Well, it's been more than a week since I last wrote a post. I was busy promoting civiside.com at the HRPA tradeshow to HR professionals across the country. This was a superb opportunity to speak with many employers in a short period of time, and to find a real focus on what industries we should pursue first. Overall, a very successful event that I will do annually.
On an unrelated note, a fine officer that I know from HMCS Star, Lt(N) Fancy has been awarded the order of military merit:
http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/504681
The Spec made a mistake on his rank (he commissioned from the ranks as a CPO1) but still a great story regardless. Congratulations Lt. Fancy!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
"Old School"
Today Lauren and I did the Gen Y in the workplace debate on CFRB 1010 in Toronto. During the debate the host asked what I thought of the Gen Y demand that if a worker can get their 8 hour day of work completed in 6 hours (or less for that matter), they should be allowed to knock off for the rest of the day. I responded that if the worker can get their work done early that they have just created 2 more hours of value that they can give to their boss. The host responded that this was a very "old school attitude". Upon reflection I suppose that it is an old school attitude, but it's one that I truly believe in. If an employer chooses me to work for them, I want to return the favour by making sure that I put in the best day of work that I can. I don't have the fundamental belief that I am owed a job by society. I believe that I must earn that job daily.
It seems that one of the very fundamental concepts at stake in this question of whether Gen Y should adapt to the workplace or vice versa is whether the individual is owed employment by society. It really seems to me that if you fundamentally believe that you are owed a job, the idea that you owe the employer something back is lost. For example, Lauren and I discussed after the show whether the young entry-level employee morally owes the employer a certain amount of work to cover the costs of training that employee to a productive standard. My view is that the employee should stay long enough to help the employer recoup the costs of training, and ideally even help generate some profit. Lauren took the opposite view saying that if the job isn't making the employee happy; then they don't have any moral responsibility to the employer. Her logic is that the employer is not bound to be loyal to the employee, and therefore the individual should act in their own interest...it's just the cost of doing business. Frankly this position disturbs me. It is so mercenary as to be sociopathic (not that I am saying that Lauren is sociopathic, I think just misguided). It disregards the favour that the employer has done by choosing the individual for the job.
So, I will go on record as being "old school" in my belief that I am not owed a job by society. If an employer chooses to employ me I wish to return the favour by giving them a solid, and when possible, spectacular return on investment.
It seems that one of the very fundamental concepts at stake in this question of whether Gen Y should adapt to the workplace or vice versa is whether the individual is owed employment by society. It really seems to me that if you fundamentally believe that you are owed a job, the idea that you owe the employer something back is lost. For example, Lauren and I discussed after the show whether the young entry-level employee morally owes the employer a certain amount of work to cover the costs of training that employee to a productive standard. My view is that the employee should stay long enough to help the employer recoup the costs of training, and ideally even help generate some profit. Lauren took the opposite view saying that if the job isn't making the employee happy; then they don't have any moral responsibility to the employer. Her logic is that the employer is not bound to be loyal to the employee, and therefore the individual should act in their own interest...it's just the cost of doing business. Frankly this position disturbs me. It is so mercenary as to be sociopathic (not that I am saying that Lauren is sociopathic, I think just misguided). It disregards the favour that the employer has done by choosing the individual for the job.
So, I will go on record as being "old school" in my belief that I am not owed a job by society. If an employer chooses to employ me I wish to return the favour by giving them a solid, and when possible, spectacular return on investment.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Turns out Civiside is Social Enterprise!
I had never heard the definition of Social Entrepreneurship until today and was pleasantly surprised to learn that Civiside is a textbook case of it.
Lauren mentioned the term in our conversation the other day, and I decided to give it a look this morning. The definition, according to J. Gregory Dees...
"in his paper "The Meaning of Social Entrepreneurship”, mentions that social entrepreneurs play the role of change agents, by:
-Adopting a mission to create and sustain social value (not just private value)
-Recognizing and relentlessly pursuing new opportunities to serve that mission,
-Engaging in a process of continuous innovation, adaptation, and learning,
-Acting boldly without being limited by resources currently in hand, and
-Exhibiting a heightened sense of accountability to the constituencies served and for the outcomes created".
