CHIEFSUPERINTENDENT
TheBoardofTrusteesinvitesapplicationsforthepositionof
ChiefSuperintendent/CEOoftheCalgaryRomanCatholic
SeparateSchoolDivision.
CalgaryCatholicSchoolDivision,anAlbertaTOP70Employer,isthe
largestCatholicschooldivisioninAlberta,educating58,000students
in116schools,withabudgetofover$630million.
Thesuccessfulcandidatewillbeanactive,practicingCatholicand
aknowledgeableresults-orientededucationalleader,withastrong
instructionalfocus.Ataminimum,thiscandidatewillpossessapost
graduatedegreeand15yearsofrelevantexperienceinthefield
ofeducation.
FormoreinformationvisittheDivisionwebsite:www.ccsd.ab.ca
orcallMr.TerryGundersonat1-780-451-7116.
[email protected]
November1,2019.MONDAY,OCTOBER21,2019 | THEGLOBEANDMAIL O CAREERS B9
B
e nice to people on your way up – you’ll meet them
on your way down.
This was a valuable piece of advice I received
about 20 years ago, when working in an intermediate
role for a health-care provider. Recently, I was at an event
that caused me to run into many people I first met when I
was starting my career, triggering many memories of those
that were instrumental in shaping the way I treat others,
especially those on their way up.
Like a restaurant experience, we often talk about the way
we were treated at work: both the good experiences and the
bad. I am not talking about small incivilities such as not
returning phone calls (although that is bad, too). Instead,
I’m referring to being unhelpful to the point of being dis-
couraging and intimidating. Such behaviour leaves a lasting
impression on someone and they will not forget it. There
was a time 20 years ago when someone told me I did not
have what it takes to make it in the field I was pursuing.
Seven years after that, when I was in a leadership role and in
the position to hire a public-relations firm, she contacted
me. I was honest – telling her my experience with her was so
bad that I will never hire her or her firm.
These negative experiences go beyond the first point of
contact. Recently, a friend was telling me a similar story.
Even though it was 25 years ago, she remembers the name,
where she was when she read the letter of rejection (no
e-mail back then), and how it made her feel. Not only will
she not do business with the person in question, but her
company will not either. Based on the story, likely neither
will I.
This may sound like holding a
grudge – and in some respects it
is. Just like remembering some-
one who helped us, we remem-
ber those who did not. Being dis-
respectful or outright rude does
not make someone ignore you or
go away or stop calling. Instead
they will remember forever how
you treated them.
The world of work calls for ev-
eryone to play their part in en-
suring others get a chance to real-
ize their aspirations, stay motiva-
ted and, in turn, do good things
for others. This is not hard, so
long as we remember a few, sim-
ple points.DON’T BE DEMOTIVATING OR DISCOURAGINGEspecially at the start of one’s career, reaching out for help or
even to just make contact takes courage. A smackdown just
to assert self-importance will not do anything but ingrain in
that person’s mind that you are someone not to hire, do
business with or refer to anyone.DON’T THINK YOU WILL GET AWAY WITH ITWhatever you say or do to others will be remembered and
will come back to haunt you. Just like that bad restaurant
experience, you will be spoken about over and over again as
someone who was unhelpful and rude. Some time in the
future, it will not matter what context you come up in; your
tainted reputation will follow you.DON’T THINK ABOUT YOURSELFYou may have had it easy, being in the right place or right
time so that you have never felt the need to seek help in your
career. So why help others? Or you may have had to tolerate
incivility when you were building your career, so why
shouldn’t others? It does not matter what you went through.
What matters is you being able to see past your own experi-
ence and focus on being a good person to someone else.WHAT YOU DO IS SELF-EXPLANATORY – OR IT SHOULD BEBe helpful, courteous and supportive while someone is in
the process of building their network and their career. That
means give them some time and some encouraging advice
and resources you may have to help them further their
cause. Be willing to share some relevant contacts. And, if
after reading this story you trigger a memory of some less-
than-acceptable behaviour you displayed to someone as
they were building their career, own up to it. It is never too
late for an acknowledgement, or an apology for that matter.
