Award-winning journalist Ray Martin spoke at the latest Network Central Business Women's Luncheon yesterday.

Ray Martin’s lifetime in journalism began as an ABC cadet in Sydney in 1965. After working in Perth and Canberra, he was posted to New York for a decade as the ABC’s North American correspondent. In 1978 he switched to Channel 9 to launch 60 Minutes with George Negus and Ian Leslie, the award-winning program he still reports for today. In between he hosted Midday for a decade, A Current Affair for almost as long and countless network specials, Federal elections and Carols by Candlelight—winning five Gold Logies, more than twenty Silver Logies and an unmatched number of People’s Choice Awards. He was awarded an Order of Australia in 2011 for his journalism, his work with indigenous Australians and his long involvement with charities. His best-selling autobiography, Ray: Stories of My Life was published in 2009.

Ray was launching his latest book “Ray Martin’s Favourites”.  The content being Ray's favourite or top 30 interviews out of the 10,000 or so interviews he has conducted.

Ray mentioned a few for us but not all, as you need to buy the book!

Ronny Biggs – a fantastic crook, a great bloke, a larrikin. Ronny kept in contact with Ray about his life on the run in Rio.
Audrey Hepburn – the most beautiful women in the world a classic beauty.
Don Bradman and Fred Hollows the two of the most amazing Australians he has met.
Paul Hogan and Billy Crystal are very funny men.
The best interviewer was Michael Crawford, who is just as crazy as Frank Spencer!
The most poignant was Lowitja O'Donoghue – an indigence Mandela, who never admits her true value.

Women never think they are as good as we think they are!

Tip for the day: Write your story. When you have reached 50, you must write your story. It doesn’t matter if you are not good at writing, just put your story on paper. Especially women who have so much to tell. So what's your story?

The luncheon ended with a gorgeous pianist, Ambre Hammond, playing Chopin. You may listen to the music here Play Music >>
 

 Thank you Network Central for another inspiring gathering. And thank you to Louise and Catherine who booked to sit at my table.

(left to right) Kerri Peterson and Erin Burgess, CareerOne and Catherine Craig, Gilpin

I was amazed to be seated at the same table with 3 people I knew in a room of 1400 women, Kerri Peterson and Erin Burgess from CareerOne and Catherine Craig from Gilpin. I met a Social Media follower Andrea Culligan-Dring from Unimail and bumped into Louise White from Whiteclick. A great start to the day.

Deborra-Lee has made humanitarian work for children the driving force in her life and in 2005 she co-founded the Rafiki Society in Vancouver, which assists orphanages in Africa. It's Deborra-Lee’s passion that children all over the world be given every chance to live a fulfilled life and to reach their full potential.
In 2007 Deborra-Lee founded a child advocacy foundation focusing on improving adoption programs, procedures and legislation in Australia and raising awareness and understanding of the issues for adoptive children and their families. This has facilitated the launch of Australia’s National Adoption Awareness Week, and this year will celebrate its fourth year.
On top of everything else Deborra-Lee is an ambassador for World Vision and recently travelled to Cambodia and Ethiopia to assist with raising awareness and funds. Deborra-Lee’s work has not gone unnoticed as she was honoured at the World Wide Orphans Gala in New York City for all her work in advocacy for vulnerable children.

Deborra-Lee is a compelling speaker. A wonderful human and an amazing support for kids rights.

The red tape for adopting children overseas is ludicrous. Why do the government get involved and stand in the way of loving families adopting children who are desperate to be loved? Why does it take so long to bring the children back to Australia? Deborra-Lee’s foundation was created to help and support families who have tried to adopt, who are currently going though the bureaucracy and to be a voice, to be heard. They advocate that the best practice of adoption in Australia is to provide a more accessible, efficient, humane, and expedient process. How can Australia be the leaders in the pack to provide services to the families and kids on a global scale?

The foundation is aiming at educating women on what it means to relinquish their child. Be a part of the community’s infrastructure and services. The main basis behind letting go of a child is poverty. The women have no one to turn to, no education, and no work prospects. Educating the women will allow them to make the best decision for their child.

The number of orphaned children is increasing and the bureaucracy and red tape that stands in the way of families is also increasing. Something has to give. The system is not working. Deborra-Lee showed a video with kids in orphanages developing mental disorders and longing for a family to love them. I cried all the way through it. The overcrowded orphanages have parents waiting to bring the children home and not being able to. They have to jump through hoops over and over again. Why is this happening? It has been going on as far as I know from the 1930’s. It seems ludicrous to me that it still goes on. The children have rights too!