I suppose the relative obscurity of the term combined with the counterintuitive nature of the concept, is what is apparently so revolting to some MBA/Business Prof. types that I have run into. They all seem to come to the conclusion that Civiside is not worth doing because it will not make alot of money. While I have known intuitively that I will do Civiside regardless of the monetary outcome, I have been hard pressed to explain why...until now. Having an established term makes it significantly easier to explain why I am doing what I am doing, despite the apparent lack of financial incentive.
With that said, I completely disagree with some of these naysayers. I do believe that Civiside will make money, and even be an attractive acquisition at some point. I may not have proven it yet, but I think that with some of the recent learning I have done, and connections I have made, the service is well on it's way to becoming viable and profitable.
Lauren mentioned the term in our conversation the other day, and I decided to give it a look this morning. The definition, according to J. Gregory Dees...
"in his paper "The Meaning of Social Entrepreneurship”, mentions that social entrepreneurs play the role of change agents, by:
-Adopting a mission to create and sustain social value (not just private value)
-Recognizing and relentlessly pursuing new opportunities to serve that mission,
-Engaging in a process of continuous innovation, adaptation, and learning,
-Acting boldly without being limited by resources currently in hand, and
-Exhibiting a heightened sense of accountability to the constituencies served and for the outcomes created".
I suppose the relative obscurity of the term combined with the counterintuitive nature of the concept, is what is apparently so revolting to some MBA/Business Prof. types that I have run into. They all seem to come to the conclusion that Civiside is not worth doing because it will not make alot of money. While I have known intuitively that I will do Civiside regardless of the monetary outcome, I have been hard pressed to explain why...until now. Having an established term makes it significantly easier to explain why I am doing what I am doing, despite the apparent lack of financial incentive.
With that said, I completely disagree with some of these naysayers. I do believe that Civiside will make money, and even be an attractive acquisition at some point. I may not have proven it yet, but I think that with some of the recent learning I have done, and connections I have made, the service is well on it's way to becoming viable and profitable.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Constancy of our Debate.
Next week Wed. (21 Jan: 5pm) Lauren from TalentEgg.ca and I have been invited to debate Gen Y in the workplace on CFRB 1010 in Toronto. They have asked us to send some background material on our companies, as well as the area we are debating. I suggested that we also send the initial article from Steve Maich in which we began this debate (completely unaware of one another at the time):
http://blog.macleans.ca/2008/11/24/is-this-the-future-dont-bet-on-it/
If you scroll down about a dozen comments you will first find my comment on the article, and then you will find Lauren's. It is remarkable how almost two months later we are now debating this on radio (and hopefully other media) across the nation. It is also remarkable that our positions have remained the same, though we certainly have come to agreement on a number of points on the periphery of the debate.
On a coincidental note, turns out the producer from the CFRB show is a guy that I went to university with. Certainly a welcome surprise.
http://blog.macleans.ca/2008/11/24/is-this-the-future-dont-bet-on-it/
If you scroll down about a dozen comments you will first find my comment on the article, and then you will find Lauren's. It is remarkable how almost two months later we are now debating this on radio (and hopefully other media) across the nation. It is also remarkable that our positions have remained the same, though we certainly have come to agreement on a number of points on the periphery of the debate.
On a coincidental note, turns out the producer from the CFRB show is a guy that I went to university with. Certainly a welcome surprise.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Interesting conversations
Lauren, from TalentEgg.ca, and I met yesterday and discussed everything under the entrepreneurial Sun. I think that we talked for about 1.5 hours, but it seemed like only minutes (well I guess it was technically 90 mins). What a pleasure it is to talk to someone who understands the challenges of being in a startup. We could have gone on for many hours more.
I also attended the Ruby on Rails Project Night last night. As amazing as this sounds, I actually found the technical presentations interesting. For sure they were way over my head, but watching the passion with which the presenters talked about different philosophies and techniques programmers can use with Ruby on Rails, really made it interesting.
Anyhow, the countdown to the HRPAO tradeshow is on. I am extremely excited about getting face-face with employers. There should be some significant awareness of civiside at this point, which I hope will convert to interest in posting jobs.
I also attended the Ruby on Rails Project Night last night. As amazing as this sounds, I actually found the technical presentations interesting. For sure they were way over my head, but watching the passion with which the presenters talked about different philosophies and techniques programmers can use with Ruby on Rails, really made it interesting.
