My Value or My Values - Redeeming Customers' Trust

By Heather E. Robertson

If you want to read business books that tell you what to do, how to create a better business and how to avoid the pitfalls, don't read any of the Strategies to Go.

Strategies to Go, like coffee to go, are stories you can take away, read on the go and draw your own conclusions based on what will work best for you and your business.

They are based on true stories and tell it like it is, what really happens in business, allowing you to learn the lessons that fit your needs and the strategic needs of your business.

Most of us spend 1/3rd of our lives sleeping, 1/3rd of our lives at work (at least) and cram everything else into the final 1/3rd. Given the investments that we make in time, shouldn't we be very clear about what makes us get up in the morning, go to work each day to do what we do?
This book tells a story in a unique way and asks these questions. Without launching into the answers, it takes you on a journey that inspires you to go and find the answers for yourself. After all, your career is all about your choices and your life. What you choose to do can define who you are. If you choose to spend your time with others who have shared values, together you can make a difference and achieve great things. At the same time, you might even have some fun and do something truly worthwhile!
If you choose otherwise, you may miss out…it's up to you…

Brian Watson - Group Manager

Laboratories AsureQuality Limited

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Apr 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781528954846

Heather E. Robertson

Heather Robertson has worked in many areas of business in New Zealand and overseas, establishing an advisory business 22 years ago with a unique contributory philosophy which includes involving clients in assisting each other in an environment of shared experiential learning. For 10 years she has run a no-charge monthly programme for selected business leaders recognising that it's lonely at the top - and providing them with a confidential environment to assist each other and address key issues in their companies.

Book preview

Takeaways

About The Author

Heather Robertson has worked in many areas of business in New Zealand and overseas, establishing an advisory business 22 years ago with a unique contributory philosophy which includes involving clients in assisting each other in an environment of shared experiential learning.

For 10 years she has run a no-charge monthly programme for selected business leaders recognising that it’s lonely at the top – and providing them with a confidential environment to assist each other and address key issues in their companies.

About The Book

If you want to read business books that tell you what to do, how to create a better business and how to avoid the pitfalls, don't read any of the Strategies to Go.

Strategies to go, like coffee to go, are stories you can take away, read on the go and draw your own conclusions based on what will work best for you and your business.

They are based on true stories and tell it like it is, what really happens in business, allowing you to learn the lessons that fit your needs and the strategic needs of your business.

Most of us spend 1/3rd of our lives sleeping, 1/3rd of our lives at work (at least) and cram everything else into the final 1/3rd. Given the investments that we make in time, shouldn't we be very clear about what makes us get up in the morning, go to work each day to do what we do?

This book tells a story in a unique way and asks these questions. Without launching into the answers, it takes you on a journey that inspires you to go and find the answers for yourself. After all, your career is all about your choices and your life. What you choose to do can define who you are. If you choose to spend your time with others who have shared values, together you can make a difference and achieve great things. At the same time, you might even have some fun and do something truly worthwhile!

If you choose otherwise, you may miss out…it's up to you…

Brian Watson – Group Manager

Laboratories AsureQuality Limited

Dedication

These books are dedicated to the T-shirt leaders whose interviews are included.

They were prepared to tell their stories and share their experiences so you can learn, and so you know you are not alone in the problems and difficulties you face.

They know the Hard Knocks Café, have been there, bought the T-shirt and worn it to tatters … and they go on wearing it.

Copyright Information ©

Heather E. Robertson (2019)

The right of Heather E. Robertson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781528954846 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2019)

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd

25 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5LQ

Acknowledgments

Mark Cathie, who inspired the concept of the STGs and was brave enough to say when I was off-track, and György Pirok, whose careful polishing added atmosphere to a storyline that was at times flat but factual.

Preface

If you want to read business books that tell you what to do ‒ how to create a better business ‒ how to avoid the pitfalls – don’t read any of the Strategies to Go.

