How we see the world really relies on our own attitude.
Of course, some members of society are more fortunate than others with what world environment they are placed in.
But the underlying message we at New Zealand Wineries received
at a team building exercise last week was that what we choose to perceive, affects our reality.
I’ll share the analogy we were presented with; a National Geographic photographer.
“If you miss the dandelions, celebrate the puff balls,” he said.
Sounds a bit naff putting it like that doesn’t it?
But the visual and audio journey he took us on to get there was quite something.
The way we choose to see what we see, ‘our vision,’ is our most powerful force.
“Always be open to possibilities.”
In the case of the puff balls, this photographer failed his mission of photographing the daffodils in the field. They were there, but not the way he wanted to see them. In waiting for his perfect frame, the dandelions disappeared.
He was momentarily disheartened, but made the conscious decision to change his attitude, his opportunities. What comes after a dandelions season as we all know, is the puff balls.
“When we believe it, we see it.”
He took his lens on a journey, and captured some wonderful images.
He continued on to talk about the importance of celebrating what is right in our world or environment, and admitted this does take energy; striving to be our best means having a vision of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.
We must celebrate the good things and we need to want it to change, because this is what brings about possibilities.
“We live in an accelerated possibility curve.”
Through his lens he sees endless possibilities, and it’s about taking a good frame, and every time striving to make it into a great frame.
“Because when we believe it, we’ll see it.”
Whether our workplace is frames of Mother Nature or frames of the wine industry, the same underlying message prevails.
At New Zealand Wineries, the skill we must embrace is to identify current great work practices and celebrate them, and also question work practices and have the energy to want to change them.
“Celebrate what’s right to get the energy to fix what’s wrong.”
As a team last week we went through our company values, identified what we were doing well, and looked at ways to seek change in others.
A successful winery environment is about standardising work practices and habits, for example ensuring cellar notes are easy to read and follow, and keeping up with our good little habits like the Monday morning five minute cellar clean up before the week of work begins.
Our company motto The Definitive Choice In Winemaking, breaks down into five values; Own It, Think Forward Move Forward, Give Back, One Team One Vision, and Your Wine Your Way.
Having a member of our team champion each value enables us to drive them, celebrate what’s great, and take measures to make changes and progress, with the overall vision of being the best Client Winemaking facility in Marlborough.
And we mustn’t forget that it’s the fun activities like smoko shouts, setting goals which we can achieve and celebrate, framing what’s good, and striving to make improvements, which creates a positive environment we all want to work hard in.
Goal setting, according to Richard Branson of Virgin Group, creates passion and creativity because goals make us grow, GROW being the acronym for Goal Reality Options What’s next.
It’s about seeing the gaps, talking about what we can do to fill them, and using the tools we have to fix them.
A great culture, according to Branson, takes time and work, and will provide the energy we ultimately feed off.
What is clear within the NZW culture is that we all want the best for ourselves and those we work with each day.
By celebrating our successes, championing our goals, and measuring our progress, a great work culture is the frame we create.
