Okay good people, this is my first blog of the new year.
I hope you all had a Happy Hogmanay. And what I have noticed so far about this year is it ain’t half bleeding cold. I shall be bloody glad when that global warming gets here. It would be nice to grow peppers and all that fancy stuff like you can in Spain and Algeria.
Anyway where’s Teddy Barrett been this month? To give you a further insight here is list what the kind of business activity for each client:
Romsey - Compressor Service Engineers
Herne Bay – Bio-mass Power Station
Canterbury – University Maintenance Department
Bristol – Brewery
Bristol – DPD
Ok, here’s a spot of Chairman Ted’s reflections on company culture. I obviously do a lot of in-house training with organisations and I think how companies deal with trainers like myself speaks volumes for company culture, and to be frank, how likely they are to succeed in business.
For example, how do they deal with you when you turn up at their premises? Are they organised enough to allocate a contact? Have they booked a room? Have they even remembered that training is booked in? Are you left to wait in Reception like a nelly? All of these things can reveal a lackadaisical approach to planning and organisation.
Furthermore, will they offer the trainer tea or coffee on arrival? It’s a simple thing but can show a lack of courtesy and mindset that is vital when dealing with visitors, suppliers and customers alike. Some companies will lay on hot/cold drinks, biscuits and lunch for trainers and attendees. Companies that demonstrate this level of consideration are usually the successful companies or are on their way to success. A “feel good” atmosphere creates loyalty amongst a workforce and visitors alike. It is infectious.
Some organisations though, couldn’t organise intercourse in a house of ill-repute and will not have even considered providing drinks or food. To me, that reveals a lot about their company culture. I’d be prepared to bet they also have a high staff turnover rate.
To illustrate this a bit more, I was training at a small, fairly young company recently that was going places. They only had two small industrial units knocked into one. But straight away you could sense they were going to succeed. The place was spotlessly clean and well maintained, I was expected and welcomed. Drinks and lunch for all was provided. They even asked me if I would like a bacon roll at the start of training the following day! Their employees were happy to go to work, they were loyal, produced good work and they were therefore good ambassadors for that company.
And now some electrical news: For those of you who have detected live voltage levels around insulated service heads, the reason for this is quite simple. From the 1960’s up to the 1990’s those connections would be sealed with Phenolic Resin (a replacement for tar or pitch). Well like many good ideas there is a downside, and that is if a connections get warm the resin tends to cook, crack and carbonise. And when it carbonises it becomes conductive.
And this is where your single-point tester (not Voltstick) can come in handy. The voltsick would light up anyway from just been near a service head. But the single-point tester can show you that what was previously insulation, is now a live part.
Moving onwards from that, we’re getting all the holiday ads now on the telly (“Telly” seems an old-fashioned word nowadays!) and I will say right away that you won’t get me on any “Adventure/Eco” holiday that involves the North or South pole. I’ve spent a lifetime in a freezing cold and wet country and I really only want to see sun and sand, well I suppose a few palm trees and sleepy lagoons wouldn’t go amiss.
So I’ve already booked up my holidays for this year, as I am a bit of a worrier and tend to book things well in advance. One of them isn’t sea and sand, but I will give a report on that later on in the year. I daresay my alter-ego, the swashbuckling, “devil may care” version of me will be hacking his way through the Amazon to discover another lost city of gold while fending off voluptuous Amazonians. Not that I’m envious or anything.
And remember, amidst all the aches and pains of growing older, If you’re still alive it means the universe hasn’t finished with you yet. You still have something to accomplish. I often think the words of Curtis Mayfield in “Move on up” are quite appropriate:
“Just move on up towards your destination though you may find from time to time complications” Here’s a link to have a listen FOCL Alchemist Brand Video Youtube Google 30s 16x9 Well said Curtis, that was in an era when ambition was to be admired.
I must say, I quite enjoyed going back through those old tunes last month, I think I’m going to make a regular feature of adding a few of my favourite tunes each month.
I always enjoy Burns Night and this year went with my old mucker Chris Jones. Readings from Rabbie Burns, Haggis, Bagpipes, Neeps & Tatties, Tipsy Laird, “Sangs and Clatter” etc all washed down with a bit of lubrication. What is there not to like?
So, until next month, Adios mi Amigos y Amigas por ahora.