The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘Barack Obama’

Interviewee Name: Heather White, Director Membership – Large & Mid Markets

Company Name: Board of Trade

Website: http://www.bot.com 

Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Heather White: I’m a wife, mother, volunteer and a hardworking professional doing a job that I really like. I am married to a guy I really love and have two kids that I really love.

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Heather White: I’m not sure if I do a very good job, but I do keep things separate. So when I’m at work, I don’t do personal stuff, and when I’m at home I don’t do work stuff. Sometimes I do some work stuff but I try not to mix the two. If it’s family time, it’s family time. However there is a transition time, so if there are issues at work, when I go home I will talk to my husband about them, so I need that transition period. But outside of that, there is no real integration per se because some of the things that you tolerate at home you wouldn’t tolerate at work and vice versa. 

Avil Beckford: When you have some down time, how do you spend it? 

Heather White: I love to travel – driving or going away, and I love to read and I love to play sports. I play basketball, table and lawn tennis. I play whatever the kids play. I love movement.

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Heather White:

1. Be sure of who you are.
2. Stay focused.
3. You always have to study and find ways to improve yourself.
4. I have a range of interests that have served me well. I don’t know if everybody can handle it but it has worked very well for me to have a wide range of interests.
5. Every person you meet you should treat them well andwith respect.

Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Heather White: I’m a groupie so I find conversations with people help me to generate new ideas because someone might say something that you can build on, or might trigger something for you. I also think that you have to listen to what other people have to say because no idea is off limit. That has helped me but the group dynamics has been my biggest idea generation tool.

Avil Beckford: What’s your favourite quotation and why?

Heather White:

“Until you make peace with who you are, you’ll never be content with what you have.”  Doris Mortman

“We are what we repeatedly do; excellence therefore is not an act but a habit.”  Unknown

Avil Beckford: How do you define success? And in your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Heather White: Success is a very elusive term for me. I think you have to be good at what you do, so that’s a big thing and if you’re good at what you do you’ll make money at it easier than someone else. But I think it has to benefit more than just yourself. I grapple with the definition for success all the time. But I don’t think that success is in your wealth, it’s in products or services that you offer that can help a wide range of people, or even help to make the quality of someone’s life better. The formula for success, especially in the early part of your career, is to work hard, be open to suggestions on how to improve yourself, and be a subject matter expert. And never think that you know everything there is to know about that area.

Avil Beckford: What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?

Heather White: I don’t know if I’m successful, but I know that I’m good at what I do because my clients affirm that all the time. The people aspect was very critical for me and I was never intimidated by people who were not nice. I deal with senior level executives daily, some are rude and intimidating, but for the most part they are nice. I think it’s a reflection of how you treat people – I treat them with respect, but I am also very confident in myself.

I learn a lot from people and I evaluate criticisms. If someone said something about me I always analyze it and I take it back to my mentors, my family and say, “This is what someone said about me, is that how you perceive me?” I also have people in the office who I can talk to, and my mentors are good for me. Family and mentors play a key role in my life.

Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Heather White: I would say to be flexible in the early stage of your career. Be open to learning a lot of things. I’m a trained forensic chemist, and now I’m in sales and account management. I had to be open. You have to be open to opportunities, learn from others and get a mentor.

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

Heather White:

1. I’d like to have met Abraham and Daniel in the Bible because of their stories – moving from one place to next, to the unknown, and hearing the voice of the Lord.
2. Nelson Mandela has had an incredible life so I would like to meet him personally. I read his book Long Walk to Freedom and I thought the time he spent in prison all those years was simply incredible. I think his focus is amazing.
3. I’d love to meet Barack Obama and I’d love to meet him now when the markets are crashing. The challenges he has are pretty incredible.
4. I would also love to have met Winston Churchill.

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply?

Heather White: For me it has to be the Bible because it has nuggets of truth that have helped me. It’s tried and proven and it works like clockwork. It also helps you to focus on the real things in life and that’s my reference points. I have read some wonderful books, but nothing compares for me like the Bible.

Avil Beckford: You are one of the 10 finalists on the reality show, So, How Would You Spend Your Time? Each finalist is placed on separate deserted islands for two years. You have a basic hut on the island and all the tools for survival; you just have to be imaginative and inventive when using them. You are allowed to take five books, one movie and one music CD, and whatever else you take has to fit in one suitcase and a travel on case. What would you take with you and how would you spend the two years? T he prize is worth your while and at this stage in the game there really aren’t any losers among the 10 finalists, since each are guaranteed at least $2 million?

