How do You Like Your Eggs

In 1932 in a tiny little town in Denmark, a woodworker named Ole Kirk Christansen started a factory making toys out of wood. There are millions of kids worldwide that are really happy that he did because the wooden toy factory burned to the ground and ole was forced to make toys out of plastic. this was how, what we know as Lego today, came about. Ole didn't just have a vision to make money but also one to give children something that meant something, had value and would change the way that they saw the world around them. Ole achieved this but only after he had died. You see, Ole never lived to see Lego become the success that we know it to be today. What he did know was that somehow he was changing lives, one brick at a time.

I recently watched a short animated video on the history of Lego and several salient points became clear to me. I'd like to share some of those with you.

When we're not looking

The reward of doing something for someone else most often manifests when we are completely oblivious to the idea that we have had any sort of impact in another person's life. It is only when we forget ourselves and put others first and genuinely have their well being in mind that doing the right thing for others becomes automatic. When we have resolved to put self second, it is then and only then that it becomes part of our character to simply be to others what they need us to be. It just happens when we're not looking.

Being all things to all

Often I find myself trying really hard to please people. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. The question I have come to ask myself time and again is "am I happy with who I am?". Often the answer is no. The secret to having meaningingful relationships with those we work with or those that are in our social realm is to first be secure in who you are. It's embarrassing to admit not only that I watched the movie "Runaway Bride", but that I actually learned a valuable lesson from it and even cried once or twice. In the movie Richard Gere's character (Ike Graham) asks Julia Roberts' character (Maggie Carpenter) how she likes her eggs. The conversation turns out to be the perfect analogy for self worth. The illustration is simple. Maggie bases how she eats her eggs on what previous partners preferred rather than what she actually liked, in fact it turns out that she didn't even like eggs. Often we will "like" certain things just because we are looking for approval from others. It's the basic human need to want to belong somewhere or to something. Is it worth sacrificing who we really are? We see this sort of compromise everywhere! We like a certain type of music because someone else who we need approval from likes it. As in Maggie's case we eat food that we don't necessarily enjoy just so that we don't have to explain why we don't like it.

I'm OK, you're OK

It's only when we deal honestly with one another that we start to see changes in relationships and other social interactions. It's only when we become truly honest with ourselves that we become honest with others. When we are honest with others regardless of the fall out, thats when we begin to change lives. when honesty becomes a way of life thats the point where lives are changed because we are just being ourselves.

Rugby for Dummies

Most of us know at least one very specific fact about rugby: We don't want to play it.

But for the moment, move past the visceral fear of a cranial collision with another human, and you will gain an understanding of this ancient sport.

Let's start with a very basic human need: stress release. Peter Winder, author of Rugby Tactics, writes, "Rugby provides a suitable outlet for the controlled release of any frustration or aggression within the structured framework of sport."

According to Mr. Winder, legalized mayhem has therapeutic value.

And legalized mayhem it is. There are no pads or helmets worn in rugby, and the collisions are often of the high speed nature. Size is an advantage, but not as much as one might think. A quicker, smaller player can be invaluable. Injuries are an accepted part of the game. One is expected to play hurt if at all possible. Clearly rugby is a sport for the lion, not the faint-hearted.

Maybe the best way to understand rugby initially is from the viewpoint of the spectator. Not all of us are cut out for such brute physicality, even within the "framework of sport."

The terminology and jargon is revealing: scrum, ruck, maul, hooker. It just sounds rough, although there is much more to it. Here are the basics:

The game of rugby involves 15 players per side, though seven-a-side tournaments are popular too. The responsibilities of those 15 positions are loosely interpreted, depending on the league and/or country where the game is played, but the 15 positions include 8 forwards, 2 halfbacks, 2 centers, 2 wings, and 1 fullback.

The field of play is called a "pitch," usually the size of a soccer or football field.

The object of the game is to score as many points as possible by carrying, passing or kicking a leather or synthetic oval ball, about twice the size of an American football, toward the scoring zone at the far end of the pitch called the in-goal area. Grounding the ball (literally touching it to the turf) in the in-goal area must be done with downward pressure, and results in a try (score), worth 5 points.

A conversion may then be attempted by a place kick off either a tee or the ground. If the ball is kicked through the uprights, 2 more points are awarded. The ball is then kicked back to the other team and play resumes.

Points may also be scored from a drop kick during play -- no easy feat with 30 guys swarming around -- or a penalty kick, which is awarded after certain breaches of rugby etiquette are spied by the single referee. Yes, believe it or not, at least on the local level, there is only one referee on the field to monitor the actions of 30 players but with the advent of replays on TV a TV referee is also in place to confirm the on field referee’s decision, touch judges also play a more significant role in pointing out infringements. If the drop or penalty kick is successful, it is worth 3 points.

Here are some basic rugby rules might raise more questions than answers:

Possession is exchanged often and quickly. There are few long, sustained "drives" toward the in-goal (Try line) area these “drives” are called phases. Progress up and down the field is achieved grudgingly, usually in short chunks.

The ball may not be passed forward, though it may be kicked forward. Players cannot be tackled unless they possess the ball. Once in possession of the coveted leather oval, of course, one is, you might say, fair game, or dead meat, or an endangered species. You get the picture.

Play stops only when there is an infringement or the ball is thrown or kicked out of bounds, or when a try is scored.

