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Paul Catmur
Columnist and host of Truth & Soul Podcast

Columnist and host of Truth & Soul Podcast

We are your advocate, Aotearoa. Uncovering stories that matter, asking hard-hitting questions of those in power, live-blogging sport events, monitoring the highs and lows of the NZX and providing Premium expert opinion and analysis. Bringing you distinctive, quality journalism and breaking news from across New Zealand and around the world. With specialists working together to create indepth reads, engaging video, and unmissable podcasts.

Check out Paul’s latest content
Premium
Paul Catmur: Free speech? Why it's foolish (and expensive) to talk politics on LinkedIn
Opinion

Paul Catmur: Free speech? Why it's foolish (and expensive) to talk politics on LinkedIn

23 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Paul Catmur: How to deal with procrastination - read this immediately
Employment

Paul Catmur: How to deal with procrastination - read this immediately

16 Jul 05:00 PM

It's a lie that you work best under pressure, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: The Geoff Ross outrage is just a storm in a sheep dip
Agribusiness

Paul Catmur: The Geoff Ross outrage is just a storm in a sheep dip

09 Jul 05:00 PM

Take it from someone who worked with Ross. He knows what he's doing, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Russian tips for nailing your next social media campaign
Business

Paul Catmur: Russian tips for nailing your next social media campaign

02 Jul 05:00 PM

OPINION: The "Trolls of Olgino" offer a few lessons in the art of social media.

Premium
Paul Catmur: The art of not working during work hours - and getting paid for it
Media and marketing

Paul Catmur: The art of not working during work hours - and getting paid for it

25 Jun 06:56 PM

OPINION: Corporate entertainment is a vital part of business, winks Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: It's time we taught crypto in schools
Opinion

Paul Catmur: It's time we taught crypto in schools

18 Jun 05:00 PM

There are better places to learn about investment than the crypto markets.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Think shooting The Godfather was hard? Try making a 30-second commercial in NZ
Media and marketing

Paul Catmur: Think shooting The Godfather was hard? Try making a 30-second commercial in NZ

11 Jun 05:00 PM

The creative process is taxing whether it's three hours or 30 seconds.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Don't buy a Ferrari without reading this first
Business

Paul Catmur: Don't buy a Ferrari without reading this first

04 Jun 05:00 PM

Tall poppy syndrome isn't limited to New Zealand, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Coke's quirky recipe secret - it's been changing for 100 years
Business

Paul Catmur: Coke's quirky recipe secret - it's been changing for 100 years

28 May 05:00 PM

Coca-Cola has been changing its recipe for 100 years.

Premium
Opinion: Cocaine - she don't lie. But six million tonnes a year? Here's a lesson in gullibility from a TV statistic
Media and marketing

Opinion: Cocaine - she don't lie. But six million tonnes a year? Here's a lesson in gullibility from a TV statistic

21 May 04:39 AM

Paul Catmur writes that a loose statistic has the power to travel very far, very fast.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Inflation? We don't know how lucky we are
Opinion

Paul Catmur: Inflation? We don't know how lucky we are

30 Apr 05:00 PM

Let's just hope inflation over here doesn't get as bad as in the seventies in the UK.

Premium
Paul Catmur: The laws of stupidity - what group do you fit into?
Opinion

Paul Catmur: The laws of stupidity - what group do you fit into?

23 Apr 05:00 PM

Italian professor Carlo Cipolla sees the Stupid as the main danger to civilisation.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Don't plan for retirement, plan for life
Opinion

Paul Catmur: Don't plan for retirement, plan for life

16 Apr 05:00 PM

Get the most out of all of your years and don't leave your bucket list too late.

Premium
Paul Catmur: What's your plan for world domination?
Opinion

Paul Catmur: What's your plan for world domination?

09 Apr 09:20 PM

A plan can't come together unless you have one in the first place, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Stop telling your wannabe rockstar kid to make real plans. It won't work
Opinion

Paul Catmur: Stop telling your wannabe rockstar kid to make real plans. It won't work

02 Apr 05:00 PM

Paul Catmur remembers a few things about himself from observing his nephew.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Building a company? Just do it
Opinion

Paul Catmur: Building a company? Just do it

26 Mar 04:00 PM

But be careful to bear in mind survivor bias when looking at Nike's success.

