For as long as I can remember, I have always had keen interests in an eclectic mix of areas from fashion to construction, event planning to medicine. If I liked it, I just appended it to the growing pile of things that I had an interest in.  As a young child I was exposed to a variety of things that may have been contributing factors. For instance my mother’s sewing, my father’s home renovation projects, family socializing and talks with my family about stable career choices. These exposures in combination with being the eldest child provided ample opportunities for me to ‘get my feet wet’ and try new things. I am happy that I took my formative years to develop my skill set, but I can vouch that it wasn’t always an asset, especially where choosing a degree was concerned.

In my latter years of high school I was convinced that I would complete my undergrad in biomedical engineering and then consider medical school. Obviously that isn’t what materialized, but I did try out the engineering world for a little while. Little did I know what a crazy situation I’d be in when I realized after two years that it wasn’t the right avenue for me to pursue. I had worked so hard to get there, then I was faced with having to choose a new path, but which one do I choose? Career stability was a factor that obviously had to be weighed into the equation, but I really was in a fix as I was unable to choose just one area to develop a career. I felt I was sacrificing a passion in one area for the sake of a career in another. In the end, all worked out well as my bachelor of information technology, focused on interactive multimedia and design, perfectly melds my largest and primary interests of: technology, creativity and business.

Now with graduation just under a year away thoughts of my first full-time job keep popping up. Which area do I go into? How long should I stay in that field? Some inspiring videos, included below, by Stanford University professors Carol Bartz and Randy Komisar have proved that my eclectic mix may be beneficial in the career world. Professor Bartz discusses how setting a foundation is key in the early years of your career. The formation of your career should be shaped like a pyramid over time. It should start off broad and with time refined to your ideal profession. Which makes logical sense since by the time you settle into your niche, you would have tested the other avenues to be sure you are going where you want to go. As she mentions in the video, if you keep trying to climb the vertical, corporate ladder as you get closer to the top you’re bound to fall because you have no foundation. All that is holding you up are two stakes in the ground. Professor Komisar further supports this argument by detailing the journey through his career and how he is so well equipped now because of the extensive knowledge he gained from all of the positions he has held over the years. Although it may seem glamorous to run up the corporate ladder as soon as you land your first job you have about 40+ years of your life to work, so what’s the rush?

Pyramids, Not Ladders – Carol Bartz

The History of a Virtual CEO – Randy Komisar

Gladwell presents us with fresh perspective, either through novelty, or an unabashed free conscience.  Either way, the man is truly affluent in his abilities with the English language and is a pleasure to hear speak – and either way, he lays it down in a way that will not have been widely speculated upon previous to his musings. 

I wont sit down and type endless praise in the manner of a true fan; he doesn’t have my unerring agreement and never will (granted no person has that, I generally require too much convincing and am too eager to poke holes in unsubstantiated claims).  I will say that Gladwell is a great communicator and intellectual leader – and herein lies a real gem of knowledge:  Gladwell may be a genius, though he may not be.  He may be a truly progressive thinker, although I suspect much of his popularity is due to the sensible explanations of ‘phenomena’ that we already have an irrational understanding of.  Indeed, Gladwell may be one of the greatest literary minds/voices of this turn of centuries, however I still won’t attribute this to any glaring intellectual boon that would raise him above the masses.

Initiative, and creative bravery.  Two personality traits that make Malcom Gladwell a giant amongst the ant colony of readers.  Much of what this man says makes sense to me, in fact it makes so much sense that I ask myself why I hadn’t thought of it until now.  Truth be told perhaps some of what I read isn’t even original in my mind because the possibilities presented are possibilities with previous exploration on my part.  What makes Gladwell so excellent is the fact that he steps back, recognizes these critical human insights, and takes the initiative to write them down – further to this point, he then has the creative fortitude to publish these ideas to the general masses.

Gladwell is an excellent example of intellectual entrepreneurship at its best.  He is a master of recognizing the opportunity inherent in his thoughts, and possesses the constitution necessary to market his ideas.  Content aside, it is this ability as a master-salesmen that makes Gladwell so interesting to me.  I may not find the explanations present in his literature exceptionally profound or unique, but he has recognized a desire in people to explain these human wonders in a simple and understandable manner.  From this market recognition it took good old fashioned hard work, and acceptance of risk (be it monetary, or personal reputation) to put Malcom Gladwell in the spotlight as a premier thinker and successful business man.

Gladwell is a sharp guy who can summarize in a few short words, some of the more intense and interesting aspects of human thought, but his greatness transcends beyond this intuition itself – it’s the fact that he pushes these ideas forward that will solidify him as a great literary mind in in the early 21st century.

