WHAT : DE HEK Podcast – 12 Questions with Lance Hastie

You’re listening to Danny, on WHAT : DE HEK podcast. This is the place where I share my experience, knowledge and skills.

Transcribed by Otter

Danny de Hek 0:01
Welcome along with Lance Hastie, he’s going to be asked 12 random questions by WHAT : DE HEK Podcasts. So we’re going to get straight into it before you wonder who this guy is, I think you’ve just been out running, is it correct?

Lance Hastie 0:16
And no, just come off a job site, we’re just putting some smart labels on our smart nuits units. I’ve just taken a bit of time out in the afternoon

Danny de Hek 0:25
Right? You’re a bit of a runner. So you do look like you could actually be in your running gear, because I know ya.

Lance Hastie 0:31
I got caught out, then I did go for a run this morning.

Danny de Hek 0:33
Well there you go, I have been doing a bit of running myself lately. But it’s a different story. And I’m not here to interview myself. I’m here to interview you. So let’s go. Got the 12 questions. I’ve shuffled. I’ve got 107 questions, and I go through and I shuffle them. And we did have a bit of committee to decide what hundred we got to 107 questions would be good as people who come along on a podcast, and I’ve just picked out 12 of them. And I don’t even know if they’re myself. Hopefully they’re not too personal. Let’s see what happens. What kind of impact do you believe you have on people? Who are the heavy one straightaway?

Lance Hastie 1:13
A calming impact. I tend to diffuse people in calm them down.

Danny de Hek 1:19
Right? Have you tried that with myself,

Lance Hastie 1:23
I would actually say yes.

Danny de Hek 1:28
Excellent. So you had a calming effect on people?

Lance Hastie 1:30
Yes, I can team just to pull and chil them out.

Danny de Hek 1:36
Right, right today, because this will be listened to probably tomorrow. But let’s say she election a day in America at the moment. If you were going to calm the candidates down? What sort of words of advice would you give them?

Lance Hastie 1:50
Start with petrol and a match?

Danny de Hek 1:53
I know, imagine, I just found out today, I don’t know how this works. And you might know better than me. But basically, the one that gets the most votes doesn’t necessarily win the election.

Lance Hastie 2:03
Oh, that’s an interesting point. I didn’t realise that. There’s so much going on there. But it really does make you grateful to be anywhere but right at the moment. I love the country. But I really wouldn’t want to be there at the moment or having to make that sort of a decision.

Danny de Hek 2:20
So

It’s like watching a movie. Right, question number two, let’s go into it. What is your proudest accomplishment? Doesn’t need to be business. It can be anything you like.

Lance Hastie 2:33
Well that’s a very interesting one. I’m probably being a decade would be my proudest accomplishment and the feedback I get from others on there. I it’s, it’s not something that you just what you fall under, you just got to step up and deal with it. But that would be my proudest accomplishment as being a dad and a father rolled into one

Danny de Hek 2:57
I asked that question quite a few times and most people, if they’ve got children would actually come up with the same time next time. I’m going to say other than being a parent, but I’ll let you out with that one. But I get it that I have a dog. And I spend a lot on my dog and I don’t have any children. So yeah, I do have a lot of my dogs and I are real close. Just thourgh share that so know what you going through being a dad. Not Okay.

What’s the biggest gift? What’s the biggest gift you’ve ever been given? Except? Your son?

Lance Hastie 3:37
Distracted? He is like his little baby rabbit running around. What is that about

Danny de Hek 3:42
22?

Lance Hastie 3:45
Now, know what I’m having for dinner tonight? No.

Danny de Hek 3:47
Is it a rabbit or a hare it will be a rabbit, won’t be rabbit hare.

Lance Hastie 3:50
It is literally a baby rabbit would say fresh out of the burrow is having a little explore and stretching its legs in the heat of the day. as we as we are getting back to your question. So run that one by me again because, I’m having second thoughts living second.

Danny de Hek 4:11
All right, what’s the biggest gift you have been given?

Lance Hastie 4:16
Yeah, it’s really, really interesting one. Oh, yeah. Okay, I can’t answer that one. Things that my son give, he gives me there’ll be little written notes or cards, or he’ll just make something. It’s not the, the, it’s not the materialistic side of it. It’s more the connection of it. And the thought process he’s gone through to actually put that together. So if he’s done like a Father’s Day card, which is just a piece of paper with his artistic rendition on it. That’s the greatest gift to me.

Danny de Hek 4:58
It sounds good. I said it was fun. Um, oh, dear, this is another long question. Obviously, these are random, but this is, what’s the story of how you got to where you are and where you want to go. And it could be a novel mate.

