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Thank you for inviting me here and for presenting me with this great honor of a Paul Harris Award, which I accept on behalf of the Turn Your Life Around Trust. The philosophy of your founder defines your spirit and your unswerving devotion to serve your fellow men and women. The past informs the present, and the present shapes the future. Together we have joined in a project that connects past, present and future. In the early days you took a leap of faith. You invested in a TYLA that was very different from what we see today. You had faith in the right people at the right moment. And your support helped wonderful things happen. TYLA is very close to my heart. I have watched TYLA transform from an idea dealing with one at-risk kid at a time, to an organization that is fully involved in communities throughout the city. The recent commitment by government to trial TYLA's integrated model is a triumph of both spirit and bureaucracy. For much of this progress let's tip our hats to Charles Crotty. I'm very proud that TYLA started here in Auckland. Traveling as much as I do, a sense of the local, of family and of home is very important to me - and Auckland is home. My wife, mother-in-law, and daughter are all with me today. And Bex as a Trustee of TYLA is representing the Family at the grass roots level on an everyday basis. Auckland is the place I find the mix of family and good times, innovation and drive that inspires new ideas. |
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It was at home in New Zealand that I worked on three ideas that have been central to my life's work. Three ideas that have gone from New Zealand into the world. Three ideas that are relevant to Rotary and your sense of community, purpose and progress. The first idea is Peak Performance, a body of thinking and a methodology developed with my colleagues Mike Pratt and Clive Gilson from Waikato University. We studied sports organizations to find out why some deliver long-term organizational success, and why most don't. From this research we developed a method to transform organizations through inspiration and dreams. Peak Performance has helped transform Saatchi & Saatchi as well as global companies like Procter & Gamble and Toyota. It is not just about management and doing things right. And it's not just about leadership and doing the right things. It's about Inspiration. Unleashing people to be the best they can be. The big lesson of Peak Performance? The conviction that an individual, a team, a company, all of us, can perform to the absolute peak of their abilities every day if they're inspired; if they feel part of a Family like environment. Peak Performance is not limited to big corporates. In fact many small businesses have a headstart through the passion and commitment of their owners. How to get started? By asking and answering three questions.
The second idea to share is Lovemarks. Over the last decade power has shifted from brands to retailers and is now firmly in the hands of consumers. Lovemarks are a response to this huge change. They are the future beyond brands. Infusing brands with Mystery, Sensuality and Intimacy is the fastest way to create emotional connections with consumers. Brain scientist Donald Calne sums up: "The essential difference between emotion and reason is that emotion leads to action, while reason leads to conclusions." More emotion, more action! |
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Lovemarks are the charismatic brands that people get emotional about. And they can be anything. From movies to motorbikes, soap to shoes, cereal to cities. Over the last seven years Lovemarks have transformed the Saatchi & Saatchi world. It has been a billion-dollar idea. Client by client Lovemarks are changing how business thinks about brands. Brands are owned by companies. Lovemarks are owned by the people who love them. These owners wants to be part of the action. They start up fan clubs, post on blogs and send video clips to YouTube about your brand, experience or service. That's why smart companies are bringing consumers inside - into R&D, marketing, design. In Rotary language, being a Lovemark involves creating fellowship and provide service with a loveable purpose. The third idea is edge thinking. The edge is a metaphor for innovation and future thinking. Great ideas have always come from the Edge. Places like New Zealand. Places distant from the control of the centre. Places where you can shake off convention and shake out creative ideas. Over the last century New Zealanders have improved the world in a wide variety of ways. This is our role - world-changing ideas from the edge of the world, for the benefit of all. |
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Our web site NZEDGE.com speaks not only to the great ideas in this country, but also to the New Zealanders who have headed out into the world. Today our overseas population rivals that of Auckland's. We are a country of five million people, not four, and at nzedge.com we are developing a fellowship, a fraternity, a community, a network, among our overseas tribe. We need their energy, their connections and their commitment to make New Zealand prosper. Rotary is a great global connector. You help New Zealanders from everywhere feel this place is still home. One big idea connects Peak Performance, Lovemarks and Edge. People want to be part of something bigger than themselves. This is the truth that inspired Paul Harris. And the truth that continues to sustain Rotary. Only profound ideas like love and inspiration can sustain our future. Only business can unlock the innovations that improve lives. Business plans and connects the global flow of goods, ideas and experiences. Business leads innovation and creates jobs, choices and opportunities. The role of business is to make the world a better place for everyone. It's why Rotary continues to make such a contribution to our communities. Thank you.
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