The bookclub itself was started by Ottawa entrepeneur Scott Lake and Social Media Marketer Kelly Rusk. The group which the book club attracts is trendy, young and ambitious, but also included veterans in the business who present a more mature perspective to the discussion. It is open to anyone who wishes to participate. Hope to see you there!

The theme of this discussion was geared towards poverty in United States. We often forget it’s also happening right in our backyard.  I couldn’t agree more with Malcolm when he said if you could find a way to stabilize people in need and have them a good place to live right away; you would find people actually need very little support.   It’s actually to the advantage of our governments to keep people off the streets and place them in good homes.  It puts less stress on our police force, rehab facilities and hospitals.  So why can’t we spend our money intelligently to those in need?  When it would actually save us money over the long term?  I know it sounds cold but really that’s what the government needs to hear.  Today’s government is driven by savings and not necessarily by doing the right things.

They found in Denver they where able take about half the people off the streets right away.  Could you imagine the savings and the crime rate drop! Well yah that’s why they did it =D We have to remember we can’t solve the problem all at once.  As a society we have to tackle one problem at a time.  We Canadians are far ahead when it comes to social responsibility then the US but we should always thrive to do better.

I was very pleased to learn about the emerging KIP Schools in the US.  These schools give the opportunity for children of low-income family who wouldn’t have the opportunity to go to college to do so.  These kids are all very hard working and they really want to learn.  By having extended class time and running school over the summer these students are able to get ahead on reach their dreams.

Ottawa has also something to be very proud of. The Astolot Educational Centre (203-1187 Bank Street) was founded to meet the individual learning needs of students by understanding the learner first.  Astolot helps students from the age of three to nineteen in reaching their potential.

“It’s very Canadian to be not proud of what you are proud of!” – Malcolm Gladwell

It is time for Canadians to start being proud of things we’re good at.  If you’re not proud of something then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!  What I’m trying to say whatever your passions are you can always find a way to help others.  So don’t be afraid to make changes through experiments and don’t be afraid to try weird things!

The Grand Experiment of Social Media by Susan Murphy
http://www.suzemuse.ca/2009/06/14/the-grand-experiment-of-social-media/

Malcolm Gladwell at the NAC by Sonia Riahi
http://tbridge.ca/malcolm-gladwell-at-the-nac/

KIPP Schools
http://www.kipp.org/

Astolot Education Center in Ottawa
http://www.astolot.com/

United Way Ottawa
http://www.unitedwayottawa.ca/

Day 1 included a technology awareness reception at the Canadian Embassy – this is where several Canadian HIT companies were present to showcase their technologies, and people from the U.S. swing through to see what we up north have to offer.  Infonium set up talked shop with lots of interesting figures concerning our Accountability and Reporting software, and Patient Access package, quickly noting a distinct need for accountability as huge sums of money are being dumped into healthcare by the federal government.  

The rest of the trip was consumed with the actual health IT conference where I was immersed in the business environment as driven by some serious U.S. contenders (think Lockheed Martin, Adobe, etc.).  Even sitting in a presentation by these companies brought to light a differential between the way we’re working in Canada as compared to the way things work south of the border.

Litigiousness

It’s true, there is definitely more legal activity present in the US when it comes to mundane lawsuits.  Although this is a grave generalization of things and a commonly accepted blanket statement, I’ll endorse this point of view albeit with an asterisk.  

Here’s the asterisk – there was no mention of legalities and liability at the conference, at least in the way of lawsuits and the like.  No, the reason I’m inclined to agree with the idea of American litigiousness is because everyone is so attentive to detail, thorough, and is excellent at sealing their own loopholes and exploiting others.

I have to say, to an extent I think this is good.  Maybe we could use a few lawsuits.  Yes some are rediculeous, yes the fear of ultimate and petty loss does it’s job to raise the bar.  Start to finish, US business is to the point, the t’s are crossed and the i’s dotted, and I think there is much to be learned concerning open-hand, succinct business practices.

Concise Communication

Many parts of the world people are interested in what you have to offer – sales are often initiated with large, information saturated presentations and slide decks that cover a large range of topics.  My experience in the States is much different from this system – a customer will have a specific need they want addressed, and will want to know if a vendor can address their needs.  This is not to say the slide deck isn’t wanted, it just moves it from primary marketing material to backup material.  Many critical business interactions can be completed in a blunt 15 minute conversation.  While this may not be very Canadian – to shoot down a person, dig through their material and pointedly tell them that you’re only concerned with a specific 2% without even beginning to hear them out – it could be very beneficial to understand this way of thinking:  Removing the layers of complexity, the overall marketing cloud if you will, allows for a level of direct communication not experienced much outside of the US.  While this is not necessarily the best way of conducting business it is surely an effective method.  Ambiguity is removed and brutal honesty provides a protective cocoon to all parties involved.  