Lance Hastie 5:16
Absolutely, isn’t it? Water Bob Murphy material seriously,

Danny de Hek 5:21
especially when people don’t even know who you are at the moment probably,

Lance Hastie 5:24
because they’ll be mean to them. And there’ll be some people that know me in some areas, and some people that know me and others. And that’s probably part of the story is that I’ve had, I had my fingers and head, my fingers in so many different pies. I’ve been in, been in or involved in so many different activities. And that’s where I’ve really come to embrace the ability to be a level a connector, is that I know so many people. And someone will say, I’m trying to sort something out. I’ll be Oh my gosh. Yeah, I don’t know how to sort it. But I know someone who does it some. It’s pretty incredible how, how well, I’ve spread myself around the world literally

Danny de Hek 6:14
make our way to the carpet the other day. It’s pulled, pull these door shot. And he’s got blankets over the doors. And I said, What’s with the blankets? And he said, I got quotes to get the frosting. And that’s about five $600 on the cameras. I know a guy down there next week, and he just lift cost me 200 bucks. I just love it. Yeah,

Lance Hastie 6:37
exactly. is a real buzz. And that is you know, you’re he actually got something really neat out of it. But you get the buzz of also being able to help him out.

Danny de Hek 6:46
Yeah, and I went in there again today. I just got back from there now. And he forgot to hit that conversation with the points at the windows again. Okay, who is your hero? Don’t have to say me. Okay.

Lance Hastie 6:58
Who is my hero? Yeah, that’s a, that’s a good one. It’s a really good one who is my hero?

I wouldn’t actually say hi, I have a particular hero. There are a lot of people that I actually really admire for all sorts of different reasons. And it probably speaks volumes to the sort of person I am I just pull Pitts bits out of all different people. There’s not one particular trade here. Or one particular person, I say, you’ve got the whole package. So many people, I’ll just say, I like them for this. I get this out of them. Because the that that way in incline, it’s a to really give you an answer a

Danny de Hek 7:49
Who inspires you?

Lance Hastie 7:52
There are so many people that inspire me seriously, from a severely, oh, he’s a classic example would be someone that I’ve been matched with. And one of my blood product donations is that they inspire me because it puts into perspective. What I’m giving to them is a fraction of the the battle and challenge that I having to go through. No, I really, really look up to them and admire those people.

Danny de Hek 8:27
Yeah. Is that is that in comprehensible?

Lance Hastie 8:32
Shoes, I can’t comprehend it. So it just makes me so so so grateful. And so inspired that this seems a little bit tough a Dyna shadow or a patch on what others are going through. So you just stand back up on

Danny de Hek 8:47
me he cut yesterday and it was by Who is this was was that was it? I can’t say that right. But

he way he was one of the ones that got shot in the masa Tex and his daughter. And he’d been shot five times and

Lance Hastie 9:05
That’s a story.

Danny de Hek 9:06
It just tried to make himself go back to Jordan because there’s some doctor there that might be able to help his daughter and he got to Turkey and he got stranded. And he got locked down and he couldn’t get out. And he said it was a story on get my hair cut.

For six people. Anyway, he’s back here now and he’s glad to be here. Please stay here. But he immediately shot five times. How do you talk to someone who’s new five. And you said I’ve got a little sore hip and I you know and yeah, anyway, sorry about that.

back on target go, which would you rather do? Okay, this is quite good. What would you rather do is accounting, marketing planning, customer service or administration?

Lance Hastie 10:12
Planning

Danny de Hek 10:13
Planning. That’s good. I will not ask why that’s why planning. Hmm, the creativeness of the mind,

Lance Hastie 10:24
Yes it that aspect of it too. And it’s the ability to explore new territory. It’s what I like, about that.

Danny de Hek 10:32
Good. Oh, my goodness, I had this one the other day and it back in the pack. I’ve going to change it. If you died? And you had a tombstone? What would you like on it?

Let’s say I say the word saves me saying the word eulogy.

Lance Hastie 10:50
Well you did well done.

Danny de Hek 10:54
Or if you like, what would you like in eulogy? What would you like people to stand up and say about you.

Lance Hastie 10:59
I am thinking in some ways, and in the, in the most lovable form? What some people would like to put on my tombstone? Yeah, that’s what I’m having a good chuckle at is that a lot of a lot of people, those that are connected to me closely or close friends and family would have such fun with us, and probably speaks a lot for that type of life. I like to lead is that an example would be?

