"Vistara airline makes chivalry part of service"

Jul. 29, 2017 "Vistara airline makes chivalry part of service": Today I found this article by Justin Bachman in the Edmonton Journal:

In a country where women travellers face myriad dangers, one Indian airline has an idea: Chivalry, and no middle seats.

With its Woman Flyer service, Vistara has begun offering to help women flying solo with their bags, escort them to and from their ground transportation, and give them preferred window and aisle seats on their flights — no middles. The New Delhibased airline says between 75 and 100 women use the complimentary service each day. It is believed to be the first airline to offer such a service.

Sanjiv Kapoor, Vistara’s chief strategy and commercial officer, said the airline began offering it after noticing women seeking help after their planes had landed. “Our staff is equipped to help women travelling alone with the booking of airport-authorized taxis, as well as escort them to the airport taxi stand upon their request,” Kapoor said via email. “This service is a sincere effort to ensure peace of mind of our women customers.”

India is forecast to become the world’s sixth- largest business travel market by 2019, according to the Global Business Travel Association, but it’s gained a reputation for being unsafe for women — particularly since the brutal 2012 gang rape, torture, and murder of a medical student attacked on a public bus in New Delhi.

In its notices to Americans about travelling to India, the U.S. State Department is blunt on the danger of sexual assault: “U.S. citizens, particularly women, are cautioned not to travel alone in India.”

Australia and the United Kingdom offer similar, slightly more circumscribed warnings for women to avoid travelling alone on Indian public transit. In sexual assault cases in India, “successful prosecutions are rare,” Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advises. Street harassment, controversially known as “Eve teasing,” is common.

The problems for India’s tourism flow directly from cultural issues around gender inequality in Indian society, said Marta Turnbull, editor of the International Women’s Travel Center, a resource site that compiles a list of the 10 most dangerous countries for women travellers using a variety of government travel warnings, United Nations data, and other sources. India is fifth on that list, which also includes Brazil, Mexico, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

“We did find there is a correlation between what happens to local women and women travellers,” said Turnbull, who lives in Boulder, Colo. “There are a lot of activists who are taking it on as an issue. We’re optimistic that things will get better, but it will take a while — a long time.”

Vistara hopes to extend its new service for women to international flights once it expands outside of India. In May, the airline, which flies an all-Airbus A320 domestic fleet, was seeking to recruit pilots trained on Boeing Co. aircraft — a signal it is considering leasing or buying Boeing jets for longer-haul routes outside the country.

Two rival airlines, IndiGo and Jet Airways India Ltd., did not reply to messages seeking comment about Vistara’s new service for women, which began in March.

My opinion: This is some good news about women's safety.

https://www.pressreader.com/canada/calgary-herald/20170729/281994672564794

Aug. 5, 2017 "While women reach the C-suite, it is still men waiting in the wings": Today I found this article by Jeff Green and Jordyn Holman in the Globe and Mail:

When Mondelez International Inc. said Wednesday that chief executive officer Irene Rosenfeld was retiring, it was no surprise that the food company also announced that she would be succeeded by a man.

Since 2009, 19 female CEOs of S&P 500 companies have stepped down. In only three of those cases was the executive replaced by another woman, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Ms. Rosenfeld, 64, will retire in November and be succeeded by Dirk Van de Put, who currently leads McCain Foods Ltd.

“It underscores just how truly exceptional it is for a woman CEO to be succeeded by another woman,” said Brande Stellings, senior vice-president of advisory services at Catalyst, which tracks diversity in companies. “Since we had the first woman CEO in the Fortune 500 in 1972, there’s only been 62 women CEOs in total, which is pretty staggering.”

Investors are putting pressure on company boards to improve lacklustre diversity records, particularly this year, when State Street Corp. and BlackRock Inc. voted against hundreds of directors at companies seen as lagging on gender parity and other measures of diversity.

McKinsey & Co. and other consultants are providing a growing body of research that indicates companies that shift away from a monolithic white-male leadership outperform those that haven’t changed their complexion. Still, most measures of diversity have been largely unchanged for a decade.

The direction a company takes on diversity comes from its board room, where white men have dominated since the last century. When choosing a new CEO, board members tend to rely more often on people they know than on executives selected by recruiters who screen candidates from a wider field, said Trina Gordon, CEO of executive-search firm Boyden.

About 80 per cent of directors on S&P 500-listed companies are men.

