Ask yourself ‘why?’

HOW OFTEN DO YOU stop and ask yourself, ‘why?’? It’s just a one-word question, but it’s one that could help you refocus on your purpose and become more successful while you’re at it. Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, is a big fan of the ‘why’ and recommends doing business with people who believe what you believe. Writer Andy Kenworthy has hit up a handful of top Kiwi business minds to see how sticking to their beliefs has helped them in their drive for success (page 50). Think Phillip Mills, Malcolm Rands and Simon Coley – who are all doing business but keeping their purpose and beliefs front-of-mind.

But when it comes to self-belief, you can’t go past the story of You Bike (page 44). When Phil Thorn was 39, a bout of meningitis left him blind, deaf and paralysed from the waist down. His life changed overnight and he faced an epic challenge on the path to recovery. His brother Clem saw the difficulties inherent in trying to rehab while being confined to a bed and built him a makeshift bike so he could exercise his legs by pedaling with his hands. Originally known as the Phil Bike, it’s gone through a couple of incarnations and is set to be an export sensation. More importantly, thanks to the You Bike, Phil’s been able to walk with a walking frame outside his property for the first time in five years.

This issue, Wellington journalist Rob Hosking goes inside the murky underbelly (OK, that’s an exaggeration) of the world of government IT and talks to the man watching over Big Brother – Colin MacDonald, the government’s chief information officer. Say wot? Yeah, exactly. See page 38 for the answers.

If you enjoyed reading about the ‘why’, make sure you flip over to page 87 to check out our guide to career and leadership. Whether you’re a worker bee aiming for the top or a manager trying to pull someone with great potential up the ranks, there’s advice and top tips up your alley.

And in other goodies, don’t miss the man creating a movable theatre made from shipping containers (page 26), the Dunedin company doing payroll and social enterprise in one go (page 24), aerial recon robots (page 20), stationery with a difference (page 22) and Vend’s hot new workspace (page 9).

Enjoy the issue and hit us up with feedback at the links below or email us on editor@idealog.co.nz.