Uh, oh, no, look, there are so many and they would all be humorous would be the point. It’s like we’ve tried to bury him face down or Don’t worry, I am buried fat face down or got here at last something,

Danny de Hek 11:49
something we don’t really plan is that you have insurance for health and all this sort of stuff. But you don’t really have Hi, yeah, a bit of get my energy. In order before I pass away, we’ll cross over the other side or whatever you wanted to call it through

Lance Hastie 12:01
crew, even though it is going to happen, it must happen.

Danny de Hek 12:05
Okay, what areas do or don’t have control over in your business? So what can you control? Or what can you control in your business?

Lance Hastie 12:15
There’s a lot of both, I think probably take that answer on a little bit of a journey. It’s actually knowing in identifying the ones that you can control and the ones that you can’t control. And then realising the ones that you can control, ones that you just don’t need to spend another moment thinking about, and that the ones that you can control are the ones that you need to be dealing with. Example of ones that I can’t control our head, this box all necessary. componentry arrived this morning, at lift it’s lift Monday, last week, it took a week longer than it should have to get here. At no control over there. Apparently, a big chunk of that time was swallowed up with storms in Australia that I hit the plane stranded and cargo was backlog. I was mission critical to the business. It was mission. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t critical. But the world will keep on tuning without these. These components that are now here.

Danny de Hek 13:24
I got a laptop three months ago and that motherboard. Long story, but they figured out the math that was probably the problem. So I thought who’s going to fix my laptop within a short period of time, because I’m recording this on my iPad at the moment, which is quite spinning. It’s not too bad. Anyway, I took so we went to I went to service plus, and I’m telling them what the story was and all the tests I’ve done. And then I walk out of the after they have agreed to fix it. And they said it’s probably a two day turnaround and this guilt comes out. She’s Danny. Tina, I follow you on Instagram. And I’ve been I’ve been watching what you do. And I saw you still work here. It was five years ago last week. And it was quite nice. So had a good chat is your Don’t worry about your computer, I’ll probably be able to get it done a bit sooner for you. It’s got to be it’s got a new motherboard from Australia. And come here overnight, and it’s going to be all put in and it should be really at four o’clock today. So it’s was it’s Wednesday today. So three days and I’ve got parts from me telling me that the plane might be

Lance Hastie 14:27
delayed. It was last week. That was just unfortunate circumstance. This time. Last week, there was very serious storms in Australia, particularly Queensland, and then it wider everything was granted.

Danny de Hek 14:41
Yeah, cool. Hi. Okay, Christian, back to the Christians. We’ve got four more to go. What really makes you angry and why? What makes you angry, damage and Trump?

Lance Hastie 14:51
What makes me angry? Well, it’s been a part of going back to one of your earlier questions. Part of my life story is that Nothing makes me angry. And yeah, ever there are things that make us angry. Yes. And I’ve actually been through a stage of my life where I’ve just learned there’s absolutely zero value in it, and I have tools for dealing with it. So what makes me angry? There’s nothing that he made me angry. There are things that irritate me. And one of those would be less transparency. It’s say one thing to another. You’d say grinds my gears. That’s probably one. So the other sorts of people I just go, okay. I identified how you roll doesn’t fit with me named over there you go.

Danny de Hek 15:43
Yeah. Tell her to take on the crap.

Lance Hastie 15:47
Yeah.

Danny de Hek 15:49
Okay, okay. You’ve been invited along to a karaoke night and I see right it’s your turn that’s get out there and saying, What song would you sing

Lance Hastie 16:03
Something from Matchbox 20

Danny de Hek 16:07
I know the name however I don’t anything music. You have to sing to me.

Lance Hastie 16:10
Unwell, bright lights are there is lots of those ones that are contained to sing along out of tune with

Danny de Hek 16:24
Freaked me out karaoke nights because I can’t actually seriously keep up with the words.

Lance Hastie 16:31
Great point actually, it’s one way to have a bit more fun.

Danny de Hek 16:35
I just find myself singing that song by Madame Ruth you know that gypsy with the gold capped tooth? she’d love potion number nine. Yeah, took my troubles down Madame Ruth you know that old Gypsy with the gold capped tooth? I won’t sing it to you! Yeah, I’ve memorised a whole lot.

Okay, would you rather trade intelligence for looks? Or looks for intelligence? Right? Would you rather trade intelligence for looks? Or looks for intelligence? So would you like to be ugly? really intelligent? Or do you like the good looking? But really dumb?

Lance Hastie 17:14
Yeah, it’s it’s a such a true point in life. And other? It’s 5050. There are pros and cons equally for each. You’re asking, asking this one of me directly. And then I’d pick intelligence because you just had a little bit more insight to be able to deal with with the other side. So foster waited, I’d be picking intelligence overlooks?