Premium
Paul Catmur: How advertising helped bad products
Opinion

Paul Catmur: How advertising helped bad products

19 Mar 04:00 PM

If the death of mass advertising means the growth of better products, that's surely good?

Premium
Paul Catmur: How to sell your business
Media and marketing

Paul Catmur: How to sell your business

13 Mar 02:00 AM

Start your own business, they said. It'll be fun, they said.

Premium
Paul Catmur: What happened when I asked my staff to give me feedback on my boss style
Opinion

Paul Catmur: What happened when I asked my staff to give me feedback on my boss style

05 Mar 04:00 PM

OPINION: The jury has returned the verdict on what it was like to work for me.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Be honest, what do you think of your boss?
Opinion

Paul Catmur: Be honest, what do you think of your boss?

26 Feb 04:00 PM

Bosses rarely ask for feedback on their performance.

Premium
Paul Catmur: A lesson from the shambolic Vector website
Opinion

Paul Catmur: A lesson from the shambolic Vector website

19 Feb 04:00 PM

Websites really need to put the customer first.

Premium
A Kiwi novice's guide to the Super Bowl
Sport

A Kiwi novice's guide to the Super Bowl

13 Feb 07:00 AM

Paul Catmur breaks down what you need to know for Monday's big game.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Valentine's Day vs The Super Bowl - a consumer's dream
Media and marketing

Paul Catmur: Valentine's Day vs The Super Bowl - a consumer's dream

12 Feb 04:00 PM

February 14 is not only for lovers of love this year, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Does your office need a Jack Reacher?
Employment

Paul Catmur: Does your office need a Jack Reacher?

05 Feb 04:00 PM

Paul Catmur shares a few business lessons from the Army.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Zinzan for PM (or maybe not)
Opinion

Paul Catmur: Zinzan for PM (or maybe not)

29 Jan 04:00 PM

Paul Catmur makes his case for a new kind of New Zealand leadership.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Elon Musk doesn't advertise, why should I?
Opinion

Paul Catmur: Elon Musk doesn't advertise, why should I?

15 Jan 04:00 PM

Business people love to boast that they don't advertise, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Do we really want the country to be run like a business?
Opinion

Paul Catmur: Do we really want the country to be run like a business?

11 Dec 04:00 PM

OPINION: Paul Catmur muses on what Christopher Luxon might bring to the table.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Why careers are like cucumbers
Media and marketing

Paul Catmur: Why careers are like cucumbers

04 Dec 04:00 PM

Careers tend to wither when they aren't nurtured, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: A survival guide for terrible meetings
Opinion

Paul Catmur: A survival guide for terrible meetings

27 Nov 04:00 PM

The torture of a mandatory meeting will be familiar to everyone in the corporate world.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Mediocre people don't get statues
Business

Paul Catmur: Mediocre people don't get statues

20 Nov 04:00 PM

The human experience is messy, even for the extraordinary among us, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Comedy beasts - which animal is right for your ad?
Media and marketing

Paul Catmur: Comedy beasts - which animal is right for your ad?

13 Nov 04:00 PM

There are a few reasons animals are so popular in advertising, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: How to spot an actual imposter at work
Opinion

Paul Catmur: How to spot an actual imposter at work

06 Nov 04:00 PM

There's a difference between thinking you're an imposter and actually being an imposter.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Peacock or whale - Which workplace beast matches your personality?
Employment

Paul Catmur: Peacock or whale - Which workplace beast matches your personality?

30 Oct 04:00 PM

You don't want to be stuck as a Peacock forever, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: How to have a business conversation you don't want to have
Opinion

Paul Catmur: How to have a business conversation you don't want to have

23 Oct 04:00 PM

Tough chats can't always be avoided.

Vaccine race: How did Ireland get to 90% so fast?
New Zealand

Vaccine race: How did Ireland get to 90% so fast?

06 Oct 04:00 PM

Ireland is an island with a similar population to NZ. So what can we learn from the Irish?

