That's the beauty of giving blood
(Canadian Blood Services)
I'm scheduled to go tonight.
You should go too.
It's actually one of the easiest things I can do to try to make a difference in this world.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Job two
My wife agreed to move with me again, only a few months after the last move, and with our first child in tow.
I remember being very excited about being part of a new startup. I had the freedom to work, from the quality side, in the complete manufacturing process. I loved taking new people on a plant tour when they started, and being able to describe the individual production steps and quality issues throughout the complete production process.
I showed a knack for dealing with computers, and when the computer support person in the main office went on maternity leave, I filled in. I picked up a project for purchasing and tool crib inventory while I was at it, and stuck with that for the duration. It was coded in (raise your hands if you've ever heard of this); Advanced Revelation. [wow - side note; I just went to their web site and it's done in Domino - cool coincidence]
The consultant helping me with the implementation said one day that he could create an email function in AR, he just didn't have a client willing to pay for it. Well, if it could be done, then .... I was going to try. A while later, we had a rudimentary email application. I loved being able to go to someone's desk, make the changes they requested, and leave their desk knowing that I had helped to make them more productive.
I learned that I enjoyed making someone else's day easier and more productive, more than I enjoyed making my own day easier.
I stopped being involved in the manufacturing side of the business, and had many days go by where I didn't even touch or see the product we made. I remember walking in to the office and asking the receptionist; "we make wheels here, right?". The information age was starting for me.
The town we were living in was wonderful, my commute was only 3 km (many days I even walked to work, left a car at the plant, and drove home for lunch with my wife). I enjoyed my work, and ... I got the feeling that I needed to move on before I started 'settling' and getting too comfortable. We had been there for seven years, and I felt that if I stayed any longer, I would start making excuses about why I could never leave. In hindsight, it was a very good move; the company was sold a few years later and every one of the remaining original employees was invited to find other employment. Hearing that news, it felt like I had dodged another bullet.
I remember being very excited about being part of a new startup. I had the freedom to work, from the quality side, in the complete manufacturing process. I loved taking new people on a plant tour when they started, and being able to describe the individual production steps and quality issues throughout the complete production process.
I showed a knack for dealing with computers, and when the computer support person in the main office went on maternity leave, I filled in. I picked up a project for purchasing and tool crib inventory while I was at it, and stuck with that for the duration. It was coded in (raise your hands if you've ever heard of this); Advanced Revelation. [wow - side note; I just went to their web site and it's done in Domino - cool coincidence]
The consultant helping me with the implementation said one day that he could create an email function in AR, he just didn't have a client willing to pay for it. Well, if it could be done, then .... I was going to try. A while later, we had a rudimentary email application. I loved being able to go to someone's desk, make the changes they requested, and leave their desk knowing that I had helped to make them more productive.
I learned that I enjoyed making someone else's day easier and more productive, more than I enjoyed making my own day easier.
I stopped being involved in the manufacturing side of the business, and had many days go by where I didn't even touch or see the product we made. I remember walking in to the office and asking the receptionist; "we make wheels here, right?". The information age was starting for me.
The town we were living in was wonderful, my commute was only 3 km (many days I even walked to work, left a car at the plant, and drove home for lunch with my wife). I enjoyed my work, and ... I got the feeling that I needed to move on before I started 'settling' and getting too comfortable. We had been there for seven years, and I felt that if I stayed any longer, I would start making excuses about why I could never leave. In hindsight, it was a very good move; the company was sold a few years later and every one of the remaining original employees was invited to find other employment. Hearing that news, it felt like I had dodged another bullet.
Resume part two, the first 'real' job
Assuming that post-university employment qualifies as a real job, I'll talk about my first one.
I suppose I made my career-defining decision based on who was willing to hire me. I packed up my wife, and moved her for the second time. This is where I realized that my education was really just beginning. I learned the details about Quality Management. It all seems so long ago, but there was a day when I understood what SPC, TQE, Q1, TFE, etc. stood for, what they meant, and why they were important. It's not that they're no longer important, it's just that I haven't practiced any of it for so long.
