When I was in undergrad I had a professor tell me something that still sticks with me to this day: you will accomplish a lot, but you’ll need to find the right people to really grow and help push you to those achievements. You won’t want to do it on your own.
I remember it primarily because it was the first time a professor had set aside some time to talk to me about what I actually wanted to really do. I think he knew, way before I did, that becoming a doctor wasn’t going to be in the cards…
It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by since I started at Altus Assessments. This year flew by, especially in contrast to some of the year-iversaries I’ve had in the past. It seems like just yesterday I had to hold myself back from skipping (as an adult) down University Ave in downtown Toronto to the offices on Front St. I was full of giddiness knowing that something great was coming in this new chapter. The first few days were filled with meeting the team, which at the time was about 40 people. I pride myself in remember names…
When I landed my first role in downtown Toronto in September 2018, I immediately started looking for a place. It was challenging. September was a tough time to find a place in 2018 — so many people were looking for condos and the rental market was expensive and cutthroat. I think I put in applications for 27 places, most without even looking at them. But, it didn’t matter, because I was finally moving to Toronto, which had been a dream of mine since I was young.
The hustle and bustle of a city that rarely sleeps inspired me. I imagined…
This year I was given the most accurate, clear, and correct diagnosis that I’ve ever been given in my whole life. I’ve come to process my feelings around this identification, even coming to accept it. You see, I have a loud face. It is almost humanly impossible for me to hide my feelings, because my face gives me away: every time. Annoyed by something someone says? My face will show you my displeasure. Happy to see someone but want to play it cool? Too bad, my face holds my truth. Sad? Everyone instantly knows. I cannot hide anything. …
I love We’re Here, a show with Bob the Drag Queen, Shangela, and Eureka — where they travel to small towns across America (pre-COVID) to spread love. Everybody say love. Halleloo! But this post isn’t really about the greatness of drag, or the acknowledgement that in COVID-19 times I watch too many reality shows. This post is about the power of love.
Five-years and three months ago (but who’s counting), I was sitting on the edge of Back Bay, which leads out to the Arabian Sea, in Mumbai India. This bay, as we learned during that day was called the…
You might be surprised to see that the best team I learned from the worst team experience I’ve ever had, in my whole life.
It was August 2014: I was sitting in a room with about 90 bright-eyed and eager A-type personalities, it was the first day of the MBA program I had been accepted to. As I looked around, I was in awe at the diversity in that room: some just out of undergrad, some who looked like they had years of career experiences. A great mix of men and women, Canadian born and international students from Asia, Africa…
The business is set up in a way that each team is in a separate office or space; sales has their own area and agenda, marketing has theirs. Engineering and product teams are somewhere completely different, doing their own thing. Customer focused teams like support and success are together, but in the corner closest to the coffee. At first glance, you think great! I’ll get so much done without engineering distracting me, and I can build solid relationships with my direct team members.
Until the day comes when something goes wrong, or is misaligned because sales sold something that product…
I have a confession, one that when I do, people inwardly (and outwardly) cringe and a look of pity sweeps across their faces. And since I recently spoke with Eric from FoundersBeta, I’ve gotten a lot of messages and notes about talking about failure. So I’m here to confess it to you, the internet, strangers, friends, family and anyone else who happens upon this: I have failed things in my lifetime, and I don’t have all the answers. And I’m still here, probably better than ever because I try to learn from failure.
I have failed things in my lifetime…
I think the first thing you learn to do as a kid is experiment. You’re encouraged to walk, which is no doubt a semi-terrifying experience to the brain: for almost a whole year, your body has been picked up, or low to the ground, and then suddenly your parents, who are the protector of you are encouraging you to stand on two wobbly feet, and move your own body. At first, we’re terrible at it, but we’re encouraged to keep trying, and one day, a crawl becomes a first step, and those steps become a graceful walk, run and every…
I’ve talked about my belief that Marketing and Customer Success should talk more. In thinking about it, and in having conversations with many of you, I think it could go a step farther, into something a bit more radical and innovative — most of us are striving for innovation with products and services, so why shouldn’t our teams reflect that? Shouldn’t our business practices be just as next generation as the technologies we leverage?
What if Customer Success Managers were empowered to help their customers market themselves, making them more successful overall, not just in using the product, or service…