Danny de Hek 17:38
Yeah, would be I’m sure there’s more you can do. And beauty is skin deep. If you can be the intelligent one, you can always have a good look another part of a person you like definitely, if that was important to you, but if you’re intelligent that you wouldn’t be judging it or looks so…

Alright, last question. If you were telling someone about your about someone about work life balance, what advice would you give them? So somebody who practices new in business and working all the time and you’re gonna say Hold on a minute, you can’t carry on like this? What advice would you give somebody you might be doing? getting it wrong?

Lance Hastie 18:18
It would start with a question as I typically do. When was the last time you had a nap in the middle of the day?

Danny de Hek 18:26
Oh, my dear. Old people do that they?

Lance Hastie 18:29
You’ll find most top level executives do.

Danny de Hek 18:33
Yeah and the thing is the question, what you’re really asking is, why don’t why do people not do it because we feel guilty about if we took some time off during the day, even if Helen I and my partner would be doing walks every day, I’ve been trying to an hour with a walking. And it’s we’ve just been doing it at the beginning of the day. And you know, the first of all, you saw that we should just really get into it. But after a while you can’t, you know, but you got to do something different again. You can’t just grind it out

Lance Hastie 19:02
And letting in that brain completely disconnect, switch off and allow yourself to refresh physically through the form of a nap in the middle of the day, which is something that we used to do dates back to our primaeval days. We’re just socially conditioned that out of ourselves yet. It’s not just so much there was so much evidence. You just do it yourself. And you know, it’s you’re onto a winner. That goes, that’s the that’s what I deliver as far as advice.

Danny de Hek 19:34
Excellent. we’ve answered 12 questions. So you’ve made it to the other end of the questions. And now this is the part where I asked for the question wonder what this guy actually does, who is he and what does he do? So tell it tell us a bit more about you and your business?

Lance Hastie 19:48
Ah, so I’m an engineer by trade and I take on people’s problems, business technical problems and turn them into solutions. So all Take on something that’s not going quite right in your business, figuring out the wants from the needs, whether it’s to your website’s not delivering not converting, your analytics aren’t making sense, but will come in and sort the technology in your business. And it’s through the essential technique of the aim paraders principle, where 80% of the productivity will come from 20% of the action. So it’s finding what is working and stripping away and throwing away everything else. That’s what I do!

Danny de Hek 20:32
You have helped me in the past with my email and I know how to set up my own email. I also had to stuff it up. But minister, I get my emails, other people’s junk folders, and all that sort of stuff. So it’s quite technical, because I’m reasonably technical myself, but you certainly took it to another level.

Lance Hastie 20:50
Yeah, so that’s a big part of it, I’ll just figure out what if it’s not working, figure out what’s behind it. Or if it is working, figure out what actually makes it work, and whether we can find a simpler, better way of doing it. And in the case of the emails that say that the goalposts that are forever shifting, so what’s working today is we know will be redundant in the near future. And bringing into that as the Privacy Act 2020, which comes into force on the first of December, and just under a month time. So it’s not so much some of us, all of us are going to have to take a little bit of action towards being compliant for the privacy with the Privacy Act. So that’s quite as quite a bit of project work going on there at the moment, not probably not as scary as that may sound. But there is say there are definitely things that all of us need to do at a slightly different level to what we’ve done before.

Danny de Hek 21:43
So the Asturian databases of people’s first and last names email address or any data, you need to basically prove that you’ve got some sort of system around particulate data and not no vulnerabilities. Really,

Lance Hastie 21:55
this is all part of it. Probably the bigger part of it is an actually your documentation, the privacy statement on your website, to be clear the how certain procedures are handled, and who was actually dealing with what and, you know, there’s a few little hooks and traps in there. But I rule the the Privacy Act, it’s reasonably benign in terms of, there’s a lot of freedoms in there for for most of us, but as long as we just do the the essentials and necessary and just update what needs to be updated, we can carry on as we’ve been carrying on.

Danny de Hek 22:33
So when you’re trying to work out some problem, and it gets a bit tender corners, but over here, we can give Lance a call. And he can knock that out. And how do we contact you and what’s your website address and all that sort of stuff.

Lance Hastie 22:44
So probably one of the easiest ways that Google search and you could start with comtechnology.co.nz and Lance Hastie.

Danny de Hek 22:52
Brilliant, I think if it came along to us, it’s been nice to see in a different environment than behind a screen in the car. I think it’s quite really. So thanks going along and Google see more of you in the not too distant future.

Lance Hastie 23:06
Absolutely, always and as always a pleasure. Thank you very much.

Danny de Hek 23:10
Good on ya mate.

Transcribed by Otter

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