Heather White: I have several praise and worship music CDs that I listen to so I would take one of those and I would take The Color Purple for the movie. I would take the Nelson Mandela book Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. I love Debbie Macomber who wrote two books, one on giving and the other on how things work out in your life. I also read a nice book Return to Fitness: Getting Back in Shape after Injury, Illness, or Prolonged Inactivity that I really like.

For the two years, I would read and exercise because it would be a great opportunity to lose some weight. I would exercise, eat healthy and memorize the Bible. I would try to find other people because I have never had to be alone.

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

Heather White: People, experiences and how those two can come together.

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

Heather White: Reading, going to the spa and spending time with friends.

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for?

Heather White: I wish I had the resources, know-how and power to help my friends in Africa and make life better for them – people in places like Somalia, Darfur and Congo.

Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..

Heather White: I’m happy when I’m with my good friends and family and in an environment where I feel loved and people think a lot of me. I am happy at work, with the people I work with because I like them and we get along very well.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Book link are affiliate links.

Interviewee Name: Mike DeSousa

Website: http://www.mikedesousa.ca

Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Mike DeSousa:  I am a Career Social Media specialist who helps recruiters & employers find superior employee talent FAST using Social Media.  As well, I am a Public Speaker who trains Non-Profit Agency staff on how to market their job-seeking clients, helping them to find work FAST.

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Mike DeSousa: My work is based on the personal aspects of my life; I see them as both revolving around helping others. I consider myself the same person in my personal life and in the other aspects.  I actually seek to integrate them together, which my wife doesn’t appreciate — she looks at work as something she does outside of her personal life, and believes in keeping them separate.

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Mike DeSousa:

1. Work your buns off
2. Give yourself a lofty, challenging goal — don’t set the bar too low
3. Out-strategize others
4. Ask more of yourself & set tight deadlines
5. Tie in your daily activities towards your long-term goals & reward yourself each time you complete  a tiny step

Avil Beckford: When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

Mike DeSousa: Reading, learning, surfing the net, working on my passion (“Public Speaking”). No ‘downtime’ for this guy. Sometimes watch some movies, though I’d rather do something active than escape to the “mind candy of TV”.

Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Mike DeSousa: I make connections between different areas that I read; stream-of-consciousness thinking. Forced Morphological Connections — generating categories of aspects of different things & recombining them into something new.

Avil Beckford: What’s your favourite quotation and why?

Mike DeSousa:

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

It reminds me of our decision-making process for life “decisionism,” and reminds me of the life decisions that I’ve reached… Being a contrarian, I also choose to take the path that “was grassy and wanted wear”. Given that Robert Frost also suffered with depressions, it feels that both him and his words speak to me.  Personally, I rhyme like Dr. Seuss!

Avil Beckford: How do you define success? And in your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Mike DeSousa: My definition of success is making a difference in others’ lives, reaching your personal goals, making the world a better place, and working towards the flexibility to make your own choices through financial independence.  The formula for success? No one has the same formula — each one has to find their own personal formula based on their strengths, needs, interests, etc.  My personal formula entails hard work, strategic thinking, creating value for others, having an unquentionable thirst for knowledge, discipline, pursuing your passion, and following your strengths.

Avil Beckford: What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?

Mike DeSousa: I used an existing media (Social Media) and apply it into a new arena.  I researched and ‘power-learned’ this new area, developed innovative workshops, my Brand, started presenting at Conferences, building relationships, and helping others. I’d find opportunities found me in proportion to the amount that I helped others and took a sincere interest in them, giving without expecting something in return, listening to others with my Heart/Brain/Gut/Soul, identified areas of value & gaps for them, offering them solutions, and tieing in my Value Proposition to their needs while focusing on the benefits for them.

Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Mike DeSousa: Identify exactly what you want that is “play” and fun that also pays the bills (your end goal), help others achieve theirs, wake up early to work towards your goal, tie in your daily goals to your end goal, become an expert through reading/watching YouTube videos/doing, market yourself, and have fun. Do what you love that also pays the bills or that can help you pay the bills.

