I appreciate it's Monday, and I wasn't intending to write today. The truth is I saw a bunch of unsubscriptions come in, and I figured I wasn't going to relax until I tried to do something about it. So, fingers crossed, and I'll probably take a break later in the week. 🙂
Hang in there Nick. There's a lot of people who look forward to your Korero and what you bring to our days with your insight and humour. If you're feeling a bit out of sorts today just think about the incredible achievement the Black Caps have just claimed. Bloody awesome!! 👍👏👏
I would like to suggest that perhaps your dog does in fact fully fully appreciate the scalable value proposition of trickle-down economics vis-a-vis the strategically significant value of lampposts.
Trickle down always takes me back to an old Clint Eastwood western when his character says “don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining” - or words to that effect
At planning and board meetings of the company I worked for in London, my team and I quietly played Buzzword Bingo. Every now and then there'd be a sotto voce "line" or "house". But Cluckson should stop using the most annoying vocal tics that he has - "incredible" etc. Although he might be right on that one, because nobody does believe him any more.
It’s been my experience over many years that the less someone addressing you knows, especially practically, about anything, the more Luxton speak they use. This is intended to make the listener believe their knowledge is greater than your own and that hopefully you won’t question them.
🤷🏾♀️I don't have any "Luxisms" that annoy me particularly because I have a gag reflex listening to him/watching him "perform" 🤢so I rely on transcripts & reportage to keep up to date but avoid being triggered (& I mean that - there is SOMETHING about Luxflakes that triggers a visceral aversion from when I DID listen before the last election 🤢)
🤔As for sub cancellations, I have cancelled MANY of the USA based ones & kept my Aotearoa-based ones because yes, I have had to reduce my outgoings in the face of increasing costs, but this community & others I still follow give me hope because I am not the ONLY ONE seeing & hearing things that concern me & I can potentially fight back against 💪🏽 (unlike the US !) 🤷🏾♀️
Do you see merchandise as a possibility? I know hard-up people still won't pay, but better-off subscribers might be happy to buy "mugs-with-messages" or "Tees-to-please" using NZ businesses (like David Farrier does on Webworm) Not sure if there is a paid market for guest columns, but you would be great 👍🏾
I really wish the Substack model had a bit more crossover in terms of good writers not being in their own individual pods effectively, although some do joint projects from time to time - mostly US contributors sharing their messages leading up to the election.😉
Perhaps more of your subscribers could re-post articles with supportive comments? 🤞🏽
Yeah it is really sad that our PM and others have forgotten how to speak plainly. I've sat in far too many meetings with bosses in my lifetime where the jargon is horrible and you want to yell, just say what you effing mean and don't tell me your door is always open! There are so many I could think of, but instead I will tell you a story (sorry if I have done this before). I talked with an AirNZ engineer (union member) who told me about square wheels. "Every time a new boss comes in they want to reinvent everything - they think they know better than round wheels, so in come the square wheels. Gradually, after endless Just in Time meetings, KPIs, performance indicators, deliverables, restructuring, the corners are knocked off the wheels and they become round again - as bosses who think they know everything realise they don't. Meanwhile they are getting paid megabucks for this shite."
This BS MO started back in the 80s. Essentially incoming bosses beeded to show they had done something, introduced a new method, curbed spending etc etc etc. They stay just long enough to be able to say they put something in place but never long enough to deal with the inevitable hideous fallout that always happened as a result of their 'program/action plan'. They just 'leverage' the being seen to do something to get the next promotion. Its horrible. Immoral. Pointless. But man they ratchet up their salaries and status at pace and no-one ever seems to hold them to account or say 'hes got no clothes on' !!!!
I say this you…it makes me want to punch his teeth in. I do not like being told, especially not by an undisguised corporate shark. You have a point Nick. What we see is one hundred per cent authentic Lux Flakes. He has no other playbook. He does not have the means to communicate with anyone like me, “with” being the operative word. Effective communication requires listening and responding appropriately so that the other person feels heard. It also needs a degree of self-reflecyion Luxon simply doesn't have. I pity him for the hollow creature he shows us every time he opens his mouth. Even if he could manage to lose the corporate-speak I doubt if anyone would believe he’d grown an empathetic organ.
I remember back in the 1980's when buzz words were beginning to trickle down from the ivory towers about how we could seamlessly deliver enhanced customer satisfaction by not necessarily working harder, but smarter. During one of the endless series of meetings called by managers who saw opportunities rather than problems, the question was put to us about any thoughts or ideas on how to go about convincing our customers we were the team players they needed to achieve their aspirations and expectations. I suggested we stop having meetings and just get on with the job. I suspect the buzzing brains of those who didn't do the actual work hadn't thought of that.
