So this year I’d like us all to take our inspiration for 2024 from the lessons we learnt from others over the course of the year,starting with December 31,2023.
When it comes to succession,there is nothing like a Dane:Crown Princess Mary and Queen Margrethe.AP
Principal of all these – dare I say queen – is the decision to quit while you’re ahead. You’ll have read that Denmark’s after 52 years at the helm. She is still alert,still able to call her (allegedly) and pull him into line. Yet she’s handing over the reins. Pretty sure that’s because he will now be too busy to casanova on.
Is she the first Australian queen? You tell me. QMII is in direct contrast to QEII who was in the job about 20 years too long. So yeah,when it comes to succession planning,there’s nothing like a Dane. And boy do I have envy. AsThe Shovel points out,.
What else did we learn from famous-ish people over the last 12 months? My own personal favourite is a hand-me-down from former public servant Mike Pezzullo.. Pezzullo was fired after an inquiry – sparked by this – his duty,power,status or authority to seek to gain a benefit or advantage for himself;engaged in gossip and disrespectful critique of ministers and public servants;failed to maintain confidentiality of sensitive government information;failed to act apolitically in his employment;and failed to disclose a conflict of interest. And he’d put it all in writing! Don’t do that.
Last year was a big one for Taylor Swift,Mike Pezzulo,Elon Musk and Pat Cummins. But they won’t all remember it fondly.
We’ve learnt the power of women is inescapable. is not just enormously clever,enormously gorgeous and even more enormously wealthy but,according to some idiots,her very presence can,Travis Kelce’s performance as tight end for the National Football League team,the Kansas City Chiefs. I love this for us.;he’s just Ken.
Patience is not a virtue. Clarity and strategy are critical. We learnt that from,the former federal member for Dunkley,who died on December 4. Murphy,who died as a result of breast cancer,knew she didn’t have a lot of time so kept powering through. My god,the woman was on ABCRN Breakfast,calling for improved metastatic breast cancer data. And in her brief time as a parliamentarian,she did more to expose the risks of online gambling than anyone else. That lesson? Keep going.
Ignore haters and lobbyists. Many thanks to,the cutie pie cricket captain,who ignored the geese criticising him for being too “woke” to win. The man is,indeed,a winner,a person of the match,the key to Australia’s enduring cricket dominance. I’ll have whatever he’s having except for those sporting injuries.. That’s why I’ve also taken Cummins’ views on climate change – after we installed solar panels,my power bill halved although the number of people in our household tripled.
What did I learn from,the owner of X,formerly known as social media platform Twitter? Spend less time on social media. Musk is so bitter,angry and opinionated he infects everything he touches. I remember telling students back in 2008 that to have an engaged social media presence,you need to post about 30 times a day. I’d be lucky to do that in a week these days and,when I do,it’s rarely on X. And I’m not even.
Social media is where the No campaign on the Voice to parliament was prosecuted most effectively. That probably made. Good for her. Bad for reconciliation and for those from the Yes campaign who want a fairer,freer country. Lesson here? Don’t do things just for the sake of popularity. Make your decisions based on humanity and decency. Also,be a better planner. The prime minister knows that now.
Finally,keep away from courtrooms. They do you absolutely no good. No matter what you think you are doing in there,that’s not how it works out. The only winners are the lawyers who get paid,no matter the outcome. Meanwhile,your reputation gets dragged through the mud even when – if – you win. Not naming any names here,but your life does not need to be played out in court. Keep well away.
Happy this year. May it be a helluva lot better than the last one.
Jenna Price is a visiting fellow at the Australian National University and a regular columnist.
Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge,champion and inform your own..