Anyhow, the countdown to the HRPAO tradeshow is on. I am extremely excited about getting face-face with employers. There should be some significant awareness of civiside at this point, which I hope will convert to interest in posting jobs.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Service to Wounded Veterans
Today I had the most interesting conversation with an U.S. Navy (SEALs) Officer named Eric Greitens; that runs an organization called the Center for Citizen Leadership. They are a non-profit organization that helps wounded combat veterans transition back into civilian life through monetary fellowships that allow them to volunteer for three months at a charity of their choice. The veteran then uses that experience and time to find what it is that they truly want to do in the civilian world, whether that be to go back to, work for the charity, go back to school, or try something else. Ultimately it is a bridge between the military and the civilian life in a way that benefits all of society.
I have to first say, I felt very honoured to have 20 mins of this great man's time. He is not only a warrior, but also a scholar (PH.D in Politics from Oxford University). The ancient Greek historian Thucydides wrote more than 2500 years ago:
"The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools."
Eric ably demonstrates that the warrior scholar is not myth. He goes further to show that military service and community service are one in the same. His organization is something that is needed here in Canada (see summary of this Senate report on wounded veterans:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5g3-1Ri9KIhBg2vZWCMiEcxj8eMzg
I am going to do at least part of the work to bring it here by introducing the concept to some influential military people that I know.
I have to first say, I felt very honoured to have 20 mins of this great man's time. He is not only a warrior, but also a scholar (PH.D in Politics from Oxford University). The ancient Greek historian Thucydides wrote more than 2500 years ago:
"The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools."
Eric ably demonstrates that the warrior scholar is not myth. He goes further to show that military service and community service are one in the same. His organization is something that is needed here in Canada (see summary of this Senate report on wounded veterans:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5g3-1Ri9KIhBg2vZWCMiEcxj8eMzg
I am going to do at least part of the work to bring it here by introducing the concept to some influential military people that I know.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Another Media Hit
Today Lauren of TalentEgg.ca and I did our live debate head to head on CJOB in Winnipeg. Originally we scheduled for 15-20 mins, but the segment was such a hit that we were on for 45 mins. As soon as the host opened to callers; the phones rang off the hook. The host actually told us during a commercial break that we work really well together...which, I completely agree.
Anyhow, I had to feel bad for Lauren because the show had callers that were none too kind about the position that Lauren was defending. I tried to support her position abit by prefacing my comments saying that I wasn't generalizing that every Gen Y felt entitled and were unproductive...however that didn't stop some of the callers from outright calling Gen Y lazy. Anyhow, Lauren rolled with it and showed great composure, probably more than I would have, in handling these comments.
Anyhow, the debate is obviously a very hot one, and I suspect that we will be quite in demand on this topic. A very good day indeed.
Anyhow, I had to feel bad for Lauren because the show had callers that were none too kind about the position that Lauren was defending. I tried to support her position abit by prefacing my comments saying that I wasn't generalizing that every Gen Y felt entitled and were unproductive...however that didn't stop some of the callers from outright calling Gen Y lazy. Anyhow, Lauren rolled with it and showed great composure, probably more than I would have, in handling these comments.
Anyhow, the debate is obviously a very hot one, and I suspect that we will be quite in demand on this topic. A very good day indeed.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Media hit
Today we got our first hit for the press initiative that we are doing with TalentEgg. It was a strange one because it was conducted as two separate interviews. Kind of difficult to debate when you don't know what the other person is saying. Regardless, another new media experience under the belt.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
To Adapt or not Adapt, That is the Millennial Question
Fresh from our Globe and Mail feature, today Civiside.com is launching a joint press initiative with TalentEgg.ca: "To Adapt or Not Adapt, That is the Millennial Question"
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Civi-Side-Inc/Talentegg-Inc-934855.html
It's a bit off the beaten path, but is actually a topic that is of great importance to me, and one that I think I can offer some unique insight into. I wrote an earlier post essentially summarizing my position if anyone cares to read it:
http://civiside.blogspot.com/2008/12/army-of-one.html
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Civi-Side-Inc/Talentegg-Inc-934855.html
It's a bit off the beaten path, but is actually a topic that is of great importance to me, and one that I think I can offer some unique insight into. I wrote an earlier post essentially summarizing my position if anyone cares to read it:
http://civiside.blogspot.com/2008/12/army-of-one.html
Monday, January 5, 2009
Effect of Globe and Mail feature
It's been a very interesting day. I have received calls and emails that run the gamut from a business professor (not the one in the article) urging me not to continue pursuing civiside because it is not going to make money, to military people, active and retired, thanking me for taking the initiative to build something that benefits the troops. If you wonder what I will do...wait for it....I'm sticking it out (of course).