Just like a bad restaurant experience is rarely forgotten
and forever talked about, people remember how others
treated them, especially if they were in a position of vul-
nerability. How you treat them when it’s your turn to do a
favour will determine whether they, in the future, pay it for-
ward or pay it back.Beingniceandhelping
otherswilltakeyoualong
wayintheworldofwork
Behelpful,courteous
andsupportivewhile
someoneisinthe
processofbuilding
theirnetworkand
theircareer.That
meansgivethem
sometimeandsome
encouragingadvice
andresourcesyou
mayhavetohelp
themfurther
theircause.PrincipalandexecutivecoachintheleadershippracticeofOdgers
Berndtson,globalexecutivesearchandleadershipadvisoryfirmEILEEN
DOOLEYOPINIONO
mid McDonald, 46, is a se-
rial entrepreneur. He’s the
founder and CEO of Dairy
Distillery in Almonte, Ont., the
maker of Vodkow, Canada’s first
gluten and lactose-free vodka
made from otherwise wasted
milk permeate.
During your high-school years in
Ottawa, you wrote a program to
trace fetal heart rates. How did
that come about?
My dad was a University of Otta-
wa math professor and got me
into computers – my mom was
from Iran, where “Omid” is from.
I was lucky to have an Apple II in
Grade 6 and started program-
ming. In high school, I helped
him with research projects. One
of them was to predict fetuses in
distress. That led to writing a
program teaching fetal heart-rate
interpretation.
Why did your bachelor of applied
science degree take 12 years?
I thought coding would be a ca-
reer. After 18 months [of school],
I wanted to do a startup. My par-
ents were very supportive. The
heart-rate program led me to ul-
trasound and starting VMI Med-
ical. We got to about 100 people
in Ottawa, selling software most-
ly to the United States. I wanted a
change so I went to Paris for four
years – I’m bilingual. VMI was ac-
quired so I started Simbit soft-
ware for pediatric hospitals in
Brooklyn. Simbit’s sale allowed
me to come back and build a
house, mortgage-free. Then I
went into third year.Your next venture after that was
in DJs making legal remixes.
Where did that come from?Legitmix was a neat intellectual
idea. Unfortunately, it didn’t pan
out; the world went to stream-
ing. I went right to the end with
that – it was very painful. I ap-
plied for jobs, but then my wife
said, “Do what you do, start
something new.” I discovered
there are some advantages in
getting older; I had a huge
amount of experience and con-
tacts.And you start making moonshine?We visited a distillery and I fell in
love with everything about it. I
ordered a pot still kit. Let’s say I
made nothing tasty. I was chat-
ting with my wife’s cousin, and
he mentioned that his uncle’s
dairy farm had to dump skim
milk. It was literally a light bulb
moment: “Can you make booze
out of milk?”Your wife’s cousin is Neal McCar-
ten, who’s now your partner at
Vodkow. How did you know he
would make a great partner?When starting something, it’s
hard by yourself. Someone en-
thusiastic to jump into some-
thing crazy is needed. We started
doing research, side-by-side
building the distillery. We ap-
plied to the Canadian Dairy
Commission’s innovation pro-
gram. They said we should “find
another source” other than skim
milk. I called every Ontario dairyprocessor and most hung up on
me; but a woman at Parmalat in-
troduced us to milk permeate,
which is perfect stuff to make
booze from.Milk permeate is usually consid-
ered a waste byproduct in the
production of the milk we get in
stores.Our feelings on using “waste”
changed. Before launching, we
thought if we used the word,
people might think it’s stinking
and freak out. We called it “un-
used.” People said, “Wow, you’re
saying this is waste?” It captivat-
ed imaginations. We discovered
turning waste into something
delicious is one of our biggest
marketing advantages.Do you feel like failure prepared
you?For sure. I’ve met many entrepre-
neurs who’ve had both; it’s
about learning. Everything I do is
based on the past. People ask, “Is
this [business] different?” No,
it’s business, building relation-
ships, and understanding what
people want. I’m doing that
more than at my previous busi-
nesses – and having a blast. We
live in a country where you can
take crazy risks – what’s the
worst that could happen? You’re
not going to starve to death.
