A  Pinch  of  Thought  -­‐  Old  Gold    

   My  14  year  old  son  has  just  ‘discovered’  David  Bowie…….  Like most of you, I didn’t know he was lost, but ‘We can be Heroes’ is the ‘new’ cool anthem for the kids on the Northern beaches of Sydney. Similarly ‘hot’ tunes are the Phil Collins drum intro’ on “I can feel it in the air tonight’ and Mark Knopfler’s iconic guitar riff on Dire Strait’s classic, ‘Money for nothing’. Everything old its new it seems – at least to some – and I must say I think it’s brilliant. In an obscenely wasteful age that worship’s everything on the altar of ‘new shininess’ (iphone 6……7……8……whadeva!) it’s great to see that we’ve not thrown out everything for the crime of being more that one version ‘old’! Big  hair  and  Colgate  smiles  I was also reminded of this by a recent visitor from the old country. He was packing a dog-eared copy of a very ‘80s’ business book by Mark McCormack. Paul is a sales pro and made the comment that, whilst over 30 years old, there was a lot of great insight still to be found in the yellowing pages. I checked it out and he’s bang on the money. Wisdom  from  and  for  the  ages This got me started on a little journey back in time. Below I’ve grabbed some favourite observations from thought leaders of yesteryear; Mark McCormack, Peter Drucker, Niccolò Machiavelli and Marcus Tullius Cicero. I love them - what do you think?  Mark  McCormack  –  on  business  smarts  1. Never underestimate the importance of money. It’s how business people keep score! 2. Never overestimate the value of money. Cash is important, but sometimes not as important as respect, thanks, integrity, or the thrill of a job well done. 3. You can never have too many friends in business… Given a choice always do business with a friend. It’s the best way to leverage your success. 4. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.” People will respect you much more and will always place more weight on what you do say…because they know you’re right. 5. Speak less… No one ever put their foot in their mouth when they were not speaking. Worse, if you are speaking, you can’t be listening, and we always learn much more from listening. 6. Keep your promises, the big ones and the little ones…both the starting point and the staying point in any business relationship is trust…not suspicion. Someone who does what he says he will do will always succeed over a person who doesn’t keep his word. 7. Every transaction has a life of its own… Some need tender loving care, some need to be hurried away.

8. Commit yourself to quality from day one… It’s better to do nothing at all than to do something badly. 9. Be nice to people…nice gets nice, and all things being equal, courtesy can be very persuasive. 10. Don’t hog the credit…share it. People will work with you and for you if they are recognized. They will also work against you if they are not. American lawyer, sports agent and writer. Founder of the International Management Group. The 10 Commandments of Street Smarts (1989) Peter  Drucker  –  Oh  genius  man.  Elegance,  brevity  and  unparalleled  insight  1. “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.” 2. “There is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency something that should not be done at all.” 3. “What gets measured gets improved.” 4. “Meetings are by definition a concession to a deficient organization. For one either meets or one works. One cannot do both at the same time.” 5. "Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things" American writer, management consultant and university professor 1990s Niccolò  Machiavelli  –  all  you  ever  need  to  know  about  change!  “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new”. Italian historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer during the Renaissance (c1500) Marcus  Tullius  Cicero  –  A  life  lesson  for  us  all!  “Being and appearing grateful is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others”. Roman philosopher, politician, lawyer, orator, political theorist, consul and constitutionalist. (c50 BC)  I think we can all learn a lot from re-visiting these and other classics. They may be old, but they are very, very cool. Sadly, I don’t think my son will still think the same about Dave, Mark and Phil’s legendary songs once he finds out that his mum and I like them too! Stay inspired!