“Boards are still not very diverse, and if you don’t have diversity at the governance level, there’s not a lot of changes that are going to happen,” Ms. Gordon said.

Women, who make up about half of the U.S. work force, aren’t forecast to gain parity in the board room until 2032, according to a June estimate from executive recruiter Heidrick & Struggles.

Debra Crew’s promotion to succeed Susan Cameron as CEO at Reynolds American Inc. earlier this year was the first female-tofemale handover in the S&P 500 in five years, according to data from recruiter Spencer Stuart.

https://www.pressreader.com/canada/the-globe-and-mail-bc-edition/20170805/282037622251613

"Make your workplace fertility friendly"/ scholarships for women

Oct. 9, 2017 "Want to hire more women?  Make your workplace fertility friendly": Today I found this article by Caitlin Dunne in the Globe and Mail:

M.D., Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada, fertility specialist at the Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM) in Vancouver and clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia

My patient, Laura, didn’t expect to be single at 36. She has spent many years honing her skills and now holds a responsible position with an international accounting firm. But her longterm boyfriend moved out last year after ending their relationship. She spends her weekends going on Bumble dates and attending friends’ baby showers or toddler birthday parties. Laura tells me that she is considering a secondment in Berlin to advance her career. She also wants to have a family some day.

As a fertility doctor, I am seeing more and more women like Laura. They come to the clinic to understand their options for having a family immediately or at some point in the future.

These women understand that their fertility is limited. Women are born with all of the eggs they will ever have, and these decrease throughout life. Above age 35, egg quality declines more rapidly and by age 44 the chances of pregnancy, even with in vitro fertilization, are less than 2 per cent.

Laura feels like she has to choose between focusing on her personal life or promising career.

Flextime, salary top-up, paternity leave, sick days for children – these are all family-friendly concessions in the workplace. They have traditionally benefited women who already have a baby. But what about women who are trying to have a baby? Or women who might want a baby in the future? These highly skilled women make up a substantial portion of the work force.

But many employers have not realized the potential to tailor employee benefits to this sought-after demographic. Companies are under increasing pressure to diversify their talent. “Hire women or explain why you refuse to do so” is a recent rubric. The Minerva Foundation grades CEOs with a “Face of Leadership Scorecard” based on their representation of female executives. GE launched a campaign to “Balance the Equation” by hiring 50 per cent women for their entry-level technical positions by 2020.

Hiremorewomenintech.com suggests ways that employers can reconstitute job descriptions to include and appeal to women. For example, one could say “community of engineers” rather than “dominant engineering firm.”

Competing for the best and the brightest women has become a focal point in human resources. For example, in 2012 the American Society for Reproductive Medicine removed the “experimental” label from egg freezing. Shortly after, Facebook and Apple started offering female employees up to $20,000 toward egg freezing. Google and the American military also provide this option. When the news of this benefit broke, critics protested.

The critics claimed that egg freezing was a corporate tactic to keep women working longer by pressuring them to defer pregnancy. Some contended that companies should instead focus on changing society’s structure to encourage women to have babies in their biological prime.

There is one big problem with this argument – research does not support it. Studies of women who freeze their eggs consistently show that the No. 1 reason that a woman delays child-bearing is lack of a partner, not her career. Telling a woman to “just have children in your biological prime” is not helpful. It is simply not an option for many.

And while it’s true that women in Canada are choosing to have children later in life, there are many contributing factors. A common example from my practice is a single woman who spent her time getting postgraduate education, travelling or pursuing her career, all of which kept her busy – too busy to meet that special someone.

Sure, she could use a sperm donor and get pregnant at 28 like the critics suggest, but many women I encounter are holding on to their visions of having it all. Others are already in a committed relationship but they are not ready to start a family. They want to get a good education, work hard, have a career, travel and plan for kids later. Who are we to judge their priorities?

https://www.pressreader.com/canada/the-globe-and-mail-alberta-edition/20171009/281874413621841

Oct. 28, 2017 "Scholarships give female business students a boost": Today I found this article by Jennifer Lewington in the Globe and Mail:

Business schools, in Canada and globally, have made impressive gains in recruiting women to their historically male-dominated programs.

A new report by the U.S.-based Graduate Management Admission Council shows that women account for 42 per cent of global applications to master of business administration and other specialty programs this year, up from 37 per cent in 2013. Among just the MBA applicants, 49 per cent are women compared to 42 per cent.

Still, challenges remain to recruit a new generation of female business leaders, say school officials.

