While I was still a computer science student at the University of British Columbia, I joined a young software startup called Robelle, named for the two founders Robert and Annabelle. I was the first employee.
As a requirement of my employment Bob and Annabelle insisted that I had to write my first technical paper, submit it to the 1980 International Hewlett-Packard General Systems User Group, and if accepted travel to the conference to present my paper.
A couple of years ago, I was face-to-face with my fears. My wife Karalee and I were in Santa Cruz for a conference with my long-time technology friends where we spent the weekend collaborating and discussing the future of technology and innovation. The conference ended Sunday afternoon, after which Karalee and I had a nice drive, followed by dinner. We turned in for the night, ready for an early morning start to return to Vancouver.
All seemed copacetic until I was awakened at 4:00 am by the sound of running, shouting, and hitting all right under the window of our ocean facing hotel room. Then there was silence for a few minutes. Then I could hear a voice calling out quietly from the street below “Help me.”
The evening was dedicated to celebrating the 50thanniversary of the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia. All around me were other award recipients. My heart skipped a beat as I heard my name called out to come on stage to receive a service award for my work over the years with the department.
When a group of people get a sailboat to sail to its full potential, such as when you are racing, you have to come together. This is my definition of synergy–the cooperation of two or more people to create something greater than the sum of the individuals.
The biggest challenge high growth businesses face is mentoring and creating the next set of leaders. A recent project reminded me of the lessons I learned while attending the University of British Columbia which you can apply to help yourself and your next set of leaders continually grow.