BNI Blog

Together BNI Millennium Chapter and SANZ raised $9,000 to be shared by North Shore, Warkworth and Northland Hospices. Our thanks to Warkworth Golf Course for providing the perfect venue – and throwing in perfect weather!
Of course the golf day was possible only with the help of the individuals and businesses who generously donated their time and money, plus thousands of dollars of products and services. Our sponsors:
Albany Insurance Services, Amac Automotive, Asparona, AXA, Barfoot & Thompson, CM Digital, DRG Technology, Fraser and Jim Lamb, Fullers Paihia, FunctionEight, Furlong + Associates, George Deeb & Associates, Jack Property Maintenance, Kevey Collision, Kumeu River Wines, Lion Nathan, Mark Adams Brand Stories, Mark Greenslade/Edge Mortgages, Millennium Institute, Orb Communications, Parkland Products, Sacred Hill Wines, Scholastic, Signtech, Start Smart – and principal sponsor Propella Software.
So thank you everyone, organisers, players and sponsors – see you again next year!

BNI Millennium Chapter Contact: Tom Kelly 027 262 6777 tom@jackofalltrades.co.nz
SANZ Contact: Cedric Braby 0274 742 264 cbraby@crownrelo.com

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Category: BNI Events, BNI NZ and Hospice, BNI News | 1 Comment » | Print This Post | Email This Post

I have posted about Nick Vujicic before – but this guy is so inspiring that I could not help but post this short video as well. It made me cry – see what you make of it….

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Category: Be Inspired | 3 Comments » | Print This Post | Email This Post

What do you think about most?

Take a moment to list what most dominates your thoughts…

I ask this question, because in the words of The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius: “A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it”.

If our thinking is dominated by ‘how swamped with work we are’, we will live life overwhelmed. If we live in fear of losing a client or clients, chances are we will lose that client.

I’m no psychologist, but I know from experience that we tend to ‘go’ in the direction we’re looking. If I’m out cycling and I see an obstacle (like a rock in the path), I need to look at the way around that obstacle rather than at it. If I look at a stone, I’ll probably hit it.

I heard somewhere that there are so many head on collisions because people stare fixedly at the oncoming car as the accident unfolds. Looking away from the oncoming car might help you steer slightly away from the centre.

I don’t know how true this is, but it resonates with me. What we focus on is what becomes of us.

Within a networking context, if we leave our networking meeting or BNI meeting, and don’t think about it again, the chances are we won’t be very effective at generating referrals.

The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that if we want to become good networkers, it must become a core focus of our business – particularly if much of our business is generated by referrals.

One way to do this is to develop an action calendar of networking activities and to enter these in your Outlook or Google Calendar as re-occurring appointments.

Another is to create environmental prompts in your environment, such as a poster. If networking isn’t a focus and we would like it to be, create ways to remind yourself to keep it top of mind.

Colin Kennedy is a Keynote Speaker and dedicated storyteller. He is the Marketing Director for BNI New Zealand and assistant director for the South Central region of BNI. When not working with BNI, Colin is a copywriter and influencer marketing consultant in his business, Iron Road Ltd.

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Category: BNI tips for members, Be Inspired, Better Business, Networking, Sales and Marketing, Uncategorised | Add Comment » | Print This Post | Email This Post

Been out of your comfort zone lately? Can you recall how you reacted and its impact on your problem-solving or decision making? My business coaching client, the CEO of a SME, related the fascinating story of his recent trip to China where he met up with other key players from around the globe. The city they visited was no Beijing or Shanghai. It was smaller in size and his hotel was in an area specified as the “government zone.” As foreign nationals they were advised not to venture out of this. However, in need of much exercise and fresh air, my client did venture forth one day and soon found himself walking beyond the edges of familiarity. He noted that suddenly the scenery had changed dramatically.

There were heaps more cars – unlike the few taxis entering the government zone with special permission to drop-off visitors at their hotels – loud noise and beggars he hadn’t seen before. My client was intrigued as he found himself in the hustle bustle of what looked like the real China. He kept walking noticing things like groups of older men huddled together over a board game, the many shops with their varied offerings and then the sudden, odd feeling as he realized that he was the only “white man” around. Almost in that instant, he became aware that he was very much out of his comfort zone and that he probably needed to return.

My client’s story got us thinking about how we react when we are out of our comfort zone – or CZ, as I call it! Can you recall the last time you were out of your CZ and what your thinking pattern was? How did you feel? What did you do? The challenge is that most of the time we are totally unconscious of our behaviour and reactions. We tend to go into an automatic, default reaction as the brain kicks into a survival, threat mode. However, by being  aware through being mindful and recognizing when we are out of our comfort zone, gives us a greater choice to do something different.

What is your default mode?

It’s easy to say, “face your fear,” “take more risks” or “just do it!” But before we can do this, tuning into our own individual reaction helps us understand our engrained brain-behaviour pattern and then create some new pathways.

My client had been faced with a choice. Should he carry on exploring or return to the safety of his hotel? He found himself thinking that that no one in his team knew where he was and that there were probably very good reasons why he shouldn’t be where he was – so he returned.

Later as he narrated the story he expressed misgivings about not giving himself permission to explore and discover new things. He had felt excitement along with some fear. He began connecting this experience to his decision making in business especially when there was newness and ambiguity present. He realized that on a day to day basis, he tended to keep within his comfort zone – playing it safe but from time to time he would also take that big leap. What was interesting was that, each time he did, it paid off immensely.

Being out of our comfort zone can bring up all sorts of reactions. I saw a manager who reacted by becoming very loud, dominant and authoritative when deep down he was feeling rather vulnerable. Equally, I have seen team members who became withdrawn and disengaged. What have you noticed amongst your team members and or groups that you are part of? As a manager, how do you coach a direct report who has been put out of her comfort zone? Do you know how much autonomy versus guidance they need to succeed?

5 leading steps in moving beyond your comfort zone

(more…)

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Category: Leadership | 1 Comment » | Print This Post | Email This Post

The Epsom chapter of BNI raised more than $5,000 for their local Mercy Hospice at an evening auction held at the Sawmill Cafe in Auckland’s Mt Eden suburb last week.

Chapter President Alex Patterson said the chapter achieved a good result thanks to the hard work of the chapter’s leadership team and the voluntary services of people like auctioneer Paul Tobin (Driveline) and chapter assistant director Mariska Mannes.

Items auctioned included the complete collection of bestselling children’s books by BNI webmaster Brian Falkner, paintings, wine, tools and a pen collection.

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Category: Uncategorised | 2 Comments » | Print This Post | Email This Post