I watched a movie the other night “Oranges and Sunshine”. A social worker stumbles upon a series of people who were shipped out to Australia from England and sent to live in an orphanage in Victoria run by “brothers” of God in the 70’s. The kids were abused, beaten and have suffered well into their adult lives. The kids were taken from their single mothers and promised a better life. Some of these kids were 11 years old when they were taken away. Their mothers had no idea what happened to them. They were told they were going to a better family and life. The social worker, Margaret Humphrey to this day is helping the orphans find their parents. Many of who are still alive! This was a huge cover up by both the Australian and UK Governments and it seems to me it is still going on.

How dare the government and the church think they have a right to make decisions about the the lives of children? They don’t own them, their parents do.

Abandoned kids are looking to adults to make the best decision for their well-being. We need someone to take ownership and take charge and put order together. We need clear and defined roles on how adoption should be managed or the situation will continue. Everyday counts in the lives of these kids.

Learn more from the website http://www.adoptionawarenessweek.com.au/

I had the pleasure of being a guest at the wonderful Network Central Breakfast this morning, held at The Tea Rooms, Queen Victoria Building. In fact everyone on our table was a guest of Kim's. A little social experiment through linkedin!

Thank you to Kim McGuinnes for inviting me to this wonderful event. I had a lovely morning meeting new faces and catching up with people I knew.

The Speakers this morning were Chris Gray, property extraordinaire and Joe Moore, guru on workplace conflict resolution.

Chris Gray

How To Create a Property Portfolio Empire

Chris Gray is the Financial Judge on Network Ten’s The Renovators, appearing weekly to scrutinise the contestants’ progress. He is the CEO of Empire Property Portfolio – a consultancy that searches, negotiates, renovates and manages properties. Chris buys dozens of properties each year and spends millions renovating them. With almost 20 years’ experience in renovating for profit, Chris provides unique insight into market conditions and buyer and seller sentiment.

All guests received a copy of Chris' book "Effortless Empire".

The biggest misconception, Chris says is that once you have job security you buy and live in your own home. This doesn’t make financial sense.

A three-bedroom house is cheaper than a 1-bedroom unit as the unit will cost you $500-600K on average and take the majority of your wage. Look at where you can afford, as three bedrooms will provide more income than one. A three-bedroom home can pay off the mortgage if you rent out the rooms. If you can buy a home over the 1 million dollar mark you can afford to rent a house 3 times more expensive than you can afford to own. On the basis of rent returns on 1 million plus properties are 1.2% and rent returns on smaller properties are 4 or 5%.

If you are investing financially don’t buy emotionally, buy with numbers. Ignore negative comments from media, friends, family and taxi drivers.
The golden rule is buy when you can afford to buy and when you can afford to hold on for the long term. Property is a 30-year game.

Joe Moore

Vital Signs of a Respectful Workplace

Joe provides conflict resolution services globally – in Australia, Canada, Europe, United Kingdom and the United States. He is a Member of the Restorative Justice Advisory Panel for Corrective Services and the global multidisciplinary professional network, the Collaborative Strategies Network.

Business approach to conflict resolutions
• Treat people with respect
• Prevent harmful behavior
• Repair relationships
• Protect from harm

A respectful workplace
Well-defined policies and procedures, open and robust communication, embracing diversity, collaborative and inclusive

Responding to problem behaviour from others

1. 1Do it yourself
2. Let it go
3.  Deal with it: a. Directly or b. Get Help

Fundamentals

1. Are you clear?
2. Are you doing your job?
3. Can you let it go?
4. Deal with it

Responding to others

1. Discipline
2. Direct
3. Dialogue
4. Encourage

6 Steps to clear communication (as a speaker)

1. State the purpose of the conversation
2. Describe the behaviour specifically
3. Describe the effect of the behaviour on you
4. Give the other person an opportunity to respond
5. State what you would like them to do differently
6. Return responsibility to the person and offer support

6 Steps to clear communication (as a listener)

1. Have the conversation
2. Act respectfully
3. Clarify critical information
4. Don’t argue thoughts, feelings or perceptions
5. Respect reasonable requests
6. Cut the other person some slack

Love visiting the Queen Victoria Building

It is always a pleasure returning to the PBL breakfast events seeing familiar faces and meeting many new local businesses.

The guest speaker for the morning was Craig Rispin CSP, Business Futurist and Innovation Expert. His expertise lies in emerging business, people and technology trends and how companies can profit from them.

He is an award-winning speaker and has addressed audiences across 5 continents and has consulted with CEOs of leading companies worldwide.

Some of his clients include: Apple, Disney, GE, IBM, Mercedes Benz, BHP Billiton, Canon, Colonial First State, IBM, Kimberly-Clark, NRMA, Symantec, and Toyota.

Now a keynote speaker and innovation consultant, Craig shows his clients how to
Know First, Be First and Profit First.