Meanwhile, philanthropists have responded with new pledges to remove financial and other hurdles.

At the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont., for example, a $5-million gift from a top Canadian manufacturing company and its family founders targets female undergraduate students who choose a combined program in business and engineering. As a term endowment, the donation is expected to last 15 or more years.

Starting in September of 2018, up to 10 top female students pursuing a dual degree in honours business administration (through Ivey Business School at Western) and a bachelor of engineering science (through Western's engineering faculty) will be eligible for tuition relief, internships and employment because of the donation by auto parts maker Linamar Corp., chief executive officer Linda Hasenfratz, her husband Ed Newton, and her father and company founder Frank Hasenfratz.

"We are making fantastic progress in each of those disciplines [business and engineering] but less so with the combined program," says Ms. Hasenfratz, an Ivey MBA graduate. "I thought this was a great opportunity to encourage more women to enrol in the dual degree program."

In the most recent graduating class last June, the HBA/engineering dual degree program had 11 women and 39 male students. Ms. Hasenfratz's two older daughters are members of the current cohort.

The dual program, which leads to careers in a wide range of industries, takes five years to complete: Students spend their first two years in engineering, their third year in business and wrap up their final two years with a blend of business and engineering courses.

The combined disciplines are "absolutely critical" for tomorrow's advanced-manufacturing economy, says Ms. Hasenfratz, whose $6-billion company began in the basement of her immigrant father's home in 1966.

"We definitely need more and more skilled people," she says. "If we can arm them from the start with great leadership skills and business skills, then they are a natural for leadership in our business."

Under the terms of the donation, eligible female students will receive funds for half of their annual tuition, a paid co-op placement at Linamar and, upon graduation, an offer of full-time employment with the manufacturing giant in Guelph, Ont.

"If we can attract more people to engineering, and more importantly to engineering and business combined, it strengthens our entire manufacturing sector and economy here in Ontario," she says. Given the duration of the donation, she says, "a significant number of women are going to be enrolled in these programs."

Like Ivey, other schools are receiving help from alumni to boost female participation. The Smith School of Business at Queen's University in Kingston this year announced that MBA graduate Monika Federau, senior vice-president and chief strategy officer at Intact Financial Corp., has established a merit-based scholarship of up $5,000 for female students who enter the full-time MBA without a subsidy from their employers.

Smith offers a variety of MBA scholarships, some equally allotted for women and men. As well, for the past 10 years, Smith has been affiliated with the U.S.-based Forté Foundation that offers mentorship, scholarships and other support to women contemplating an MBA. As a Forté member, Smith provides $40,000 Forté Foundation Fellowships for up to four women in the MBA program.

Despite their growing presence in business studies, women still face unique challenges because the pursuit of an MBA often begins in their late 20s and early 30s as they also consider starting a family.

"Women are still going to want to do it all – family and career, and I don't see that changing any time soon," says Teresa Pires, associate director of recruitment and admissions for Smith's full-time MBA. As a result, she says, women need mentoring, financial and other support as they decide when to go back to school and if so, on a full or part-time basis.

"Age and stage is still an important factor for women," she says. "Even though they are having families later in life they are still considering that when they make the decision to pursue further education."

They (almost) did it again

After a first-place finish last year, Canada's team took second prize at the Enactus World Cup social entrepreneurship competition in London late last month.

The Canadian team of business, engineering and arts students from Memorial University in St. John's were honoured again for their social enterprise project for consumers in remote communities to grow fruits and vegetables year-round.

In 2015, working with botanists and engineers, the Memorial students developed Project Sucseed, a low-cost hydroponic system, assembled by at-risk youth, for consumers to grow produce in a medium-sized container (49 by 72 by 39 centimetres). So far, the project has sold more than 500 systems, generating $200,000 in revenue and 14 jobs, according to organizers.

Despite placing second behind India in the global competition, the Memorial students' project received top billing in the category of socially responsible waste reduction.

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/business-education/business-education-women/article36567396/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&

Summer 2016 TV shows

Jul. 18, 2017 Summer 2016 TV shows:

Wayward Pines: I watched this show when it first came out in summer 2015:

A Secret Service agent goes to Wayward Pines, Idaho, in search of two federal agents who have gone missing in the bucolic town. He soon learns that he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.

The pilot was interesting.  You will want to watch it to get your answers.  Here's my review:

http://badcb.blogspot.ca/2015/06/wayward-pines-pilot-review.html

Then I watched the 2nd season.

