Creativity and Love Flows in London

London Ontario boasts creativity and cutting edge ideas with companies like rTraction, Voices.com, Echidna and many others.   These companies are bleeding edge when it comes to employee management, project management and their technologies and methodologies.   I have seen many good things come from these companies and believe London Ontario should be applauded for its support in the technology sector.

Between foosball, MeetUps, OpenData and the UnLab activities, these companies share a bond, that only the technology world can understand.   These companies together will put London Ontario on the same playing field with other technology centres of Ontario, Canada and the rest of the world.  Socially London tech companies are more advanced.  They see the trends and move with and ahead of them at a rapid pace.

I have also noticed a new trend of technology companies in London also getting actively involved social causes, like reforesting, helping homeless, helping students, garbage clean-up and much more.  These people and organizations love London, they love Ontario and they love Canada.  Even politics tend to be a centre point of beliefs and passions for employees and leaders of the tech community.

Now, I have mentioned the tech companies, but it is not without the employees, will these companies advance on to the world stage.  The employees are the heart and soul of the companies that support the leaders of these companies.  These employees are independently trying new ideas and concepts through the support of their employers. These people are truly amazing with their talents.  London has some of the best technology employees around.

Aaron McGowan, is another person to be watching who makes up our community.  Aaron is a champion for OpenData which is a moving trend with our local governments to share data with the development world.  He is full of passion to have more data open to everyone to use and develop software freely.

Applaud the tech community, join in the social movements and hug a geek today.   It is not without each other can we move forward to do even greater things.

What are you bringing to your team

Every team has a slacker.  Your team can be at work, on the rink, ball diamond, or your marriage.  Are you the slacker?   Why are you the slacker?  Are you listening to people other than yourself?

Everyone has the ability to listen to themselves, but are you listening to others.  If you are not listening, you are probably not contributing to your team fully.   Your team needs you.   It is not about your needs ( well may be a little ).   If you make it more about your team, you will be a better person and team player.

There are various reasons that you may not be bringing enough to your team:

  1. You may not be aware.  Try listening
  2. Your skills may not be up to snuff. You know how to learn – so do it.
  3. You are bored.   Really?   Learn something new.  Try something new.
  4. You are lazy.  Sorry, I cannot help you with that.   Look in the mirror and see if you can live with it.
  5. You do not respect your team member(s).  Why not?  Figure it out and resolve it.   Everyone has a different personality, learn the good things about that person(s)
  6. You are too quiet… sit up and use your voice.
There are many more reasons and solutions to the reasons.   You need to evaluate your position within the team.  If you are not pulling your weight or not being 100% to your ability, you are letting yourself down and your team.

Who Is Andrew Pallant

I was recently asked the question “Who Is Andrew Pallant?“.   Although I am Andrew Pallant; I find this question very complex and complicated to answer.   One must reflect ever so often to rediscover who you are and what you are doing.   As I was caught off guard by the question, I had to pause and think.  This was hard.  Can you answer the question freely?

Here is a series of questions to ask yourself:

  1. Who is <>?
  2. What am I doing?
  3. Am I adding value to my life?
  4. Am I adding value to others?
  5. What are my current goals in my personal life and professional life?
  6. Am I completing my goals?
Here is my answer that I had given to the person who asked: “Who is Andrew Pallant?“.

Andrew is a proud father of 2 children.  I am a confident person who works hard.   Whenever I am given a task or take on a task, I give 120% of myself.  I never take short cuts.  When I manage or lead a team, I am firm, fair and open to new ideas.   I do not like to miss deadlines, but if I do, there must be a really good reason.   I am friendly, generally fun, and always sincere.  When I am on a team, I listen to others, and try to learn from them.  I am continuously learning and listening as I believe no one can know everything.   

Now I am currently reflecting on who I am and what I am doing.   I am making sure that I am the best that I can be.   After reading this blog, you may want to read:  http://unlatched.com/blog_How_To_Be_Awesome.aspx
At the end of the day, be true to you and be the best you can be.

New Project or Team Manager – First Two Weeks

There are plenty of tasks a person could do in their first two weeks as a new Project or Team Manager.  I have isolated some of the more important tasks that need to be addressed in the first two weeks of starting the new position.  Mind you these can vary depending on the size of team and the discussions with your new superior.

  1. Discuss your role and management styles with new superior.  Ensure you are both on the same page.
  2. Become intimate with company policies
  3. Get to know everyone on the team including their name, responsibilities
    and what they have done in the past
  4. Review all project descriptions and time lines
  5. Find out what each team member is currently working on and where they are in the time lines
  6. Compare where each team member is at on the time lines with the actual time line
  7. Discuss progress with My Boss
  8. Team Meeting
    • discuss priorities
    • discuss what everyone’s expectation is.
    • discuss what I expect of them
    •  ideas to get the projects back on track
    • look for team suggestions
  9. Discuss progress with my superior
  10. Meet with each member
    •  – discuss where they are in the project
    •  – together figure out how to advance in a more efficient way
    •  – set some realistic goals
  11. Discuss progress with my superior

Google Please Hire ME

Read about this on a tech web site ( cannot remember where ).   I thought Matthew Epstein ( http://googlepleasehire.me/ ) had a great targeted job search idea.   Loved the video and loved the site.   I think only a true marketing guy could have pulled this off so well.   Would not likely to work for most, but I have seen companies ask for applicants like this.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRHFEDyHIsc]

My Reading List

Andrew has read this book
Andrew has read this book
Made in Canada Leadership

by Amal; Morissette, Francoise Henein

See this book on Amazon »
Andrew has read this book
Andrew is reading this book
Andrew has read this book
Andrew has read this book on the Kindle  (Learn more)
Andrew has read this book on the Kindle  (Learn more)
Andrew has read this book on the Kindle  (Learn more)
Andrew has read this book on the Kindle  (Learn more)
Andrew has read this book


Andrew has read this book


Andrew has read this book


Andrew has read this book


SQL Bible

by Alex Kriegel, Boris M. Trukhnov

See this book on Amazon »

Andrew has read this book


Andrew has read this book


Andrew has read this book


Andrew has read this book


Andrew is reading this
book


Andrew is reading this
book


Andrew has read this book

Recycling and Trash Ideas

I had just watched Trashopolis on the National Geographic Channel; it featured Paris France.  On it they showed the history of excess trash and how Paris overcame it.  From the principal of rag pickers, they created city sponsored enterprises.   Back in the 1800’s a rag picker would be a person or persons who who would pick through trash, fix or clean items and resell the items at flee markets.

With the city sponsored enterprises, the entrepreneurs would run a depot where citizens would drop of batteries, old appliances, clothing and other items.   The depots would then clean, fix or re-purpose the items for donation or resale.   This seems to be cutting down on garbage, increasing recycling efforts and ultimately saving the city from garbage.  As an added bonus, the people running the depots run routes that would allow them to pick up items from vendors, shop owners and households.   I can really see the benefits here.

London Ontario every year discuss what they can do to save trash costs, increase recycling efforts and work on new contracts with garbage collectors.  Not once I had heard of the idea of a city sponsored enterprise being setup to fix, clean and re-purpose items for resale or donations.  This would also help the city encourage entrepreneurship, increase arts and crafts and hit the international stage for becoming more Green.

I think for thing to work, the city would only have to find a person to run things, donate a building and help build a business plan for the person to start.  This would be a great venture for a young person with a basic knowledge of electronics and business, recruit some local artists to help re-purpose items and you could have a good little business helping the city to become more green.

May be worth while sending a small team of business and city officials to places like Paris who seemingly are doing things a little better.