Data Driven Business (i.e. not feelings)

In Canada we pride ourselves on our compassionate national moral compass, and I would not change this for a second.  It is a trait the to be emulated by the rest of the world and is one to be retained and cherished.  It’s also a social quality that transitions into our business practice, which is not bad in of itself, however can sometimes taint business decisions.  

Conversely the United States is often decried for being unfeeling and money grubbing however it is hard to contest the economic validity of a data driven business decision, however cold.

I’m not for one system or the other.  Moral business practice can often pay out beyond its immediate number value based on positive public perception, however it can also fail as the high ground can also be the poor ground (for example if we were to spend enough money to make homelessness vanish – great moral concept, good public perception, impossible to fund).  Likewise, data driven business can often be immoral to the point of public disgust at the expense of hidden negative value as people turn their backs on the evil practice (for example if an arms company were to fund a foreign contingent committing genocide).

Like the two previous points discussed, it comes down to moderation.  We may love to jeer at our southern neighbors, and they likely laugh about us here in Canada, but the real truth is that neither system is perfect.  In fact I don’t even think one system is better than the other – it’s ultimately context and balance and the willingness to learn more and adapt to new things.

While there is no rigid format to the discussion, some common themes will appear as this weekly post grows and matures – this will be a bit of an organic experience as I learn and can start picking out solid trends shared amongst like startups.  The underlying focus will be one of learning about successes and failures in the hope of finding relevance in these company’s stories that can benefit our own business ventures.

If you’d like to take part in our discussions by providing insights about featured companies, or by suggesting a feature company, please email me with your thoughts at gordon.cameron@gmail.com – The more community involvement the more comprehensive our learning.

Infonim offers two product lines:  Quanta provides accountability and report generating for healthcare administrative bodies (think Ministry of Health) via highly customizable data acquisition and presentation.  HospitalPortal is for improved patient access at the local level (smoothing out the administrative kinks associated with people using the medical system).

For the most part my early time here is being spent learning the complexity that is the Ontario health system.  Infonium functions predominantely on interpersonal relationships between the service provider (us) and our clients, so it is critical that I am able to talk shop with the key players in a meaningful way.  A huge lesson has already been learned here:  Information and market competetance/awareness are total power when it comes to convincing the world that your product is the way to go.  Remember, you need to know the ins and outs of the sandbox if you ever want to build a sandcastle that lasts until the next recess.

Greenspan comes from a socially liberal background – he was raised in Manhattan. As many serious economists he is an economic conservative, a leaning further influenced by his long association with Ayn Rand, the founder of the Objectivist movement. We can then say he is a libertarian, and while remaining a Republican during his long career he was often much closer to Democrats than his own, as evidenced by his close relationship with President Clinton and his criticism of George W. Bush.

The Federal Reserve as an institution is then almost an antithesis of the things Alan Greenspan stands for. Many notable politicans with similar political leanings have spoken out against the existance of the Federal Reserve. Reagan asked Fed chairman Paul Volcker why America needs a Fed at all. Popular libertarian Ron Paul has argued against it, and President Andrew Jackson once even managed to disolve the precursor of the Federal Reserve in the 19th century, only for the institution to make a comeback some 50 years later. Understanding what political background Greenspan is coming from then, it is easier to understand some of the decisions he made during his time as Chairman, and how those decisions have contributed to, or even caused the current recession.

At the heart of economic conservatism lies free market capitalism, the belief that markets produce the best results when left to their own devices, and balance themselves naturally as millions of buyers and sellers make daily transactions which ever so slightly adjust prices and keep the economy in check. The free market economist’s tendancy then is to conclude that the minimum government regulation and interference will produce the best growth for the economy. Greenspan as Chairman tended to support decisions in line with this philosophy, and while he could not directly make policy decisions, he had the ear of important policy makers such as President Clinton and his treasury secretary Bob Rubin.

At the heart of the flak Greenspan is taking right now for his role in the mess is his resistance to the idea of regulating the emerging market in derivatives in the 1990s. As our ability to gather real-time market data increased with the widespread use of computers and the internet, traders became able to make day to day trading decisions much more efficiently than before, and new types of financial products emerged – products which before then were left unregulated because the market for them was very small. Some of these high risk financial derivatives are what caused the credit crisis. In part because of Greenspan’s economic conservatism and his influence these derivatives were left as they were.