Craig is a compelling speaker who walks the room and looks right into your eyes as he speaks. He humorously, engaged with the audience by asking many questions and in turn we interacting with one another, Craig had everyone’s attention. No wonder he is an award-winning speaker!

A Futurist is a real job, it is an amazing opportunity to have great conversations about what that future could be. Craig asked “Do you think the future is set or do you think we can nudge it a little bit to adjust the outcome?”

Richard Morgan’s, one PBL’s directors, answered, ”Yes we can definitely give the future a nudge. I believe it is already being nudged by Social Media. The newspapers are going to have adjust dramatically”.

Futurists are reversed historians. Lets create preferred futures, rather than just let it happen to us.

Kevin Roberts, CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi, is considered a thought leader in the advertising industry. He says only two things can set you apart from your competitors, Foresight and Innovation. Apple computer embodies this idea.

Craig initially worked for Apple. They had 6 weeks induction of the “Apple way” before selling a computer. Steve Jobs stood in front of the employees and said you will be selling computers today but not always. In the future we are going to do something different. I don’t know what that is right now but we will find out. The employees were to sell computers 4 days a week and on the 5th day Apple would ask a question that will transform Apple Computers into the world’s most profitable phone company, and the worlds most profitable consumer electronics company. The question “Is there a better way?” Simple enough. Do we all apply this to our company? If the answer is no then I dare say think about it.

Organisations that don’t adjust to the future changes are falling apart. “Technology has given absolute transparency to our customers, every business is going through this. New regulations is impacting every business model that is based on commission”.

Jack Welsh, the Chairman and CEO of General Electric says, “If change is happening outside faster than on the inside, the end is in sight”. We need to move faster than our customers. It is keeping your mind open to new opportunities, to new possibilities, new challenges. When a chapter closes, a new one emerges. Craig says, those that are looking beyond the horizon asking what’s coming? and how can I be a part of it? have an advantage.

10 years ago, Craig Venter changed the world forever. By mapping the human genome. Biologists researched the connection with certain forms of cancer and viruses. The Venter Institute did the DNA sequencing of the virus and the human DNA and found that all sorts of viruses cause cancer. May 2010 Craig Venter announced the first synthetic cell. A cell made starting with the digital code in the computer building the body with 4 bottles of chemicals, assembling in yeast and transplanting it into a recipient bacterial cell and transforming that cell into a new bacteria species. This is the first self replicating species that we have had on the planet whose parent is a computer and the first species to have it’s own website coded in it’s genetic code. These species expire in 18 months.

The Chinese have developed a way for E-coli to store data. One gram of bacteria can store 90 gigabytes of data. This is science reality today. Craig Venter says “If he wasn’t a member of world’s future society for 30 years, he wouldn’t have been able to apply foresight to his area of medicine”. The idea behind the genome is to transform energy production worldwide.

“What got you here, won’t get you there”, Jack Welsh

Steve Jobs taught Craig that when there is most risk that is when you innovate. Two weeks ago Apple became the most valued company is America, The IPad was valued more than oil. Every successful initiative Apple has had is when there was the most risk. The IPod was launched two weeks after the 9/11 attacks. It was the exact time when people needed a little music in their lives.

Craig finalised by saying, “Continue looking into the future and creating your preferable outcome”.

To find out more about Craig Rispin you can take a look at his site, http://www.futuretrendsgroup.com or buy his book, http://www.howtothinklikeafuturist.com

A special thanks to Craig Rispin, the PBL sponsors, organisers and directors, this event was one of the best!

You can view photos of the morning from Luminere Imaging, http://luminere.com.au/PBL/31082011/content/index.html

Founded by Swiss designer Thomas Meyer 27 years ago, Desigual now boasts 7306 retail selling points in 75 countries. "Fun and Profit" are the businesses two core values and the fun is easy to see in Desigual designs and its complete disrespect for convention.

The aim of Desigual is to be inspirational, to steer away from convention. Desigual wants you to wear their clothes because they make you happy and you feel comfortable in them. Desigual is not trying to be number 1, nor are they trying to compete on price - you will pay around A$100 for a collared shirt - they are trying to compete by being different and unique. Being different however is difficult to sustain because when you come up with something different people want to copy it, until it isn't different anymore. Picking exceptionally talented people to work on your team then becomes key to staying inspirational.

Desigual has managed to be unconventional for 27 years now. More than long enough for them not to be considered a fluke. And they are not going anywhere with the company projecting 1100 new points of sale to open up in 2011 taking the total to 8406 and a steady roll out of 100 stores in the immediate future. Desigual - love them or hate them - are here to stay.

source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nyclovesnyc/5596416917/

source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/desigual-barcelona/2439978033/in/set-72157604723534343