It's still unsure if there is a season 3.

https://www.opptrends.com/wayward-pines-season-3-release-date-latest-news/

However is my review of season 2 premiere:  It was quite a turn. 

Pros:

1. The characters: 

They have a new lead character Dr. Theo Yedlin (Jason Patric) and a bunch of new characters too.

They also have the new leader Jason Higgins (Tom Stevens) who runs the town now.  He's good looking in the handsome way.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3335453/?ref_=tt_cl_t5

2. There are psychological effects on the characters when they are living in this small town.

3. There is good ethnic diversity of the cast.

4. There is lots of conflict, drama, and tension with the survival of this town.  The characters can kill each other or what's outside is going to kill them.

5. There are flashbacks of how this town was created.

Cons: 

None.

My opinion: You guys should all watch the pilot.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2618986/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Jul. 23, 2017 Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders: Criminal Minds came out in 2005.

Does anyone remember in Feb. 2011 when there was a back- door pilot as a Criminal Minds ep and it introduced the TV show Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior?

On the streets of San Francisco a team of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Behavioral Analysis Unit use profiling to catch some of the most horrific serial killers and unidentifiable subjects.

It had big names like Forest Whitaker and Janeane Garofalo.  I saw the pilot and a couple of episodes.  It was good and all, but I didn't watch it more than 3 episodes.  It got cancelled after 1 season.

It seems to have a high chance of success with:

1. A spin-off from a successful show.
2. A mid-season premiere.
3. Big name actors.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1703874/?ref_=nv_sr_3

In Mar. 2016, they did it again with a back-door pilot.

An international unit of the FBI charged with coming to the aid of, and solving crimes involving, American citizens in foreign countries. A spin-off from Criminal Minds.

Here's my review of the pilot:

Pros:

1. It has big names like Gary Sinise (CSI: NY) and Alana De La Garza (from Do No Harm and Forever TV shows).

Tyler James Williams (Chris from Everybody Hates Chris.)

2. The first ep was set in Thailand and beautiful shots of water and mountains.

3. Interesting story of young women who are volunteering at a farm in Thailand and are kidnapped.

4. Thai proverb: "What's done in the dark, soon comes to light."

Clara: Life is too long to be alone.

I'm going to put that in my inspirational quotes.

5. Spoiler alert: It turns out the killer was hunting animals to sacrifice for his family.  He starts to kill humans to give to his family.

Clara: Your family doesn't need your sacrifices.  They want you to stop killing.

Cons: None.  I then went on imdb.com and there are so many comments of people criticizing how bad the show is.

My opinion: I watched the pilot and then I never watched it again.  It got 2 seasons.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4364202/

http://deadline.com/2017/05/criminal-minds-beyond-borders-canceled-cbs-a2-seasons-1202093513/

Oct. 19, 2017 Containment: This show came out in Apr. 2016.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4421578/

Pros: 

1. Chris Wood- he played the bad guy Kai on The Vampire Diaries.  I watched Containment for him.  If he wasn't in Containment, I would still watch it, but I wouldn't like it as much.

2. It was a strong beginning.  It was Day 13 and there are soldiers coming out.  There is chaos and mob running around.

3. It was a good story idea of who was infected and how to prevent the infection from spreading.

4. Good dialogue:

Jake: You two have a thing we all want.
Jana: I know.
Jake: Then do a better job of showing it.

5. Good drama, conflict and tension.  A Syrian kid had the virus so it could be bio terrorism.  It's dangerous.  There is the hospital drama with the doctors trying to solve it.

There is the police drama with the police trying to keep the city calm and safe.

There isn't a lot of cops in the quarantine and hard to remain order.

6. I really like the Jake and Katie romance.

7. The characters are all likeable.

Cons: None.

My opinion: I would recommend you all watch the pilot and then you can decide if you want to watch more.

The Family: This show came out in Mar. 2016.

A community is rattled when a politician's son, who was presumed murdered years ago, returns home.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4428038/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

Pros:

1. The story idea is very strong and interesting.

2. There is a good mystery of who kidnapped Adam and why.  Also how to find the kidnapper.

The whole mystery of is that really Adam?  In the pilot they said they did a DNA test and it confirms it.

Danny the brother doesn't think he is.

Then they show Adam watching an old video of himself on his birthday. 

3. There is good drama, conflict and tension in the writing.  The family having to adjust to Adam.  There is tension between the family and the neighbor Hank who they thought was the murderer. 