Though this is a business, it didn't start out that way. I conceived of civiside entirely as a means to help reduce the number of trained soldiers retiring due to working for employers that wouldn't give them time off for training. I had to make it into a business because I couldn't get the military to build the service itself.
My motivation to create civiside predates any concept of a business model or monetary reward, so the argument that it won't make money has no effect on me. I am building it for my colleagues, and the personal satisfaction of doing the improbable. If it doesn't make money, but solves the problem that I set out to fix, I have been successful. If I make some money off of it...icing on the cake.
Though this is a business, it didn't start out that way. I conceived of civiside entirely as a means to help reduce the number of trained soldiers retiring due to working for employers that wouldn't give them time off for training. I had to make it into a business because I couldn't get the military to build the service itself.
My motivation to create civiside predates any concept of a business model or monetary reward, so the argument that it won't make money has no effect on me. I am building it for my colleagues, and the personal satisfaction of doing the improbable. If it doesn't make money, but solves the problem that I set out to fix, I have been successful. If I make some money off of it...icing on the cake.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Globe and Mail article
Civiside was featured in the Business Incubator of today's Globe and Mail with advice from some business experts:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090105.INCUBATOR05/TPStory/Business
I would have been happier if the experts had taken the time to learn a little bit more about why the service was launched, their advice would probably have looked different. However, some of the criticism and advice is valid and I will act on it asap.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090105.INCUBATOR05/TPStory/Business
I would have been happier if the experts had taken the time to learn a little bit more about why the service was launched, their advice would probably have looked different. However, some of the criticism and advice is valid and I will act on it asap.
Civi-Side Co-Founder Resigns
It is with great disappointment that I announce that Jamie Smith, my co-founder, has decided to move on from Civiside. He has other opportunities that he would like to pursue. Good luck in your endeavours Jamie.
This is a good opportunity to reflect on the key qualities of an entrepreneur...tenacity and optimism. It is par for the course that crisis will hit at the worst possible time. This particular crisis is hitting when Civiside is about to be featured in the business section of the Globe and Mail, potentially creating awareness among hundreds of thousands of Canadians (circulation of over 300 000 daily). We are also launching a couple of other media initiatives over the next month, as well as doing a very important tradeshow at the end of the month. All in all, civiside is entering its most critical period and I am going to be doing it entirely alone.
Instead of treating this crisis as a lethal blow I am looking at it as a test of my tenacity and optimism. I can clearly see what needs to be done and am focusing my plans on making it happen. Civi-Side and I will come out of this just fine.
Addendum
I just found this video interview of Rebecca McDonald, CEO of Energy Income Savings Fund, a billion dollar Canadian business. What I liked about the interview is that she credits sticking with an idea despite the obstacles and working hard as the keys to success. Not too complex a formula really.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/video/vs?id=RTGAM.20080812.wvleaders_macdonald&sid=
This is a good opportunity to reflect on the key qualities of an entrepreneur...tenacity and optimism. It is par for the course that crisis will hit at the worst possible time. This particular crisis is hitting when Civiside is about to be featured in the business section of the Globe and Mail, potentially creating awareness among hundreds of thousands of Canadians (circulation of over 300 000 daily). We are also launching a couple of other media initiatives over the next month, as well as doing a very important tradeshow at the end of the month. All in all, civiside is entering its most critical period and I am going to be doing it entirely alone.
Instead of treating this crisis as a lethal blow I am looking at it as a test of my tenacity and optimism. I can clearly see what needs to be done and am focusing my plans on making it happen. Civi-Side and I will come out of this just fine.
Addendum
I just found this video interview of Rebecca McDonald, CEO of Energy Income Savings Fund, a billion dollar Canadian business. What I liked about the interview is that she credits sticking with an idea despite the obstacles and working hard as the keys to success. Not too complex a formula really.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/video/vs?id=RTGAM.20080812.wvleaders_macdonald&sid=
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