Premium
Paul Catmur: How Genghis Khan would've got the population vaccinated
Opinion

Paul Catmur: How Genghis Khan would've got the population vaccinated

02 Oct 04:00 PM

Sometimes the message matters as much as what you're selling, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Whoops, I've been promoted from outstanding employee to mediocre boss
Media and marketing

Paul Catmur: Whoops, I've been promoted from outstanding employee to mediocre boss

25 Sep 04:00 PM

Being a boss isn't for everyone, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: A business lesson from my Dad (who hated being called 'Dad')
Opinion

Paul Catmur: A business lesson from my Dad (who hated being called 'Dad')

11 Sep 05:00 PM

Watching his dad lose his job taught Paul Catmur a valuable lesson.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Why you listen to liars
Media and marketing

Paul Catmur: Why you listen to liars

28 Aug 05:00 PM

BS trumps honesty, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: I was young and stupid. I'm not young anymore
Opinion

Paul Catmur: I was young and stupid. I'm not young anymore

21 Aug 05:00 PM

Paul Catmur looks back how close he came to making a terrible decision.

Premium
Paul Catmur: How to dress for success in business
Opinion

Paul Catmur: How to dress for success in business

14 Aug 05:00 PM

Dress as you want to be, not as your are, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Why I turned down promotions during my career
Opinion

Paul Catmur: Why I turned down promotions during my career

07 Aug 05:00 PM

Some things matter more than an increase in salary.

Premium
Paul Catmur: When should you leave the rat race?
Opinion

Paul Catmur: When should you leave the rat race?

31 Jul 05:00 PM

OPINION: How much is enough?

Premium
Paul Catmur: How to give a presentation when you'd rather have a root canal
Opinion

Paul Catmur: How to give a presentation when you'd rather have a root canal

24 Jul 05:00 PM

Public speaking can be terrifying, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Englishman in NZ responds to 'disgusting' fan behaviour at Wembley
Football

Englishman in NZ responds to 'disgusting' fan behaviour at Wembley

13 Jul 12:40 AM

Paul Catmur does some soul searching after what he saw on TV.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Use the 'waiter test' to see if your business partners are terrible
Opinion

Paul Catmur: Use the 'waiter test' to see if your business partners are terrible

10 Jul 05:00 PM

The waiter test helps to show what people are really like.

Premium
Paul Catmur: I cringed when I saw my work on TV. Here's why I was wrong
Media and marketing

Paul Catmur: I cringed when I saw my work on TV. Here's why I was wrong

19 Jun 05:00 PM

Sometimes being creatively brilliant isn't the right answer.

Premium
Paul Catmur: What I learnt watching gamblers lose everything in a casino
Opinion

Paul Catmur: What I learnt watching gamblers lose everything in a casino

12 Jun 05:00 PM

Paul Catmur reflects on lessons he learnt working on the casino floor early in his career.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Why we should embrace participation medals
Opinion

Paul Catmur: Why we should embrace participation medals

05 Jun 05:00 PM

Mediocrity should be recognised as an acceptable destination.

Winter hack: You've been lighting fires the wrong way your whole life
Lifestyle

Winter hack: You've been lighting fires the wrong way your whole life

31 May 12:48 AM

The following advice could change your life.

Premium
Paul Catmur: How to deal with an over-promoted, untalented boss
Opinion

Paul Catmur: How to deal with an over-promoted, untalented boss

29 May 05:00 PM

At some point, you may find yourself wondering how your boss ever got their job.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Are you a prisoner or a guard at your job?
Opinion

Paul Catmur: Are you a prisoner or a guard at your job?

22 May 05:00 PM

The Stanford Prison Experiment is a stark warning to the workforce, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: How to avoid being fired
Opinion

Paul Catmur: How to avoid being fired

15 May 05:00 PM

A few simple strategies can help you avoid getting the chop.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Career advice to the mediocre - Get a job, any job
Media and marketing

Paul Catmur: Career advice to the mediocre - Get a job, any job

08 May 05:00 PM

Sometimes being useful is more important than being brilliant, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: A simple test to see how mediocre you are
Media and marketing

Paul Catmur: A simple test to see how mediocre you are

01 May 05:00 PM

Your answers to these two questions will reveal all you need to know, writes Paul Catmur.

Premium
Paul Catmur: Career advice - stop trying to be 'bloody exceptional'
Opinion

Paul Catmur: Career advice - stop trying to be 'bloody exceptional'

24 Apr 05:00 PM

The Manual for the Mediocre argues it's okay if you're middling at best.

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