I stumbled across a beautifully simple idea the other day: placing native fish like Pacific Blue-eyes into rain barrels that collect overflow from water tanks to stop mosquitoes breeding. Itâs a classic Aussie summer dilemma: you want to store rainwater for your garden, but standing water becomes a mozzie nursery. And with climate change and…
A Book Review of “Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things” by Adam Grant One of the best books Iâve read recently is Hidden Potential by Adam Grant. Itâs sharp, well-researched, and full of ideas that challenge the way we think about talent, success, and how people actually growânot just in business, but in…
Thereâs a quiet power in sitting down to write, even when the destination is unclear. I donât write because I have all the answers â I write because I donât.More often than not, itâs the act of writing that helps me figure out what I really think, as the words begin to take shape on…
Most of what I write on pauldobinson.com is grounded in the safe terrain of technology, sport, and business. But sometimes, something personal lingers long enough to demand reflection. This post is one of those. Itâs different. And I hesitated to write it. Because itâs about fairness. About identity. About systems built with good intent, whichâover…
From Team Lunches to Trust: Simple Ways to Boost Wellbeing & Drive Growth in 2025 đ As an expat living in Australia with a background in the tech and Salesforce ecosystemâand a keen interest in sports psychology and team dynamicsâthe World Happiness Report 2025 immediately resonated with me. It offers a data-driven perspective on how…
âWhere was the caring in leaving children without meals? Where was the excellence in serving food unfit for purpose?â
Just off a Qantas flight that felt more âSpirit of Squeezed Sardineâ than âSpirit of Australia,â I couldnât shake the disconnect between my lived experience and the airlineâs stated values of safety, caring, integrity, and excellence.
As Iâve been reading Joe Astonâs The Chairmanâs Lounge, that disconnect has come into sharper focus. The book doesnât just explain whatâs gone wrongâit reveals how the pursuit of EBITDA and adjusted earnings has gradually reshaped Qantas into something unrecognisable.
My review explores the flight, the facts, and the bigger question facing all businesses:
đ What happens when financial metrics trump human experience?
đ Read it now on pauldobinson.com.
đŁď¸ âEveryone had an opinion. And every opinion was the same: That will never work.â ~ Marc Randolph, That Will Never Work Marc Randolphâs That Will Never Work isnât just a nostalgic trip down memory laneâitâs a raw, unfiltered chronicle of the chaotic and exhilarating birth of Netflix. For those of us immersed in the…
Thereâs a truth Iâve come to appreciate in my mid-fortiesâsomething I wasnât fully prepared for: the passage of time brings with it unexpected losses. Last year, I lost a few friendsâpeople I had been close to, shared memories with, and watched as they built lives full of hopes and dreams. Some were younger than me….
Rugby has always been my sport. Growing up cheering for England, thereâs no doubt where my heart lies on game day. But as someone fortunate enough to claim Australia as my second home, Iâve found myself rooting for the Wallabies with increasing passionâespecially during their recent autumn internationals. Itâs been a tough few years for…
As a lifelong rugby fan married into an Afrikaans family, I approached Rassie: Stories of Life and Rugby with both curiosity and personal interest. Johan “Rassie” Erasmus is a figure who transcends the sport. His journey from a small town in Despatch to becoming one of the most influential leaders in world rugby offers valuable…