When the ball goes out of play, a line-out results, where the opposing players line up perpendicular to the sideline and jump for the ball as it is thrown back in play (similar to a jump ball in basketball). The players are even allowed to hoist a teammate into the air to better reach the toss.

Penalties, which range from tackling too high to being offside’s (a player further downfield than the ball) can result in either a free kick for the other team or a scrum.

Now there's a term most of us know. But what, exactly, is a "scrum"?

Without getting too technical, here is what occurs when each team's forwards link arms over shoulders on opposite curves of a circle, like a huge round centipede at war with itself.

After the forwards are locked together (this could be an intimate way to get to know your opponent), another player -- determined by either the team that was the victim of a penalty, or the team that was moving forward at the time of play stoppage -- rolls the ball into the center of the scrum, careful to roll it so the ball bisects the human circle so as not to give either team an advantage in gaining possession. (Scrum feeds haven’t EVER been straight for quite some time now.

Once in the center of the scrum, the ball cannot be touched by hand. Each team has a "hooker" in the scrum, a player positioned forward of his teammates, who tries to hook his foot around the ball and drag it behind him, where his teammates then caterpillar it with their feet until it squirts out the back of the scrum. Then yet another teammate, preferably a quick, elusive lad (Scrum Half), picks it up and initiates play.

This looks almost as absurd as it sounds, but there is much strategy involved in emerging from a scrum with possession of the ball.

The game consists of two 40-minute halves, with a brief half-time break. There are no time-outs, save for an injury.

Rugby is a great game to play and to watch. I have done both and i find it harder to watch than play. Especially when the Boks are playing as well as they are. Not very well, for those of you who don't know the sideshow that is current South African Rugby.

In Defense of Great Retailers

I have always been a stalwart for customer service. The truth is that most South African retailer’s fall way short of their customer’s expectations. They have lost sight of basic “Best Practices” and have only succeeded in creating a mire of complaints and unhappiness. There are those few who strive to do their utmost to keep customers happy, but, sadly they are few and far between. These are the great retailers that this post refers to.

The other side of the coin is also true; there are customers that go out of their way to terrorize sales staff and cashiers. There are those who have little or no respect for others and they feel that it is their right to belittle and degrade sales staff and cashiers.

Off the bat, it has to be said that retailers would make a hell of a lot more money if they were honest with their customers rather than lie to make the sale. The very simple principle to under promise and over deliver has also been lost. So HOW do we repair the relationship between retailers and their customers? This question, you may not believe, is a very simple one to answer!

H – Honest

O – Open-minded

W – Willing

The problem with retail in South Africa is that we don’t have enough competition. For example – Wetherley’s don’t really have enough competition, so it’s difficult to threaten them that you’ll go somewhere else if they don’t meet your expectation. Not that I have ever bought anything from them, they are too bloody expensive. So what are your other choices? Go to Osiers, maybe? What if their service is also bad? (Disclaimer – I haven’t had bad experiences with either store, I used them purely as an example).

There are, however a few retailers that are fanatical about service and I don’t believe they should be painted with the same brush as those who aren’t. I have worked at various levels of retail for the last 15 years. My experience is that the manager sets the tone and this will always filter through to junior staff. Retail isn’t easy. Most people who end up in retail as a cashier or sales assistant really had no other choice.

Let’s look at bad service versus good service. Believe me if I don’t get what I ask for then I get seriously annoyed. I have found the one thing that annoys me more than anything else. The inability of managers to make a decision and the barrage of red tape that corporate retail make customers go through to get their problem resolved. The long and short of it is simply –“don’t inconvenience the customer because ‘it’s our policy’”. Vodacom is a prime example (No Disclaimer). If you have ever had to deal with these clowns you will know what I’m referring to. Nothing is urgent for them. Good service is when you have your wallet emptied and you are ecstatic about it! We all want value. Good service is to stop asking, “What do our customers want?” and to start asking “What do our customers do with what they buy from us?”

I have seen some very scary situations in stores when a customer is unhappy. I thought it pertinent to give a few pointers on how to deal with bad service.

1.       Don’t raise your voice at the sales person or cashier, speak to their manager, he/she is to blame. Don’t scream and shout at the manager either, he/she will be less likely to help you if you do. If you want to shout at a manager do it in the office, you don’t risk making an idiot out of yourself.

2.       If the product is defective it is the fault of the manufacturer not the sales staff or the cashier. Take it up with the manager, let him/her deal with it, managers are paid to make decisions.

3.       Don’t swear at or threaten anyone, all this achieves is a rise in blood pressure for you and an unwillingness to help from whoever the swearing and threats are directed at. If you are inclined to this sort of behavior, take a rescue tablet before you go to the store.

4.       Always keep your till slip! Most retail stores will refuse to exchange or refund an item without a proof of purchase.

5.       If you don’t get any joy from the manager speak to the next in charge. I promise, if you do this you will never have to speak to the CEO (who is never available).

6.       Don’t be unreasonable.

7.       A little decency and respect goes a long way.

Remember that not all retailers will respond to the Seven points above, this is in reference to great retailers. Some large retail chains have a simple formula – “Sell volume and we’ll take the knock for the few customers who bother to bring their defective product back”.

There are a selected few who value customers and will always go the extra mile, but sometimes even they make mistakes.