Computers were becoming a big part of working life, but I started out not having a computer assigned to me and the computers we used were not connected to each other. Communication was still paper memos and telephone calls. It feels very strange to look back this far; we didn't even have voice mail, let alone email.
My first job out of university, and it was actually the last time I was employed by someone who didn't know me before the first interview.
I didn't stay very long at the first company. My boss had moved on to a better opportunity, and I asked him if there would be a place for me there as well. I was happy when he said yes, and it was difficult to wait for 5 months until the project was far along enough for there to be a place for me.
I learned the power of a personal network, and what 'character reference' really meant. I'll always appreciate the people I worked with on that first job. Getting back to SPC and statistics, etc. - I learned that it takes measurement to be able to improve.
Moving on from there was a good move; the plant closed a few years later.
I suppose I made my career-defining decision based on who was willing to hire me. I packed up my wife, and moved her for the second time. This is where I realized that my education was really just beginning. I learned the details about Quality Management. It all seems so long ago, but there was a day when I understood what SPC, TQE, Q1, TFE, etc. stood for, what they meant, and why they were important. It's not that they're no longer important, it's just that I haven't practiced any of it for so long.
Computers were becoming a big part of working life, but I started out not having a computer assigned to me and the computers we used were not connected to each other. Communication was still paper memos and telephone calls. It feels very strange to look back this far; we didn't even have voice mail, let alone email.
My first job out of university, and it was actually the last time I was employed by someone who didn't know me before the first interview.
I didn't stay very long at the first company. My boss had moved on to a better opportunity, and I asked him if there would be a place for me there as well. I was happy when he said yes, and it was difficult to wait for 5 months until the project was far along enough for there to be a place for me.
I learned the power of a personal network, and what 'character reference' really meant. I'll always appreciate the people I worked with on that first job. Getting back to SPC and statistics, etc. - I learned that it takes measurement to be able to improve.
Moving on from there was a good move; the plant closed a few years later.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Resumé - part one, RVG's education
To say I want to be unconventional would be understating my goals here. See an earlier post quoting Enlightened Leadership. The resumé model is broken, and needs updating (a total demolition and re-building).
My formal, in-class, "recognized by a piece of paper" education started in the fall of '79 (yes - I know - that's a long, long time ago) and "ended" in '86. So, 1986 would be about the time that my real education began. I'll cover that in subsequent posts.
Now, if you'll allow me, I'll go one step back. I finished high school (Grade 12) in three years. I had a scheduling conflict one semester, and the options I took led to discovering that I could (potentially) get high school done a year early. Grade 13 was a real eye-opener for me, and that grade ended up taking a year and a half to get done satisfactorily. I learned that I wasn't the "hot shot" that I thought I was.
On to university. I took the humbling process that began in grade 13 and continued it. I really had no idea how I was ever going to graduate, and even started investigating alternatives. I found two guys to work with, and that made all the difference. My "graduating" was really a team effort. I learned that I worked better as part of a team, and that the results of team effort was greater than either of the team members could have accomplished on their own. I also learned to keep going. I had two strikes against me, and couldn't afford a third (I would have been invited to find a learning institution more suited to my abilities, if you get my drift). The stress of this was always there. I even had a dream after graduation that I hadn't really gotten it done.
The biggest lesson I learned though was; how to learn.
I had started my lifelong learning journey. Gandhi was definitely right when he said; "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
What's the value of it all?
Piece of paper: worthless.
The doors the paper opens: valuable.
Learning to learn: priceless.
My formal, in-class, "recognized by a piece of paper" education started in the fall of '79 (yes - I know - that's a long, long time ago) and "ended" in '86. So, 1986 would be about the time that my real education began. I'll cover that in subsequent posts.
Now, if you'll allow me, I'll go one step back. I finished high school (Grade 12) in three years. I had a scheduling conflict one semester, and the options I took led to discovering that I could (potentially) get high school done a year early. Grade 13 was a real eye-opener for me, and that grade ended up taking a year and a half to get done satisfactorily. I learned that I wasn't the "hot shot" that I thought I was.