4. There is good acting in the whole cast.  Liam James who plays the grown Adam is the stand out.

5. Good dialogue.

John has a book called "Learning to live with Loss."

John: Confront your grief and fear of it, and it will take away it's power.

The cop Nina talks to Hank: 

Nina: Just because someone does something bad, doesn't make them a bad person.

The big brother Danny asks Adam:

Danny: Why didn't you run?  How come you didn't run the 1st chance you got?

Adam: I did.  I ran the 1st chance I got.

Danny: When was that?

Adam: Yesterday.

Danny: I'm sorry. 

6. The part where Adam is reunited with his mom was very well- acted and written scene.

7. Hank was in jail for Adam's murder.  He is released from prison and got $30,000 a yr for each year incarcerated.  He got $300,000.

John: I'm sorry what happened to you.

Hank: You happened to me.

8. This is a very unique situation of a kid coming back after being presumed dead.

9. There is a little comedy in it.  Nina finds a cabin and busts in:

Teen boy and girl are smoking pot and saying: I thought it was legal now!

Cons: None.

My opinion: This is a really good show.  You should check out the pilot.  It's dark and intense. 

My week:

Oct. 23, 2017 Coffee place: Today I got a call for an interview at the coffee place.  However, the boss said he needed someone to start work at 6am.  I went on Google Map and there isn't a bus that comes at 5:30am.

I would have to walk 15 min. to a bus stop to catch the bus to downtown.  I told him I can work at like 8am.  I told him he can have my resume on file for other shifts.

"Fund helps non-verbal child 'unlock' what he's thinking": Today I found this article by Liane Faulder in the Edmonton Journal.  I can't find it on the internet.  It's about the Children's Ability Fund to give iPads to kids with disabilities.  The iPad helps them to communicate.

I have never heard of this charity before:

https://www.childrensabilityfund.ca/

Jason Aldean donates song funds:

NEW YORK — Jason Aldean's moving rendition of "I Won't Back Down" on "Saturday Night Live" will soon be raising money to help victims of the Las Vegas shooting.

The song was made available on Friday on various sites. Aldean's representative says all proceeds will be donated to the Direct Impact Fund dedicated to victims of the tragedy.

Aldean was performing at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on Oct. 2 when a gunman fired on the crowd a hotel room, killing 58 people. Hundreds more were injured.

The country star made his first public performance on "SNL" five days later and sang the Tom Petty song. It was in part a tribute to the late rocker, who died that week, but also a show of resiliency in the face of tragedy.

http://www.timescolonist.com/jason-aldean-releases-i-won-t-back-down-for-charity-1.23070492

Aug. 12, 2017 Rapper gives puppy to girl: I found this in the Edmonton Journal today:

ATLANTA, Georgia --

Atlanta rapper Big Boi has given a puppy to a little girl who was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot while playing in a bounce house near the city earlier this year.

WSB-TV reports Big Boi, who's one-half of the rap duo OutKast, presented Abriya Ellison on Thursday with the pup bred from his kennel business.

Video shows Abriya cradling the dog, which she named King.

Big Boi, whose real name is Antwan Patton, tells the station that the dog is "something therapeutic" for Abriya. He says the girl is "definitely inspiring" and her story touched his heart. Patton also has agreed to pay off Abriya's medical bills and renovate her bathroom to make it handicap accessible.

Abriya was 5 when she was shot outside Atlanta in April.

http://abc7ny.com/pets-animals/outkasts-big-boi-gives-puppy-to-girl-paralyzed-in-shooting/2297403/

Aug. 15, 2017 George Clooney aids refugee crisis: I found this in the Edmonton Journal:

George and Amal Clooney have committed to help 3,000 Syrian refugee children go to school in Lebanon, Reuters reported on Monday.

The new parents to twins Ella and Alexander aim to come to the aid of 200,000 children who are not receiving an education after fleeing the war in neighboring Syria.

The Clooney Foundation for Justice has teamed up with Google and HP Inc. to help UNICEF and the Lebanese Ministry of Education open seven "second shift" schools, which includes special afternoon classes exclusively for the relocated Syrian children. Lebanon currently has over 1 million Syrian refugees, with around half of them children.

https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2017/08/01/george-amal-clooney-donate-to-syrian-children/23059653/

Bruno Mars donates $1 m to flint: I found this in the Edmonton Journal:

Bruno Mars revealed during his Saturday concert in Auburn Hills, Michigan that he had donated $1 million to aid victims of the water crisis in nearby Flint.

