts the ability of a business to have the freedom to grow and have resilience.
In this episode, we return to the subject of security but we look at the necessity of maintenance and replacement of computers. What is the effect upon a business when their people work remotely? From their homes or maybe even a beach. What are the security issues that need to be considered?
Is there a difference between commercial pc security and backups and retail pc security and backups?
What affect is there upon the business should their people suffer from fatigue and burn out from working at home. We discuss the challenges of people being work- a-holics. Fatigue increases the probability of being hacked. Every computer is a portal to the inside operation of a business.
We look at Disaster Recovery Plans and how they relate to the security of the data. Find ways of preventing loss and hacking first. Then work out how to recover what could be lost or has been lost. Start with prevention first.
In the world of Health and Safety businesses have to have a person who is qualified to administer first aid. Trained by St Johns as a first responder should there be an accident or heart attack. If data is so critical to the health and well-being of business then surely there should be the training of an individual on what steps to take to prevent further loss and start the recovery action.
We also explore the backup systems and risk management systems of DATA CENTRE 220. Your data will be in good hands. Note you still own the data and DATA CENTRE220 has no liability or responsibility for loss or damage.
Do you have your data insured in the event of loss or damage? You cannot insure data as it has no physical presence. However, you can insure the costs associated with the loss ie the ransom and sometimes the loss of profits due to the loss of data.
Podcast Episode 1
From a hobby to a full career in the world of ever-changing IT.
EPISODE 1 starts with Robert discussing how his passion and hobby as a young teenager became a career which not only involved tutoring but also creating and building a business that provided a comprehensive support system to businesses in Auckland. The purpose to make the world of IT accessible to small businesses at the economic value
The topics discussed are
Are hacking and ransomware an issue with small businesses. How can a small business reduce and prevent the risk from impacting on the wellbeing of the business short term and long term?
Backups and systems – what systems work and why is back up of data so important to prevent disruption and interference to the company's wellbeing.
Culture of care in the business – why is this so relevant and where does it start?
Risking the loss of your business freedom due to being open to the probability of the business being held to ransom or being hacked. Lost opportunities?
What are the different levels of security of data?
Contracts of storage of data. Are they of value? What is the liability of storage facilities?
Is there competition between PC and Apple? Which is better for the storage of data?
Commercial PCs v Retail PCs. Which is better for a business?
Commercial-grade anti-virus software v Retail grade anti-virus software. Which is better?
There is no “new normal” There is only the right way and the wrong way of understanding business in any commercial world.
Culture in a business will determine the immunity of the business to challenges that we have encountered recently such as COVID 19
We hear all too often across the media and the government and business gurus that there is a need to pivot our thinking about the business. It's more a point of pivoting our mindset.
Simon Sinek states “It's no longer ‘why in what we do in our business. It's now how do we do what we do that will redefine our why in business”
We discuss the “new normal”. The “new normal” of doing business!
Business owners ask “How do we bounce back financially and what is the risk to the business if it should happen again?” “Will insurance do the job for us?”
At Ritetrack NZ Ltd we focus on the immunity systems of a business to enable the business to be resilient in these times of upheaval and adjustment. Those times when a business has to find their new normal and to learn to pivot the mind and the business
But what happens when maybe we have got it all wrong? What happens if there is actually no new normal? If the business culture has a strong foundation based upon the meaning of the word which represents the industry then there is no new normal!
In the case of this podcast, we talk to Ria the owner of the “Local Coffee House” in Pukekohe about her business. Why her immunity and resilience have been outstanding to the point that the business is still growing. It’s a destination café in the Franklin District and it's my favorite café.
We look at the business of the normal in the hospitality industry when the business is running at an optimal level. The wellbeing of the business just exudes through the personalities of the staff and the general environment of the café day.
Listening to the podcast the stand out points for me were
99% of businesses within the hospitality industry do not pay attention to their KPI’s. Ria does so daily and hourly. Ria and her staff know per hour when they are working at the optimum level and they adjust daily in accordance with stock to produce and workflow.
Hospitality is not a skill. Yes, it can be taught but authentic hospitality is crucial to support the culture of hospitality as a cultural “who we value”
92% of her customers for the past few months are considered as promoters of the café
The other day we presented the thought of the circle of confidence. Ria applies this same creation of confidence in the way the business has become resilient and is building its immunity.
The potential of and for the business is based around the culture and value of hospitality.
The action is the continual monitoring of the KPIs and communication between all of the people working within the business and with the customers
The benefits. The abil9ity to make the right decisions on all levels within the business. Having optimal wellbeing within the business so that it is totally resilient with a strong immunity system
The success: The accumulation of knowledge because they understand the mechanics of the business and the business culture. Being nominated for a business award in Pukekohe and the Westpac Awards. They did not wish to proceed as they were only 2 years old when nominated. Being humble and having humility. The creation of a loyal community. Having customers become clients to the point they know that 80% of their clients will never leave.