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

Mike DeSousa:

1. Jesus Christ:  I’d say “teach me”
2. Alexander The Great:  “What was your secret to getting men to follow you?”
3. Winston Churchill:  “What led to your greatness as a speech-writer and orator?”
4. My (recently deceased) Dad: Tell me your life story and that of our family
5. Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Pierre Trudeau, or Brian Mulroney: What were your secrets to winning in politics?

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply?

Mike DeSousa: Either of the following three…

1. The Bible (no one single story — the impact of cumulative parables, interlinked for a common message of Love
2. The Little Prince, for its simplicity and many parables, that takes on new meaning with each life event that you experience
3. The Art of War, on winning, outworking, and out-strategizing everyone.

Avil Beckford: You are one of the 10 finalists on the reality show, So, How Would You Spend Your Time? Each finalist is placed on separate deserted islands for two years. You have a basic hut on the island and all the tools for survival; you just have to be imaginative and inventive when using them. You are allowed to take five books, one movie and one music CD, and whatever else you take has to fit in one suitcase and a travel on case. What would you take with you and how would you spend the two years? T he prize is worth your while and at this stage in the game there really aren’t any losers among the 10 finalists, since each are guaranteed at least $2 million?

Mike DeSousa:

Five Books:

1. One of Winston Churchill’s
2. Compendium of Marvel Super Heroes origins in English & Spanish
3. Learning Mandarin/Cantonese
4. Learn Yoga & Chinese
5. Some comedy book

• Movie: The Shawshank Redemption
• Music CD: With my MacBook & iPhone with satellite capabilities & iTune, I’d download unlimited music selections
• One Suitcase: Sunlight-powered satellite MacBook tripped out with a lot of software titles to learn, laptop with extended battery life, mosquito net, mosquito-free clothes, solar-powered iPhone with satellite wifi connectivity, soccer ball, weather-appropriate clothes
• Travel on case: Soap, Razor, nail clipper, nail file, pen, anti-mosquito device

For the two years  I’d spend the time learning (languages, tai chi/yoga, history), playing soccer, dancing, listening to music, playing music (forgot to mention a harmonica & a flute), Skyping/Google Circling Friends, contacting Invisible Mentors, journaling, developing a portfolio of products & services, reading comic books, becoming an expert on investments… I would be doing what I love to do, rather than pandering to the audience of viewers; one must remain authentic.  “To thy self be true”.

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

Mike DeSousa: Being of service to others.  It makes me so happy to know that I have helped to “unstick” someone from a state of complacency or a limiting belief, and that I have given them hope, taught them new knowledge, and motivated them to develop new skills and use one of my ideas to propel themself forward in life.

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

Mike DeSousa: I learn, help people, speak professionally, listen to music, think, feel, swim….

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for?

Mike DeSousa: 1,000,000 more wishes, of course!

Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..

Mike DeSousa: I use my strengths to help others discover and act upon their talents and strengths.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Interviewee Name: Runa Magnusdottir, CEO & Founder

Company Name: Connected Women

Website: http://www.Connected-Women.com

Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Runa Magnusdottir: I am an Icelandic woman, I’m an entrepreneur. I’ve owned companies, bought companies, started up companies, and sold companies throughout my adult life. Today I work doing things that I’m really passionate about and that is to coach business people mainly to help them discover their own passions in life and also help them on the personal branding and marketing side.

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Runa Magnusdottir: I have one life and my personal and professional life are linked together. I’m very passionate about what I’m doing, and personally if I’m going to be authentic, if I’m going to be open, if I’m going to be working on the things that matter the most to me I can’t see how I’m going to divide my personal and professional life. It has to be together.

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Runa Magnusdottir: Live, love and laugh.

Avil Beckford: When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

Runa Magnusdottir: With my family. If not with my family it’s in the wilderness with my dog.

Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Runa Magnusdottir: I’m good at getting great ideas. My best ideas come to me when I’m traveling alone and I’m 30,000 feet up in the air, and there is no e-mail, no phone, and nobody talking to me. That’s where my best ideas come alive.

Avil Beckford: What’s your favourite quotation and why?

Runa Magnusdottir: “Whether you think you can or can’t it’s both right, you decide.”

Avil Beckford: How do you define success?

Runa Magnusdottir: I define success when you achieve the things you’re aiming for, and that you’re doing something that has a purpose for you. There has to be a purpose.

Avil Beckford: In your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Runa Magnusdottir: Having a very clear vision, be passionate about the things that you’re doing and believe you can do it. Have fun and you have to love what you’re doing because there are going to always be obstacles in the way and having fun makes it easier. And to become successful you cannot do it alone, you have to have people around you, people who believe in you. And you have to have the mindset that you can do it and that links to the belief.