Maybe move home with your
parents to get on your feet. I
wake up every day, lucky I don’t
sell bad vodka. Cleaning out a
drawer, I found a BlackBerry
PlayBook. We use it as a coaster:
100 years from now people can
pull out Vodkow. They’ll know
what to do with it.Special to The Globe and MailThis interview has been condensed
and edited.OmidMcDonald: ‘Everything
Idoisbasedonthepast’
DairyDistilleryfounder
discusseshisprevious
venturesandhow
hestartedmaking
alcoholoutofmilk
CYNTHIAMARTIN
THELADDER
Thequestion
I recently stepped into a manage-
rial role and have three people re-
porting to me. I found out that
one of my reports applied for my
job, but didn’t even get an inter-
view. His attitude and perform-
ance are making it difficult for
me to do my job. He’s strategical-
ly choosing what projects he
wants to engage in. How do I han-
dle insubordination as a new
manager?
Thefirstanswer
Eleanor James
Personal communications
consultant, the James Thinkstitute,
Toronto
This is a perfect leadership op-
portunity. This man shows a hu-
man response to a disappoint-
ment which he’s taking out on
his workplace. Not great and not
unusual.
Right away, build a sense of
team with your new reports.
“This is what we do and we do it
well: We work together, share in-
formation and build action
plans.”
Weekly team meetings are im-
portant for cohesion. You pass on
important information and oth-
ers report what’s happening with
their responsibilities and what
might affect the work of others.
Also, have lunch with each one
of your people to ask them about
their work, suggestions etc. While
you’re there with the disappoint-
ed man, say that he seems un-
happy at work. Take the emotion
out of your tone. If he knows that
you know he wanted the job you
got, try saying that you know it’s
disappointing for him. Let him
speak. If he has been a good con-
tributor previously, tell him.
“Your experience is valuable to
the team and my plans include
you if that’s what you want.” May-
be the air will clear over lunch. If
not, plan to talk again in two
weeks and watch what happens.
Be approachable and drop the in-
subordinate tag.
These things that managers
deal with take skill. Be prepared
with what you want to say (no
threats or harsh language) and
don’t say too much. Address the
point clearly and with profes-
sional respect and he might be-
come an engaged team member.
Most people respond well to ge-
nerosity.ThesecondanswerBruce Sandy
Principal, Pathfinder Coaching
and Consulting, VancouverBe upfront with your staff mem-
ber whose attitude and perform-
ance are presenting challenges
for you.
Set up a time to meet with him
one on one. Be curious with himabout how he is feeling about his
job. Point out that you are aware
that he is doing a good job on the
projects that he is choosing to en-
gage in. Ask about his resistance
to take on other projects and
work. Be curious about what is
going on with him and what is
behind the resistance and atti-
tude. Reflect to him what he is
saying to you and ask whether
there is anything else that is at
play here.
Point out that you are aware
that he applied for your position
and that he did not get an inter-
view. Ask if this is affecting his
current attitude and/or resist-
ance. Indicate that you can ap-
preciate how this might be diffi-
cult for him. Also, highlight that
you had nothing to do with him
not being given an interview for
the manager position. Ask him to
consider how he would feel if he
was in a similar position as a new
manager dealing with a staff
member like him.
State that you would like to de-
sign an effective working rela-
tionship with him. Emphasize
that if he works professionally
and respectfully with you and his
colleagues, and addresses all the
work that is assigned to him, that
you will work with him to ensure
that he is seriously considered for
the next promotion opportunity.SpecialtoTheGlobeandMailHaveaquestionforourexperts?
Sendane-mailto
[email protected]OneofthepeopleImanageappliedformyjob,
butdidn’tgetit.HowdoInavigatethesituation?
ANDREAYU
NINETOFIVE