The second important point people make on Greenspan’s role is his indifference to the repealing of the Glass-Steagall act in 1999. Glass-Steagall prevented commercial banks from acting like investment banks. This means that banks which hold people’s savings are not allowed to speculate and invest in the market. Greenspan writes in the book that “I had long argued that the Glass-Steagall Act… was based on faulty history… I testified many times for legislative change. It took until 1999 for Glass-Steagal to be repealed”. This caused an expansion of certain banks, which by the time of the crisis were then deemed “too big to fail”.

It is easy to find faults with the decissions Alan Greenspan made during his 19 years as Chairman of the Federal Reserve, however it is important to remember that he also steered change which could have mitigated or prevented the current crisis althogether, such as advising President Clinton on fiscal matters which turned a large budget deficit into a large budget surplus by the end of his presidency. If Clinton’s successor had not squandered that surplus and turned it into the largest deficit the US has ever known (not to mention his many other mistakes concerning the economy), perhaps the United States would have been able to weather the storm much more bravely. Instead, what was once the beacon of capitalism has doubled it’s national debt and is now in the process of nationalizing GM – 10 years ago the worlds biggest company.

Gordon Cameron

I’m a recent addition to the TalentBridge team, stumbling into the program through my involvement with a recent E1o1 seminar provided by OCRI.  A native  of Kingston, Ontario, most of my youth was spent in Sunnyvale, California at the heart of Silicon Valley. 

Academic and Professional Experience

I’m currently in my 4th year of Aerospace Engineering (B. Eng) at Carleton University, focusing in aerodynamics and propulsion systems.  At this point my undergraduate exposure represents my only foray into the aerospace industry as I’ve chosen to pursue other interests and opportunities in my professional career. Previously I worked for SunPower Corporation, a North San Jose solar power company.  My role at SunPower was focused in the area of IP research and grant proposal/deliverable writing.  After SunPower I went to work for Silicon Light Machines, a small MEMS company developing novel laser-based motion tracking technology where I provided product design and usage support.  My most recent work was with the iPod/iPhone Product Design team at Apple Inc.  At Apple I was responsible for the mechanical design and production of many familiar products currently on the market.  

I am presently working for Infonium Inc, an Ottawa based health information technology software company developing real-time reporting and accountability software for medical advisory bodies, and improved patient access management software at the local health care level.

Community Involvement

The majority of my time outside of work and academia is spent as a varsity water polo player for Carleton University.  As a member of a varsity team at a local university I help represent Ottawa across Ontario, ultimately attracting more talent to the region through athletic outreach.  As a member of the water polo community I am provided the opportunity to act as a mentor and roll model for the Ottawa youth, and to promote teamwork and leadership skills through sport.

Future Aspirations

In the immediate future I plan on tying up my undergraduate studies and am considering moving forward academically with an MBA.  Professionally I would like to pursue the start-up of my own web-based company, likely initiating that motion in a small way within the year.  While business development is of definite interest to me, it is the union of business driven via novel technology that I am passionate about and can see myself working towards.

Personal Interests

My spare time is generally devoted to water polo and the associated training regimen (swimming, technical work, weight lifting).  Beyond this I am an avid reader and enjoy exceptionally hard to watch B-rated movies.  When the finances and schedule permit, I absolutely love to travel; eating and interacting with people is the most important education a person can get.

On the way up to the Ottawa River I was enjoying tidbits with my buddy Simon DeNure and when we hit Cobden, Ontario I got super nervous… It finally hit me in about half an hour I would be facing my biggest fear… MINI BUS!!!  I felt like I was going to puke!

For the first hour we where on the river I had to learn how to use the rope… and believe me it takes about a day for people to learn how to use this thing!  The rope is used to bring us to Mini Bus its the huge wave you see below.  I had so many of my buddies telling me how to do it… what I was doing wrong… cheering when I was doing something right… they all wanted me to succeeded.  Shortly after I was surfing the wave and screaming as loud as I could… I was surfing Mini Bus!!!!!

The only reason why I got on the wave today is because of the super awesome community kayaking is really composed of; without the community I would still be learning the basics of kayaking.

We are lucky to have such a great wave in the Ottawa Area… people all around the world will come down to the Ottawa River and surf this amazing wave.  I felt privilege to be able to face my worst fear with the support of all my buddies!  I honestly never had as much fun as today.  It took me over ten tries before I could even reach the wave but every time I was attempting I felt like I was getting closer! and bit by bit I could feel the fear was dying off.  What a feeling I tell ya!

I learn a lot of things through kayaking.  One of the things I learned throughout the years was the strong sense of community in the sport of whitewater kayaking.   We can see the same type of community in a different form right here in the High Tech Sector in Ottawa and I really enjoy it!