I don't think the upper echelon understood that in the distribution aspect of the business they were the problem. The opportunity lay waiting to be grasped by those who knew what they were doing. You just also reminded me that every Friday we gathered at the local for a few wind down bevvies before the weekend, so the opportunity to create a problem was always present
For f%%k sake he’s a deodorant salesman to the core🤬 running our country. WHO thought this was a good idea😳. Please show me the complaints department!!!!! If I’m a “customer “ I wish to return this defective not fit for purpose person
You have reminded me Nick of an incident in the late 1980s when neoliberalism and market forces were the buzzwords of the day, but nobody knew what they meant. A certain Public Service entity I worked for had acquired its first 'dynamic' [another buzzword] management team and they introduced a glossy monthly which was sent to every staff member. [Must have cost a small fortune to produce.] It was full of the rah rah stuff and those of us who did the actual work were not impressed. But the piece de resistance came with the following quote:
"We will fight them on the beaches. We will never surrender".
Problem was, nobody knew what the problem was, and who we were fighting. :(
My eyes glazed over for all of Chris's video until the final moment "I've no idea" when a genuine laugh out loud moment occurred. This is life right now.
Dear Nick, a bonus Monday is welcome, and I’ve been thinking about exactly this for a while now. I struggle to listen to interviews with Luxon and his CoC mates, but I feel I have to keep tabs on what they are up to!
Luxon using “I’ve been very clear”, “let’s be clear” etc to avoid clearly answering questions annoys the shit out of me.
Nick I see Luxon says "I had to learn Parliament quickly" Well, if he means learn to subvert practices, ignore rules, support flagrant rule breakers, let 8% Act voters get their way, take money from Public services Health Education Police and the Disabled and supporters, Maori and the Environment to take that money and give small tax breaks to "Bottom Feeders" and the "Squeezed Middle" but mostly Landlords like himself. Arrogant entitled sorted and selfish. He is almost a caricature of what he thinks a Prime Minister is. He is not there for the country, or he would behave differently.
I appreciate it's Monday, and I wasn't intending to write today. The truth is I saw a bunch of unsubscriptions come in, and I figured I wasn't going to relax until I tried to do something about it. So, fingers crossed, and I'll probably take a break later in the week. 🙂
Hang in there Nick. There's a lot of people who look forward to your Korero and what you bring to our days with your insight and humour. If you're feeling a bit out of sorts today just think about the incredible achievement the Black Caps have just claimed. Bloody awesome!! 👍👏👏
I would like to suggest that perhaps your dog does in fact fully fully appreciate the scalable value proposition of trickle-down economics vis-a-vis the strategically significant value of lampposts.
Trickle down always takes me back to an old Clint Eastwood western when his character says “don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining” - or words to that effect
At planning and board meetings of the company I worked for in London, my team and I quietly played Buzzword Bingo. Every now and then there'd be a sotto voce "line" or "house". But Cluckson should stop using the most annoying vocal tics that he has - "incredible" etc. Although he might be right on that one, because nobody does believe him any more.
It’s been my experience over many years that the less someone addressing you knows, especially practically, about anything, the more Luxton speak they use. This is intended to make the listener believe their knowledge is greater than your own and that hopefully you won’t question them.
Reminds me of Russell Brand.
🤷🏾♀️I don't have any "Luxisms" that annoy me particularly because I have a gag reflex listening to him/watching him "perform" 🤢so I rely on transcripts & reportage to keep up to date but avoid being triggered (& I mean that - there is SOMETHING about Luxflakes that triggers a visceral aversion from when I DID listen before the last election 🤢)
🤔As for sub cancellations, I have cancelled MANY of the USA based ones & kept my Aotearoa-based ones because yes, I have had to reduce my outgoings in the face of increasing costs, but this community & others I still follow give me hope because I am not the ONLY ONE seeing & hearing things that concern me & I can potentially fight back against 💪🏽 (unlike the US !) 🤷🏾♀️
Do you see merchandise as a possibility? I know hard-up people still won't pay, but better-off subscribers might be happy to buy "mugs-with-messages" or "Tees-to-please" using NZ businesses (like David Farrier does on Webworm) Not sure if there is a paid market for guest columns, but you would be great 👍🏾
I really wish the Substack model had a bit more crossover in terms of good writers not being in their own individual pods effectively, although some do joint projects from time to time - mostly US contributors sharing their messages leading up to the election.😉
Perhaps more of your subscribers could re-post articles with supportive comments? 🤞🏽
Yeah it is really sad that our PM and others have forgotten how to speak plainly. I've sat in far too many meetings with bosses in my lifetime where the jargon is horrible and you want to yell, just say what you effing mean and don't tell me your door is always open! There are so many I could think of, but instead I will tell you a story (sorry if I have done this before). I talked with an AirNZ engineer (union member) who told me about square wheels. "Every time a new boss comes in they want to reinvent everything - they think they know better than round wheels, so in come the square wheels. Gradually, after endless Just in Time meetings, KPIs, performance indicators, deliverables, restructuring, the corners are knocked off the wheels and they become round again - as bosses who think they know everything realise they don't. Meanwhile they are getting paid megabucks for this shite."