Avil Beckford: What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?

Runa Magnusdottir: The steps I took to succeed in my field was to do a lot of personal development, find out what was important to me. I think it’s important for everyone to find their purpose.

Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Runa Magnusdottir: Definitely to look at the things that really make them happy. So often you see people, and I quite understand why that happens, they go to school to learn something that they’re not particularly fascinated about, but someone around them say that they should be doing that because of whatever the reason is. At the end of the day, it is they who are going to be doing the job, not the one who told them to do it. So find out what makes you happy, what it is that I can do more of to keep me happy because you know when you’re around happy people who are content with themselves. It’s a joy to be around them.

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

Runa Magnusdottir:

1. Let’s start with the cliché. I would really like to meet the Dalai Lama. That would be a fantastic opportunity to meet him because the whole history around him and the message he is giving the world is so unique. If I met him I would just sit there and listen to him.
2. I would really like to meet President Barack Obama.
3. I would love to meet Ellen Degeneres who I think is an amazing woman and the same goes for Meryl Streep. Both of them are so amazing because the images I have of them are independent women who do what they think is right and do it for from their heart. With Ellen, it’s the laughter that she gives, it’s such a gift.
4. The fifth person I’d like to meet is Jesus Christ. I would like to sit down and learn more, and there is probably so much missing from the story about Mary Magdalene and all the female powerhouse around Jesus at the time, I’d definitely want to meet him.

For President Obama, Ellen Degeneres and Meryl Streep I would invite them to come to Iceland.

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply?

Runa Magnusdottir: The Alchemist by Paulo Cuelho. The book was plain and easy and explained life in an easy and powerful way about how simple it really is. That was the message I took from it.

Avil Beckford: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are five books that you would like to have with you and why? Summarize the book in two sentences.

Runa Magnusdottir: I would take the renowned books in the Icelandic Sagas (the history of Iceland from the Viking time) and finally have the opportunity to read, understand and be wowed like hundreds of thousands of people who have read them. I have never had the opportunity to do so and on a deserted island I would use that opportunity.

Avil Beckford: What one music CD and movie would you like to have with you (on the deserted island) and why?

The Beatles- Hey Jude (Official Video)

If you cannot view the Beatles YouTube video, please click here.

Runa Magnusdottir: I would take a one of the Beatles’ CD because I love to sing the Beatles songs. When I’m reading the Icelandic Sagas it would be nice to hum the Beatles songs. The Beatles CD and Icelandic Sagas would be enough for me and I would make my own movies in my mind.

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

Runa Magnusdottir: Everything literally.

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

Runa Magnusdottir: I nurture my soul by being excited about my life.

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for?

Runa Magnusdottir: More gendered opportunities in the world.

Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..

I make other people happy.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Interviewee Name: Phyllis Yaffe, Chair

Company Name: Ryerson University

Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Phyllis Yaffe: I’ve spent my career doing things in the cultural industry in Canada. I became the CEO of Alliance Atlantis in 2005, and we sold the company at the end of 2007. I officially retired, but my husband says I’m failing at that. I now spend a lot of my time on corporate boards, as well as chairing the board of Ryerson University, so I have many interests that I spend my time on now.

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Phyllis Yaffe: Like everybody else, when my child was young it was hard and I had to struggle with it. As she got older life got easier and of course now it’s not an issue because she’s a grown-up. I have to be very organized, and I have to think about plans. I organize my life around my family and my world and it isn’t always straightforward. But I’m organized.

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Phyllis Yaffe:

1. Be open-minded.
2. Make good friends whose values are your values and work with them.

I think if you’re a good person life will be good.

Avil Beckford: When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

Phyllis Yaffe: I enjoy cooking. I love to entertain friends at home, that’s a fun thing to do. I like to invite them over and cook with them, and make the cooking the entertainment part. I go to movies a lot. I read when I can, I’ve always been a reader and I like to read fiction. It’s a whole world of great stories. We like to socialize, we like to have friends over a lot.

Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Phyllis Yaffe: I don’t know where my ideas come from and whether they are great or bad. They just come out of the blue, and I don’t know if that means they are just mulling around in your head for while and they just surface. But I would say that I have no idea where my ideas come from, but it seems they just come from out of nowhere. An idea would come out and just pop out of mouth and I have no idea where it came from.