Mars and Live Nation, the promoter of the singer's 24K Magic World Tour, announced that revenues from the Detroit-area show had been redirected to the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.

"I'm very thankful to the Michigan audience for joining me in supporting this cause," Mars said in a statement. "Ongoing challenges remain years later for Flint residents, and it's important that we don't forget our brothers and sisters affected by this disaster. As people, especially as Americans, we need to stand together to make sure something like this never happens in any community ever again."

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bruno-mars-donates-1-million-to-flint-water-crisis-aid-w497453


Oct. 25, 2017 David Schwimmer good behavior:

Nell Minow, a member of a richly accomplished family, recounts to me her interviewing actor-producer David Schwimmer, best associated with NBC's iconic "Friends," at the Phoenix Hotel in Washington, D.C. in 2011. Minow is a prominent corporate governance expert who for years has also authored "Movie Mom,"  a terrific look at movie, culture and values for parents. Wondering about whether you should take your kid to a certain flick? Check out "Movie Mom."

She was set to interview him about a movie he'd directed, "Trust," the tale of a young girl preyed upon by an online abuser (a real-life story that involved someone Schwimmer knew). They were scheduled to chat in the first-floor restaurant but that proved crowded and noisy. They tried to start but it wasn't working. It prompted Schwimmer to hesitantly broach the notion of going up to his room.

Heck, Minow was twice his age, so she didn't feel the slightest anxiety. But Schwimmer quickly added that if she wanted, he could make sure there was a third person in the room. Perhaps somewhere in the mix, she thinks, the very subject matter of his film prompted anxiety about what she, or others, might think if they went alone, which they did.

"I haven’t thought of that since it happened but the Weinstein stories made me not just remember it but remember it in an entirely different context as an indicator of the prevalence of predatory behavior and as an indicator of Schwimmer’s integrity and sensitivity," Minow said. "This wasn’t just about his being a good guy who would not have tried anything. He understood what it is like to have to be constantly on the alert and he wanted to make sure I understood I was safe." So they did do the interview in his room.

Work on my resumes: Yesterday I did a job interview for a restaurant.  I then notice that the resume needed be changed.  I looked at my other restaurant templates resumes and they had to be edited.

There were server and hostesses resumes that didn't have Pro Serve on it.

Oct. 26, 2017:

Mon. Oct. 23, 2017 Call centre job interview:

Pros:

1. It was easy to get to.  2 buses that come by frequently.

2. The hours were good.  Mon.- Fri.  1pm-9pm.

3. The pay was good.

4. I can do the job where I call people to set up appointments.  If the sales person makes a sale there, then I would get a $25 bonus for making the appointment.

Cons:

1. The shift ends at 9pm.

My opinion: I would definitely work there.  I showed my interest in the job.  I told the interviewer that I can start 2 days from now.  I told him of my previous call centre experience.  I called him to ask if I got hired (he said I can call the next day) and he said I didn't get hired.

Interviewer: You can do the job, but you need more practice.

I was disappointed.  I have to write about it so I can get over it and move on.  Also I hope the people who get hired will quit soon after and then I can get hired.

Tues. Oct. 24, 2017 Server job interview: The place hasn't opened yet.  Interestingly enough, I was passing my resume to another restaurant by there, and the woman there says a restaurant will be opening across from them soon.

Pros:

1. It was in downtown.

2. The food is for a sports bar.

Cons:

1. It was evenings and weekends.

My opinion: I'm probably not going to get hired and I won't work there because it's evenings and weekends.

Oct. 30, 2017 The highlight of the week: I did 3 job interviews in 3 days.

If I had to say something fun I did:

I watched the Blindspot season 3 premiere.  That was exciting.

"Innovation takes more than quick-fix ideas"

Jul. 29, 2017 "Innovation takes more than quick-fix ideas": Today I found this article by Dave Wilkin in the Globe and Mail:

Applying two simple acid tests to your organization can ready your cultural ecosystem for the next generation of critical thinking DAVE WILKIN Social entrepeneur and founder of Toronto-based Ten Thousand Coffees

If organizations are not tapping into the next generation of ideas and talent, they won’t exist in 10 to 15 years.

Unfortunately, buying Ping Pong tables, hosting quarterly hackathons, installing whiteboards and throwing away your old dress code isn’t the quick-fix solution. Leaders see these tactics and convince themselves they are ready for innovation when, in fact, the critical ingredients of innovation are missing.