On to university. I took the humbling process that began in grade 13 and continued it. I really had no idea how I was ever going to graduate, and even started investigating alternatives. I found two guys to work with, and that made all the difference. My "graduating" was really a team effort. I learned that I worked better as part of a team, and that the results of team effort was greater than either of the team members could have accomplished on their own. I also learned to keep going. I had two strikes against me, and couldn't afford a third (I would have been invited to find a learning institution more suited to my abilities, if you get my drift). The stress of this was always there. I even had a dream after graduation that I hadn't really gotten it done.
The biggest lesson I learned though was; how to learn.
I had started my lifelong learning journey. Gandhi was definitely right when he said; "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
What's the value of it all?
Piece of paper: worthless.
The doors the paper opens: valuable.
Learning to learn: priceless.
If I was hiring me
I've had a mental goal for a few years to live what I would call a "no resumé" life. I haven't found a satisfying way to put together a meaningful resumé, so I really wanted to "pass" on the whole thing.
Recently it struck me - what would I want to know about a person who I was hiring? Fundamentally, it came down to wanting to know how that person thought, and why they thought that way. What are their core values? What are their goals? How do they think about other people, and about themselves?
Then, suddenly, I realized that one of my purposes in this blog is to let others know how I think - about me, and about others. To reveal my core values.
I think, in a small way, this blog is also my resumé.
Recently it struck me - what would I want to know about a person who I was hiring? Fundamentally, it came down to wanting to know how that person thought, and why they thought that way. What are their core values? What are their goals? How do they think about other people, and about themselves?
Then, suddenly, I realized that one of my purposes in this blog is to let others know how I think - about me, and about others. To reveal my core values.
I think, in a small way, this blog is also my resumé.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Virtual collaboration
I read this article a while back. It talked about overcoming some of the limitations of telecommuting.
I know that the bulk of my day is spent interacting physically within the confines of my cubicle. Less and less of that happens over the phone, and more and more of it via instant messaging, remote access to other computers and email.
I get up to get coffee. I get up to do what happens after drinking coffee.
Most days, my physical commute to work isn't really that bad. But, now that I'm over it, let's talk about yesterday. I had a meeting starting 30 minutes after my scheduled start time, and I had construction and traffic issues. I really don't know my way around Detroit except for the two or three routes I normally take. Neither of those routes were looking very appealling, so I took a fourth, uncharted route. Turned out to be one of my many poor decisions regarding directions. I ended up being late for the meeting, and thinking more about the benefits of bringing a virtual me to the office rather than the physical me.
I'm ready for telecommuting. I'm just waiting for my management team to catch up. :-)
I've got more to say on this topic. Much more, actually.
Stay tuned.
I know that the bulk of my day is spent interacting physically within the confines of my cubicle. Less and less of that happens over the phone, and more and more of it via instant messaging, remote access to other computers and email.
I get up to get coffee. I get up to do what happens after drinking coffee.
Most days, my physical commute to work isn't really that bad. But, now that I'm over it, let's talk about yesterday. I had a meeting starting 30 minutes after my scheduled start time, and I had construction and traffic issues. I really don't know my way around Detroit except for the two or three routes I normally take. Neither of those routes were looking very appealling, so I took a fourth, uncharted route. Turned out to be one of my many poor decisions regarding directions. I ended up being late for the meeting, and thinking more about the benefits of bringing a virtual me to the office rather than the physical me.
I'm ready for telecommuting. I'm just waiting for my management team to catch up. :-)
I've got more to say on this topic. Much more, actually.
Stay tuned.
Cares and Worries
Isaiah 37:14-17 (NIV)
Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD : "O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.
1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Hezekiah took the evidence of his troubles, the thing he was worried about, and laid it out before God. He praised God and trusted Him to take care of the situation.
It would be wise for me to do likewise.
God bless you today, and may He grant you His peace.
Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD : "O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.
1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Hezekiah took the evidence of his troubles, the thing he was worried about, and laid it out before God. He praised God and trusted Him to take care of the situation.
It would be wise for me to do likewise.
God bless you today, and may He grant you His peace.
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