Skip to main content

10 Things You Didn't Know About Me


[ONE] I’m Left Handed

There aren’t that many of us, 10–12% of the global population.

It’s one of those things that people typically don’t notice and then when they do they are surprised.

What surprises me most of all is how often though that people I connect with are left handed. Maybe we gravitate to one another!

[TWO] I Used to Shy Away From Leadership

Leadership is a huge part of my life.

I have been leading teams in my professional life for the last 12+ years.

Considering the passion I have for it, this makes me laugh. I distinctly remember talking to an old boss one day where he was struggling with my attitude and sharing why it needed to change — because I was a leader.

I couldn’t deny it fast enough.

[THREE] I Love Learning

This sounds strange.

I think a lot of people feel that they like to learn new things.

Ask yourself however when was the last time you learned something just for the sake of knowing.

This is a big change for me. I was never a straight A student and my parents most certainly didn’t put that kind of pressure on me.

I have come to realize that one of the biggest gifts of a digitally connected world is our ability to learn about almost anything.

There is never enough time.

[FOUR] I Used to be Morbidly Obese

This is a tough one. Writing that sucked. The term morbidly makes it sound so extreme. I never felt it was so extreme. But when you can lose 80lbs and still not be rail thin, you can’t argue.

It’s a hard frame to have around yourself. It distorts your entire world. Mainly because you are in denial most of the time.

This change has been one of the ones that hit me the hardest through life. Your understanding of the world changes, of people changes.

Here’s one thing that no one admits to and no one tells you but that everyone who has gone through this transformation knows.

You are treated differently before and after. It sucks, I wish that weren’t true, but it is.

[FIVE] I Read Almost Exclusively Non-Fiction

Leadership, psychology, decision making, human behaviour, sales, marketing.

Anything that has a connection to people. We love to believe we are so smart and clever. We aren’t. It’s fun to dig in.

[SIX] I Have an Obsessive Personality

I get hyper focused on things. Sometimes in ways that is too deep.

I can be enthralled with something for a week, month or even years and then all of a sudden … gone. It just feels done and my focus shifts to something else.

Some notables over the years:

  • Home Improvements
  • Computers / Tech
  • Gaming Console Repairs
  • Clothes & Fashion
  • Backpacks — this is (or maybe now was) my latest crazy dive


[SEVEN] I’m Fluently Bilingual

I always get weird stares when people see my last name yet I can speak

French perfectly.

It’s really not that uncommon in Canada for people to be bilingual so I am always surprised by this.

[EIGHT] Success Has Come From My Trauma

I’ve come to realize I had WAY more baggage than I ever knew from when I was younger.

The defenses I used to protect myself helped me build my career w/o knowing it.

They allowed by to have a lot of drive, to push myself to “be better” all the time. It supported by learning and the person I am today.

That being said, not all for the most altruistic reasons. That was hard to realize and accept and only happened over the last few years.

[NINE] I Was Voted Biggest Class Clown

I love this more than I should. It’s one of those things people don’t expect. Some senior level person in their organization that used to frustrate teachers by disrupting the class (all the time!)

I wear that graduating class award well.

It always makes me think of Al Bundy from the show Married with Children — Polk High Football rules!

Yes, I am sure I have further dated myself with that one.

[TEN] I Still Don’t Know What I Want to be When I Grow Up

Some people were locked onto their career or their path in life early. That’s amazing and I hope they are living their dream.

I have never been that fortunate. I that there is too much I am want to experience.

I started in computer science, went to law, now I work in supply chain.

Interests > Passion for me. The world has so much to offer and experience.

Writing speaks to a deep interest I would have to be able to travel the world while working on my own terms. Will it ever happen? Who knows. Have to start though. And you never achieve anything by quitting.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Avoid the 'Quick Fix' Lure of Technology That's Stifling Your Creativity

  We live in a world that is obsessed with solving problems with a system or technology. How many times have you hear someone [basically] say "let's get an app for that"? Crazy. I'm all for shiny new things. I love my toys as much as you do.  Rarely however does that new systems, application or software suite fix any of the underlying issues. When was the last time you started using something new, either in your personal or professional life, and it immediately fixed your problem and you changed nothing about what you are doing. Often, what ends up happening, is that as businesses look to implement some new tech, they also end up having to change HOW they are doing things. The changes that are made to core processes is what drives the success. Using your phone to track your steps, your sleep, your workout or to even help you write. Pause for a second, think about any of those situations.  Tracking your steps and setting daily goals means that you are actually walking ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Delicate Dichotomy of “The Right Choice”

  The Best Decision Isn’t Always as Obvious as It Seems Your success at work is correlated to the quality of your relationships. Easy right? It’s common sense. You might even be wondering who doesn’t already know this. The challenge isn’t about attitude though. You’re right, nobody likes the as%ho^e — Don’t be that person. The challenge comes when you have to choose between being right or making the right choice. The Problem My team and I had been working on a large project that had been pushed back multiple times over the years. The market finally got to a point where the problem in the field had to be addressed. We dusted off our files and started looking at the information we had built 3 years prior. We made our plans for what needed to be refreshed and how we would go about it. We cut through the project quickly. The team had matured a lot in that time and those roadblocks from the past were mere pebbles on the road this time around. Cue the problem. The fundamental assumptions...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Irony Of A World That Needs Big Leaps

While Promoting Nothing but Fear  The dream of previous generations was to find a good job, settle in, work hard, get promoted and retire. People were happy to be in one place, and for many of them, one place provided them everything they needed. The world has change. Business has changed. People have changed. I recently read the book Jump by Kim Perell. It's not exactly a business book, definitely geared towards taking big leaps - more framed for life in general. The core ideas are great. Nothing dramatically different than a lot of what you will find in other books in the self-help genre, however the presentation is on point and well structured. Kim sets up the three main buckets for why people need to take big leaps (or jumps) in their life. You have no choice (i.e. something has happened to you) You see an opportunity You're feeling stuck The book did connect for me on a personal level, however I found a lot of parallels for my professional life as well. I've spent the ...
Post a Comment
Read more