Why – They differentiate themselves because of their understanding of the word hospitality.
We look at and discuss if the management criteria have changed since covid19. Had it changed before this period of COVID19? Is there a necessity to have agile management rather than lean management? Is it really a battle between lean management and agile management for business leaders to get through this period? Do leaders in business need to pivot not only the business but the mindset of the people and the culture of the business? What can the art of logistics tell us about the long term sustainability of a business but also the sustainability of the different management styles? Is Health and Safety a major component of this thinking and pivoting as it seems to be a major factor in the business and its reputation in the market place.
To me, Agile Management won the fight. What do you think?
Cycle of confidence
How do we recognize the potential in a person?
What if they are perceived to be a lemon?
We think that we have created or found something unique until we look in google.
I spent some hours thinking about my "Circle of Confidence" after having a discussion with a young man who was a dishwasher in a restaurant. The young man is only 22 years of age. His ability and opportunity of realizing his potential have been thwarted due to the environment of his upbringing.
However, his level of awareness is really quite extraordinary. He said if you want to know anything about the business of owning a restaurant talk to the dishwasher. It is the dishwasher that hears all the stories of the stress and anxiety of the people working. The dishwasher knows and hears about the technical problems of the equipment and the skills of the staff.
What will happen to this young man and his potential is down to him and his mentor?
My mind then went to the humble lemon. We don’t realize the value of the lemon. The value of the lemon's potential is not found until we go on a journey to explore the benefits of the lemon. First, we must pick the lemon off the tree. Then cut the lemon so that we can place it on the lemon squeezer to exert force to extract the lemon juice. The lemon juice and some of the flesh are the benefits of our actions. Success is when we see the value of the benefits. The success will promote and encourage a change in mindset to one of openness to other opportunities. The ability to see the potential. Pivoting!
To many people, they may see the dishwasher as lacking in potential due to his role and or maybe the way he/she speaks. Maybe because he cannot read or write (yet!) Maybe just like the lemon he will provide benefits and value to others through the action of another due to belief trust faith and hope
Immunity in business
How many business owners would love to know how to become resilient and have immunity from 5the effect of external environmental risks impacting on their business?
How many of those same business owners would want to have immunity from the internal environmental risks and hazards having an impact upon their business?
Is this possible. Or is it a lot of hot air?
If business leaders and owners could have foreseen the covid 19 decimating the commercial environment within a matter of weeks would they have been wanting to know how to become immune to the effects?
How much money would have been saved? How many jobs would have been saved? How many businesses would have been safe?
Hindsight is a great thing. However, we do know that the insurance industry could not help as the policies were not designed for such an event.
If a business owner had considered having an immunity system within their business how would it have been constructed. What are the components?
RiteTrack NZ Limited after 10 years of research and collaborating with other business owners overseas can provide to business owners the understanding to create an immunity system.
It does not replace insurance policies. However, insurance policies were never designed to be the immunity system for a business. Insurance should support the immunity system should the system not be able to provide the optimal solution in the event of a disaster or crisis affecting a business.
70% of businesses after a disaster regardless of the business having a business interruption policy will close its doors. Why is this?
RiteTrack NZ Ltd briefly explores the necessity and benefits of Disaster Recovery Plans and Business Continuity Plans. These plans enable business owners to respond to an event rather than react to an event. Immunity systems respond and react to internal and external environmental risks and hazards.
Immunity systems within a business permit growth and financial wellbeing of a business.
What would this be worth to you as a business owner and to your business?
View our website www.ritetrack.co.nz for value added insights and course material.
Brian Fielkow
Brian is based in HOUSTON TEXAS. He is a qualified legal counsel but left the practice to enter the corporate world at the tough end of the business street.
His first role was as an executive officer of Waste Management. From there he learned the necessity of having safety as a primary focus of business. When he joined Waste Management he and the CEO worked for a change in culture. Learned how to transform a poorly run operation into success story.
Brian then decided that he wanted to own and run a business. He purchased JET CO DELIVERIES in Houston Texas in 2007. This was the start of the GFC and it hit the world economies like a storm. The trucking and transport industry in Texas and the rest of the USA is a hard market with hard men and tough cultures. It is the same here in New Zealand.
One of the staff members of JET CO quickly formed an opinion that Brian’s softness would spell doom for the business when he had to compete with a very hard competitive culture.
2019 Brian sold the business to GTI Group in Canada but retained his corporate role as an Executive Officer of the group. GTI is into the transport industry, logistics and freight brokering. Brian grew the business of JET CO DELIVERIES to the point that in 2015 he purchased another transport company. He had already increased his truck fleet and purchased and built a new admin building specifically designed to support the culture and values of the business.