Executives often have the de facto ingredients for innovation but are missing the critical cultural-ecosystem readiness and mindset to change. These two tests will help any manager or executive evaluate whether their culture is primed and ready for the next generation.

Problem vs. solution

The test: Survey your employees and ask them to articulate the single most important problem your organization is solving in 140 characters or less.

Are employees defining a solution or a problem?

Believe it or not, in 2000, Reed Hastings, founder of Netflix, flew to meet the chief executive of Blockbuster to propose a partnership and got laughed out of the room. Now, Netflix is worth more than 10 times more than Blockbuster in its peak years. Nice work, Reed.

Blockbuster was obsessed with its solution and not the core problem. It was never about video rentals at a local store; it was about making it easy for consumers to access entertainment.

When employees understand the problem, it provides them with the ability to think about the 10-times solution, which may be completely different than what the business is doing today.

It creates permission to develop ideas and products that may be competitive with their current business and share these ideas openly with their colleagues, managers and executives.

When you’re obsessed with your solution and not the problem, thinking differently and dreaming big is limited by the parameters of your current hero product, which is unlikely to be around in 10 years anyway.

Organic collisions

The test: How many collisions have your employees had in the past two weeks? Ask employees who they have had lunch or coffee with. If it’s with someone they functionally work with, or are already friends with: not a collision.

If it’s a new colleague that recently got hired, someone they want to learn from, or a colleague from a different function: it’s a collision.

In 2000, Pixar purposefully designed its office to have different people physically colliding.

Ed Catmull, president of Pixar, worked with Steve Jobs and shared specifically why they did this: “The philosophy behind this design is that it’s good to put the most important function at the heart of the building. Well, what’s our most important function? It’s the interaction of our employees.”

We call these experiences “collisions.” They are created when two people, from different backgrounds or skill areas, come together to share an idea, build a relationships and mutually learn.

Serendipity is not enough – organizations need to help every employee build diverse relationships, think differently, ask questions and continuously learn from colleagues outside of their day-to-day.

A collision strategy will help every employee connect with new colleagues pro-actively; it’s the single most important driver of innovation and creativity. Ready to take action? Next steps you can immediately apply

1. Survey employees and ask them to define your biggest problem in 140 characters or less. Turn this content into a leadership opportunity to articulate your priorities and focus areas.

2. Create an organized program where every employee meets someone new, for a collision, every two weeks.

Collisions are critical and, despite an open concept office, people do not do this on their own. We like to use coffee, as it keeps it organic, authentic, yet effective.

https://www.pressreader.com/canada/the-globe-and-mail-bc-edition/20170729/282033327270310

Jul. 31, 2017 "Want your company to be more innovative? Hire co-op students": Today I found this article by Steven Murphy in the Globe and Mail:

Steven Murphy is dean of the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University in Toronto.

Here’s a reality many business leaders confront at some point: corporate cultures can eat innovation strategies for breakfast.

The inertia and siloing that can settle into any workplace can be antithetical to the boldness and flexibility required to drive innovation. So, what realistically can be accomplished?

Large organizations typically try to be more innovative by setting up initiatives outside the “mothership,” with mixed results. (Many large teaching hospitals, for example, have adopted this approach).

By spurring innovation outside the organization, companies might be able to create incremental change and innovation, but they could have difficulty leveraging these wins in the larger company culture.

General Mills, Nestle and Pepsi recently went through experiments with outside incubators, with mixed results. Despite the uncertain evidence, we’re at a tipping point where if you’re not linked to an incubator, your business is seen as falling behind.

Here’s another way to catalyze innovation in your business: bring in innovative students.

Tech-savvy, resourceful, purpose-driven and unburdened by the baggage of corporate culture, students can inject the exact kind of adrenalin a company needs to spur innovation from within. But such initiatives need to be carefully managed or else they risk being “one-off” PR exercises.

CIBC Mellon recently collaborated with Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management with this very idea in mind. Five Ryerson students were partnered with five CIBC Mellon employees for four months in an incubator space, the Business Innovation Hub, set up within the financial services firm.

The hub was given a mandate to identify and find solutions for business opportunities and challenges the company was facing.

The students came from a range of academic backgrounds – business technology management, accounting and finance, entrepreneurship and strategy. One of the students, Brendan Corney, even came from an environmental biology background and Anisan Luxmekanthan came from chemical engineering.