They don’t provide road maps or instruction on how to create wealth, get more customers, or become an enlightened leader.

The Strategies to Go… are designed to is tell it like it is – what really happens in business – allowing you to learn the lessons that fit your needs and the strategic needs of your business.

They are novels based on the lives and businesses of real people and their companies and what has happened to them. Their frustrations and anger, exuberance of success, and pain of losing. Situations they have encountered, problems that have bowled them over, and triumphs they have achieved. The heroes and heroines do exist; they are a composite of all the companies, leaders and managers we have worked with over the years.

And we introduce you to three of our T-shirt leaders. Experienced leaders willing to be identified and to share their experiences so you know you are not alone.

They know the Hard Knocks Café. Been there, bought the T-shirt, and worn it to tatters. And they go on wearing it.

- Heather E. Robertson

Chart of Characters

Chapter 1

Hostage

Vision is a gift of sight distorted by proximity.

Paul’s tirade was halted by Callum’s soft tone, and when he was settled, Callum continued, Too close, and the vision is confused with detail. Too distant, and the vision is uninformed; it can be irrelevant, impractical, undoable.

And Jeremy understood.

But it was so strange listening to their discussion. He felt detached. And yet it was all about him. His work, his job, his career, who he would be working for. And yet Paul and Callum talked about him as if he wasn’t there.

They had talked about it and around it all afternoon. Coffee and food scraps were strewn over the table in Paul’s office, mere sustenance to dull the hunger pangs while their minds were focused on separating logic and reason from emotion and anger. Jeremy got up from the table and walked over to the window. Switching off the sound of their machinations, he let their voices become a dull backdrop to his thoughts as he looked out at the grey clouds colliding in their eagerness to drop their rain bundles. He smiled, despite himself, at the cool relief of the rain after the heat of morning, but it was doing nothing to cool the temperature in the room, Paul’s anger kept it well above ambient.

The offer Randalls had made him affected them all. It would save or break FutureSafe. But it made him feel like a hostage, as Randalls and FutureSafe discussed and negotiated his future. What they each wanted of him.

That morning Paul had met with Tom Medici, CEO of Randalls, to review the progress of the audit that would determine whether or not Randalls would retain or cancel their contract with FutureSafe. If they cancelled, it would likely kill FutureSafe dead in the water. It wasn’t just the loss of their largest client, it was the media attention the situation had attracted that would certainly cause a landslide.

But Tom had completely spun them on a dime. They would stay with FutureSafe if… FutureSafe gave them Jeremy.

And here was Callum telling Paul … what? Not to ‘give up’ Jeremy? No wonder Paul was apoplectic.

But what about him? Monkey in the middle. After all he had done, all he had achieved, not only could his work save FutureSafe but Randalls saw the value. He had had the courage of his convictions, joining, leaving, then re-joining FutureSafe, in conducting the Randalls/FutureSafe Values match – but all it had done was reduce him to a mere bargaining chip.

He had initially had the courage of his convictions to leave a high paying but entirely unsatisfactory job to join CountryWide Holdings, as FutureSafe had been back then, because he totally bought in to Paul’s passion to change the industry. Passion born of the losses Paul witnessed his parents suffer at the hands of the greedy and irresponsible brokers and quants who had mishandled their superannuation and savings portfolio.

He had watched it spiral downwards, away from their purpose, their values.

And he had had the courage of his convictions when he had told Paul and Callum where to ‘stick’ their job, when they wouldn’t see the downward spiral.

And he’d had to have great courage to return to them as the then renamed and rebranded ‘FutureSafe’. It wasn’t the rebranding that attracted him, it was seeing Paul’s re-invigorated commitment to the business.

Returning had provided the biggest challenge of his career. But Paul’s passion, and the efforts and dedication of everyone in the company, could come to nothing without the Randalls account.

When Paul had returned from the meeting with Tom Medici, Randalls CEO, it