Avil Beckford: How do you define success?

Phyllis Yaffe: The hardest thing to be in this world is happy. If you say that you are happy then I would say that you’re successful. And some people define that differently. It’s a title, an office in some fancy building for some people, and for others it is creating the things they want to create, working with the people they want to work with. For some people it’s money, and for others it’s the freedom to have time. Success for me is doing the things that I want to do, and having the time to do them.

Avil Beckford: In your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Phyllis Yaffe: The way I know that I am happy at what I’ve done is if I’m doing the things that I wanted to do and enjoying them, that’s definitely success.

Avil Beckford: What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?

Phyllis Yaffe: For sure taking opportunities when they came along, but the other thing is making sure that you have smart people around you. I mean that by saying not to be intimidated by having people who are better at what they do than what you do, than how you perform your job. I always thought that if I had the very smartest people around me how could I fail. I’d say that’s true. There are many people who don’t like smart people around them because they like to be the smartest in the room. But I always liked to be the person who had the smart people around her.

Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Phyllis Yaffe: Well I know that it’s harder now than when I was young to find the right career path so I guess I would say to think that one through. Think about what you like doing, make sure it’s something that you enjoy, understand that enjoying it, being happy with your choices is way more important than what makes more money, and what’s the most prestigious. If you’re a cab driver and that gives you the most enjoyment in life, then that’s your career path. Don’t let the world’s view of what success is define yours, you have to define it for yourself.

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

Phyllis Yaffe: I thought about this and I didn’t have great names. When my daughter applied for school she came up with great names. I think all mine would be writers. I’m a big reader of fiction, and I’d love to meet the writers of some of the novels that I’ve loved. I’d like to meet Shirley Hazzard who wrote The Great Fire. I’d like to meet Ann Patchett. Ian McEwan, I’d like to meet him and talk about his writing. I’d just like to meet writers and find out what’s in their heads, put it all together and see what more I can learn from them. And I’d also like to meet both Michelle and Barack Obama. They are very interesting people and I’d like to understand why a politician chooses to be a politician, especially in these days.

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply?

Phyllis Yaffe: In Grade 5 my classroom teacher gave me Anne of Green Gables. I know that that sounds like a terrible cliché but it’s true. She gave it to me in hardcover and I still have it. I think it’s the only book I have from so long ago and I never had a hardcover book before that, that was mine, all mine. We had books in the house but children’s books weren’t a big deal. And certainly spending money on them seemed like a great luxury. I remember getting it and how thrilled I was to have it. I read it, I loved it, I don’t think it’s been a huge influence on me as a book, but just getting a hardcover book that was mine to hold was a really important thing for me.

Avil Beckford: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are five books that you would like to have with you and why? Summarize the book in two sentences.

Phyllis Yaffe: I think I would say all the fiction I mentioned. I would go back and read lots of Doris Lessing. I’d read lots of Ian McEwan, some of Margaret Atwood but not very much – just her older books. I would read as much fictions as I could possibly find.

Avil Beckford: What one music CD and movie would you like to have with you (on the deserted island) and why?

Phyllis Yaffe: I think I’d watch Annie Hall forever. I thought it was hysterically funny and I could watch that. The old Joni Mitchell albums would be my favourite.

If you cannot view the YouTube Annie Hall movie trailer, please click here.

If you cannot view the Joni Mitchell YouTube video please click here.

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

Phyllis Yaffe: I thing there is to much to learn, so many places the go. I like meeting people. I’m open to the world, I’m in a strange place where I have lots of years left to do many things and have many choices to make. I’m interested in where the next choice will take me.

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

Phyllis Yaffe: it’s easy to say all the things I’ve already said, reading and friends and all that kind of stuff. But I would say that I’m not good at that, I fail at it.

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for?

Phyllis Yaffe: Health!

Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..

Phyllis Yaffe: The people I love are around me.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Book link are affiliate links.

Interviewee Name: Warren Salmon, CEO

Company Name: First Fridays & Black Board International

Website: http://www.firstfridays.ca, http://www.ashaware.com/home.html

Warren Salmon – Your Invisible Mentor

Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Warren Salmon: I was born and raised here in Toronto, from parents of Jamaican and Scottish descent. I went to Ryerson and studied computer science. I also went to York and UBC and took business courses. I am self-employed from I was in university in the technology field. I currently have a software company called Black Board International. I also run a networking event called First Fridays, which I have the trademark for in Canada. I have First Fridays in Toronto and Montreal and looking to expand to other cities as well.