The CIBC Mellon partners were just as diverse: senior fund accountants, client relations, a business development proposal writer, a technical support specialist in record-keeping.

A plan as novel as this required some rules of engagement:

• True partnership: The Ryerson students and CIBC Mellon employees were treated as equals. If we expected students to have ownership of the tasks at hand, then we had to give them the same trust and credibility that we did for the company’s employees. This required and received senior management buy-in.
• Freedom to fail: Innovation flourishes when employees have the freedom to experiment and fail. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella demonstrated that spirit in an e-mail he sent employees following the failure of a project they were working on: “[The] key is to keep learning and improving.” All 10 members of the hub had the freedom to fail safe, and fail fast.
• No boundaries: No idea is a bad idea; no question is a stupid question. All hub members had access to all business units and the leadership team at CIBC Mellon. They could reach out to anybody within the company to ask questions, request data or set up a meeting. Nothing was off limits.

What were the results? When the Ryerson team’s fresh approach combined with the seasoned insights of the CIBC Mellon team, they came up with some big ideas:

• Ideas to standardize fee-billing processes to enhance consistency, efficiency and revenue;
• Opportunities for an upgraded enterprise-wide communications tool to foster further collaboration among the company’s employees;
• A vision for a virtual reality augmented tool to help employees and clients assimilate complex data.

Those are tangible, implementable wins accomplished in a breakneck-paced four-month experiment. More importantly, the hub created a “buzz” at the company and got employees motivated about getting involved and being innovative.

To say that CIBC Mellon’s leaders were pleased is an understatement. As for the students, they had the best experience of their lives.

The buzz extended well beyond corporate headquarters and the campus. In the coming days, we will be announcing an expansion of the Business Innovation Hub model to other leading Canadian companies. Stay tuned.

This new model of experiential learning is about so much more than simply letting students gain work experience. It’s about unleashing the energy and imagination the students embody, to drive innovation in the workplace and help solve the corporate leader’s conundrum of how to shift corporate culture and embrace innovation. B

it by bit, corporate culture is best challenged from within.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/leadership-lab/want-your-company-to-be-more-innovative-hire-co-op-students/article35779536/

HeatherBA

Co-op students are an amazing resource and an excellent "try-before-you-buy" method of testing new job positions, infusing energy and galvanizing activity in the workplace. Like any employee, they need clear directions and a supervisor who has the ability to give feedback and assist with the prioritization of work tasks. Best is that you have co-op coordinators with you during the entire process.

We all have a responsibility to support and develop our workforce. Be one of our employers who gives back and creates opportunity for the next generation of talent.

Check out our national Canadian Association of Co-operative Education website to learn about our members at www.cafce.ca

Heather Workman

President, Association of Co-operative Education BC/Yukon

PS

Use this link to post a co-op position at all 15 accredited BC institutions:

http://co-op.bc.ca/post

rf9

Genius! So I don't really need employees anymore. I'm sure my existing ones will be pleased as punch. They're all obviously losers and couldn't appreciate real innovation if they saw it anyway.

These Gob and Pail management articles are great for their humour value.

1 Reaction

DieterHH

5 days ago

Tend to agree - usually promoting the latest "innovation" fad .-(

Been a co-op myself and later in my career hired co-op students ( STEM ). I myself was innocent of industrial realities and certainly my later co-op employees ditto.

HOWEVER .... co-op is the best way to start new graduates-to-be on their career paths, after being inoculated with reality serum. Certainly weeds out the snow flakes .-)

I wished we had more co-op programs in our education system, because it speeds up entering your career aspirations.

2 Reactions

rf9

5 days ago

I would agree.

I've been with two companies (hard STEM) that made a point of taking on co-ops and putting them to work on projects where they were managed well and given the resources and opportunity to do genuine work and make real contributions. We tended to hire the good ones in the next year or two after they graduated. It worked out well for everyone and it sounds like this company is approaching it the same way.

But I've also been with a large Canadian company that handled co-ops as a complete after thought. Managers had the attitude that they were being saddled with them. It reflected much of how the company was managed overall. Its spectacular flame-out in the 2000's (you know who it is) didn't surprise anyone who had worked there.

So if you're going to take on co-ops do it right.

1 Reaction

Ciaratiara

5 days ago

"The inertia and siloing that can settle into any workplace can be antithetical to the boldness and flexibility required to drive innovation."

We were always taught that laziness killed the workplace. Oh, sorry. That's exactly what you meant? Our bad.