http://www.ergoconsulting.com.au building better businesses Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:15:59 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Gil Duthie lost his seat in Federal Parliament along with a bunch of his other colleagues in the infamous 1975 election following the dismissal of Gough Whitlam's government. My Grandfather's cousin had held his seat for 25 years. His fall from public grace was in the context of public drama, ... http://www.ergoconsulting.com.au/its-a-numbers-game/ My Sunday evening ritual includes ironing shirts for the week. The way our living room works, this is usually done with stereo headphones. Last night I chose to listen to some music that had been a significant soundtrack to my life through the late eighties and early nineties. John Mellencamp sings ... http://www.ergoconsulting.com.au/plugging-in/ Imagine being immersed in physically extreme situations with not much time in between. For example, imagine being in a context of extreme poverty in India, then in one of the new 6 star hotels (I think they're doing 7 star now) in Dubai. Or being crammed in Tokyo peak hour ... http://www.ergoconsulting.com.au/extremes-and-the-power-of-now/ A few posts ago I wrote about walls, inspired by the experience of being in Berlin. Geneva offers an antithesis. On the 24th June 1859, Henry Dunant, a Swiss business man witnessed the aftermath of a bloody battle in Solferino, North Italy that left 40,000 men killed or wounded as the ... http://www.ergoconsulting.com.au/beyond-walls/ I drive my car to work pretty much everyday. Apart from the time it saves me, my commitments across Melbourne more often than not mean it is impractical to get around any other way. But I resent it. Even though my Vectra is a great little car, it uses too ... http://www.ergoconsulting.com.au/transport/ In the early 90s I had one the great cultural sporting experiences. It was a Carlton v. Richmond AFL match, which is not particularly enthralling in and of itself (although this last Saturday's offering was sweet), except that this was on the hallowed turf of the The Oval, London. It ... http://www.ergoconsulting.com.au/special-sporting-moments/ The first thing you notice about the people of France is that they are so... well... French: Waiters ‘flamboit' around crowded outdoor café tables Well dressed business people drop by patisseries on their way home to pick up their baguette, which then protrudes unashamedly Young women in summer dresses ride bikes purposefully but ... http://www.ergoconsulting.com.au/greatness/ Remember the old phone gag; "Is Mr Wall there?" [No], "Is Mrs Wall there?" [No]. "Well is Tommy Wall there?" [No]. "Are there any Walls there?" [No]. "So how does your roof stay up then?" They give us shelter and warmth. They provide protection. We decorate them to make us feel better ... http://www.ergoconsulting.com.au/walls/ More than once in recent months I have been in organisations where we have been talking about change. And, contrary to the conventional mantra, change for change's sake being a good thing. Sometimes, change for change's sake is a good thing because we get stuck in ruts. What began as good ... http://www.ergoconsulting.com.au/change-and-opportunity/ I started reading Michael Cooney's piece in The Age yesterday with a degree of skepticism. The Japanese celebrate the 3rd of the 3rd and the 5th of the 5th as girls day and boys day respectively, which I had never really appreciated as a young not-so-culturally sensitive Aussie male. As ... http://www.ergoconsulting.com.au/kids/