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Warren Salmon: They are quite integrated. The events I do for example are events if I wasn’t holding them I would be going to. It allows me to be exposed to a lot of things that are going on in the community, and around the city that are of interest to me on the social side of things as well. I’m able to mix business with pleasure.

Avil Beckford: What’s a major regret that you’ve had in life?

Warren Salmon: Nothing major comes to mind but I could have taken a few more risks, gone out on a limb for some business opportunities.

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Warren Salmon:

1. Integrity is very important so don’t do anything that’s going to compromise your integrity.
2. Be truthful.
3. Work hard.
4. Treat people with respect.
5. Be humble when it comes to accomplishments when dealing with people.

Avil Beckford: When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

Warren Salmon: I spend a lot of time with the family. I’m a father of two children, so I spend a lot of family time. I attend different events that are going on in the community, socialize a bit. I pay attention to my health so I like to work out and I enjoy the outdoors as well.

Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Warren Salmon: Reading, and observing society in general. Living life certain ideas will jump out at you and if I’m observing people noticing things that could be done better generate new ideas, better ideas and also seeing things that are going on in different cities. That’s how I got the idea for First Fridays, I came across it while doing business in the US and we didn’t have anything like that in Canada so I thought this was something we could use here.

Avil Beckford: What’s your favourite quotation and why?

Warren Salmon: “Winners never quit” because it speaks to what it takes to be successful. It takes hard work to be successful, and also when you face adversity and challenges and the only way to be successful is to overcome that adversity and not quit.

Avil Beckford: How do you define success?

Warren Salmon: I define success in terms of happiness and I would also say adding value to people’s lives. I think that’s the biggest form of success, whether you are teaching people or contributing to their lives in a positive way, I’d say to me that’s the biggest form of success.

Avil Beckford: In your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Warren Salmon: Finding something that you’re interested in, your passion, and doing the best that you can, whatever task that is, or business or service and I’d say working hard and having a goal and working towards meeting that goal.

Avil Beckford: What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?

Warren Salmon:

• I got a fairly decent education, going to university helped me to think and learn how to approach things.
• Coming up with a vision and in my case it was different products and services, and working hard to develop those products and services and continually working on improving them, and sticking to the plan and continuing to work and grow those businesses.

Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Warren Salmon: Education is a key component, so get as much education as you can. Look at people who have succeeded in that field whether they are mentors or role models and look at how they got to where they got to. So look at what path they followed, what steps they took and operate with integrity, believe in yourself, and work hard.

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

Warren Salmon: I would ask them similar questions that you are asking me.

1. Barack Obama
2. Martin Luther King
3. Malcolm X
4. Jesus
5. Gandhi
6. Nelson Mandela

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply?

Warren Salmon: The Autobiography of Malcolm X As Told to Alex Haley. Quite a few people have mentioned that book as having a profound impact on them – like Spike Lee. The book was very eye opening and it talks about looking at things from a different angle, and it puts a lot of things we see in society into perspective. It causes you to think and rethink a lot of things we’ve been taught about what we see in society.

Avil Beckford: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are five books that you would like to have with you and why? Summarize the book in two sentences.

Warren Salmon:

1. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley
2. I would take a book on survival about how to survive on a deserted island
3. The Bible
4. The Quran
5. Humorous book to help me keep my sense of humour
6. Book on meditation

Avil Beckford: What one music CD and movie would you like to have with you (on the deserted island) and why?

Warren Salmon: My favourite music growing up was Parliament Funkadelic and the movie I would take is Cast Away with Tom Hanks.

If you cannot view the YouTube video of Parliament Funkadelic click here.

If you cannot view the YouTube Cast Away trailer click here.

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

Warren Salmon: Beside stuff relating to family, it’s meeting interesting people like yourself and other people who I am fortunate to come across through the journey of life.

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

Warren Salmon: I meditate. I’ve been meditating for over half of my life and it’s very grounding and calming.

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for?

Warren Salmon: Peace on earth. I wish we would treat each other better and in a more positive way. There is so much waste of life, in so many ways, in so many societies. I wish we would be better people to each other.

Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..

Warren Salmon: Spending time with my children, and watching their happiness.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Book links are affiliate links.