This BS MO started back in the 80s. Essentially incoming bosses beeded to show they had done something, introduced a new method, curbed spending etc etc etc. They stay just long enough to be able to say they put something in place but never long enough to deal with the inevitable hideous fallout that always happened as a result of their 'program/action plan'. They just 'leverage' the being seen to do something to get the next promotion. Its horrible. Immoral. Pointless. But man they ratchet up their salaries and status at pace and no-one ever seems to hold them to account or say 'hes got no clothes on' !!!!
If only he truly believed we were customers. Then he might start to understand the terms "Service" and "The customer is always right"
Actually, I preferred it at AirNZ when we were passengers.
I doubt he would care unless someone persuaded him that voters were the equivalent of the corporate Board.
I say this you…it makes me want to punch his teeth in. I do not like being told, especially not by an undisguised corporate shark. You have a point Nick. What we see is one hundred per cent authentic Lux Flakes. He has no other playbook. He does not have the means to communicate with anyone like me, “with” being the operative word. Effective communication requires listening and responding appropriately so that the other person feels heard. It also needs a degree of self-reflecyion Luxon simply doesn't have. I pity him for the hollow creature he shows us every time he opens his mouth. Even if he could manage to lose the corporate-speak I doubt if anyone would believe he’d grown an empathetic organ.
👏👏👏
Pity about the typos😫
I remember back in the 1980's when buzz words were beginning to trickle down from the ivory towers about how we could seamlessly deliver enhanced customer satisfaction by not necessarily working harder, but smarter. During one of the endless series of meetings called by managers who saw opportunities rather than problems, the question was put to us about any thoughts or ideas on how to go about convincing our customers we were the team players they needed to achieve their aspirations and expectations. I suggested we stop having meetings and just get on with the job. I suspect the buzzing brains of those who didn't do the actual work hadn't thought of that.
The use of the term opportunity rather than problem works well till someone says "I have a serious drinking... opportunity??".
I don't think the upper echelon understood that in the distribution aspect of the business they were the problem. The opportunity lay waiting to be grasped by those who knew what they were doing. You just also reminded me that every Friday we gathered at the local for a few wind down bevvies before the weekend, so the opportunity to create a problem was always present
For f%%k sake he’s a deodorant salesman to the core🤬 running our country. WHO thought this was a good idea😳. Please show me the complaints department!!!!! If I’m a “customer “ I wish to return this defective not fit for purpose person
You have reminded me Nick of an incident in the late 1980s when neoliberalism and market forces were the buzzwords of the day, but nobody knew what they meant. A certain Public Service entity I worked for had acquired its first 'dynamic' [another buzzword] management team and they introduced a glossy monthly which was sent to every staff member. [Must have cost a small fortune to produce.] It was full of the rah rah stuff and those of us who did the actual work were not impressed. But the piece de resistance came with the following quote:
"We will fight them on the beaches. We will never surrender".
Problem was, nobody knew what the problem was, and who we were fighting. :(
Sorry you're getting unsubscrbers Nick. I very much enjoy your writing. Loved the corporate speak clip.
Unsubscribers may not realise they can give different ways Check with Nick through email or face book.
My eyes glazed over for all of Chris's video until the final moment "I've no idea" when a genuine laugh out loud moment occurred. This is life right now.
Dear Nick, a bonus Monday is welcome, and I’ve been thinking about exactly this for a while now. I struggle to listen to interviews with Luxon and his CoC mates, but I feel I have to keep tabs on what they are up to!
Luxon using “I’ve been very clear”, “let’s be clear” etc to avoid clearly answering questions annoys the shit out of me.
Nick I see Luxon says "I had to learn Parliament quickly" Well, if he means learn to subvert practices, ignore rules, support flagrant rule breakers, let 8% Act voters get their way, take money from Public services Health Education Police and the Disabled and supporters, Maori and the Environment to take that money and give small tax breaks to "Bottom Feeders" and the "Squeezed Middle" but mostly Landlords like himself. Arrogant entitled sorted and selfish. He is almost a caricature of what he thinks a Prime Minister is. He is not there for the country, or he would behave differently.
Loved the 'Corporate Speak' vid 👍
Brilliant.
I bet it brought back some memories for a few of us. Thank goodness for retirement! 😊