In 2015 RiteTrack NZ Ltd brought Brian out to NZ to give a full-day presentation on the subject of safety in leadership. Refer to www.ritetrack.co.nz. You can purchase educational modules that follow Brian’s success practices.
Brian’s success is due to a combination of his experiences as a child watching his parents owning and building a successful retail business in the state of Wisconsin. Being part of a successful change management team at Waste Management provided a solid foundation for his philosophy and practices.
We explore with Brian how passion, values, culture, leadership, empathy, loyalty, the strength of an immunity system, safety and the need for continual pivoting places a business on the RITE TRACK for
1) Total wellbeing of the business
2) A point of difference in a cut-throat competitive market
3) A long term sustainable business model
We discuss
1) How and why safety is an underlying value within a business. Safety should never be a priority as priorities are compromised daily.
2) The culture of a business must support the values of the business. If we have a value of safety the culture needs to support that value. The importance of wellbeing of the culture differentiates the business from the competitors.
3) Where do KPIs sit in a culture of empathy and safety? Does a culture of values underpinning safety improve bottom-line results?
4) The culture of the business requires that loyalty for the business foremost and not loyalty for the business owner. The understanding of creating a legacy
5) What is an immunity system for a business? What does it look like? It is the people that guard the gates of the business fortress walls. It is the people that must be engaged and police the culture of safety. What does this look like? It was the people that carried the COVID 19 into our economy.
6) When safety is the value, the culture of the business will adapt. It is the safety culture that increases the margins. Safety is the hallmark of operational excellence.
7) The need for lean management and having the ability to pivot enables the business to adapt to the market. This is supported by safety as a value within the business.
8) What and who are the parties to a successful pivoting?
9) Disaster Recovery Planning and Business Planning every two years. Do your thinking now as tomorrow may be too late.
What are the risks associated with buying a house or commercial property or even a motor vehicle when you suspect that the property that you are about to buy is contaminated with meth?
What is a safe level for being able to live in the house or to take ownership of a second-hand car?
Stephen Hegh helps us to understand the risks that are involved and what is required to ensure that the property is safe to live in.
Stephen is an independent contractor who will do the testing of a property to ensure that the property is fit for purpose - (safe to live in) Stephen's sole purpose is not provide laboratory test results to property owners or to prospective property owners.
Stephen discusses the responsibilities of the vendor and the real estate agent or property managers to ensure that the house is for purpose.
Should the vendor now supply a certificate confirming the property is clean and fit along with the LIM Report. Should the Real Estate Agent disclose if the property is contaminated when discussing the property with the buyer?
When does the insurance company have to know and to what level it'll they settle a claim for contamination? Check with your own insurer first. Find out if the tenant is liable for the cleanup costs should they be found responsible for the contamination?
If you have any questions on this subject please phone Stephen Hegh at NZ Healthy Homes Ltd
What can the immunity system of cells tell us about how to create immunity within the business?
We introduce you to Fi JAMIESON FOLLAND who has amazing testimonials from professionals in nutrition and psychology. Fi JAMIESON FOLLAND answers some questions on how the cells of our bodies will point to the road ahead for permitting us to reduce the vulnerability that we are currently facing in business and personal lives.
“Are we on the right track” for becoming resilient to future events such as the co vid 19?
“Are we on the rite track” delivers to you a viewpoint and insight into our ability for businesses and ourselves to be resilient. To create and build our own immunity.
How do we help and assist a business and ourselves to become resilient to defend our business and ourselves from the effect of covid19 and other such events that will breach our bubbles and security in the future?
How do we supplement the business to create greater immunity for future events that could prevent us from maintaining our existing lifestyle?
Is this possible?
What can we learn from our own human cells to create and build greater immunity?
When we pivot and find a new direction for our businesses and our lives will we finally be on the rite track to proceed with confidence?
Are these questions sitting in the back of our minds when we consider the options and choices put before us daily? As the government and economists change the environment for us daily for our own safety we have a problem in being able to understand how those changes will impact our lives and business not only in the short term but in the long term.
Can we find the solution to these questions within our own cellular processes and systems? Can our own autoimmune system provide some insight and clues as to how we can build a strong immunity system within the business and also for our own personal economic wellbeing?
How can we create immunity from within a business? We look at the effect of the stress levels upon the ability of leaders in business to provide creative solutions. Are business owners and leaders suffering from fatigue and what is the effect upon their daily performance at work and at home?
The COVID19 Virus had no intention of delivering such an economic blow worldwide. The people that work within business became the Trojan horse which got behind the business fortress walls. So we have to make sure the wellbeing of the people is kept at an optimum. What’s do we have to do to achieve this result.
Fi Jamieson Folland takes us on a tour of discovery of the complicated yet beautifully designed cellular system that creates its own immune system to fight off invaders and threats outside of its immediate environment.
Does understanding the cellar system provides a clue for business owners to prevent the financial collapse of their companies should there be another viral attack?