Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Listing Off


As beautiful as these past couple of days have been here in Montreal, I would still really like to move to California. Who wouldn't want to have 365 days of good weather? Haven't I suffered through enough winters? I'm obviously not the only one who feels this way. The Gazette reports that, in California's Bay area alone, there are 350,000 Canadians (note that Canada's population is only 34 million!). Today's Gazette article features six of Canada's top tech talent who are enjoying the golden state.

I am also happy to report that my P8 team has successfully rescheduled our film screening and contract signing. It's not easy, considering the busy schedules of the client, the team, and the professor, but we managed to do it! I must admit that I was also getting nervous that the NFB budget cuts could have an impact on our project, but if the NFB is not afraid, then I shouldn't be either!

One of my fellow classmates posted on our Facebook group today, stating her reasons for not liking P5. I have had the complete opposite reaction! Herein you will find my reasons for why P5 is awesome:

  • These are elective courses, which means I chose them. Thus, I have an interest in the subject matter in all five classes.
  • With the exception of one of my classes, the courses have fewer team assignments. Though I enjoy participating in group work, it means less time spent scheduling, planning, and discussing with a team.
  • That leads to my next point, which is that I now have time to actually see my friends. Less time spent on team projects means more personal time.
  • I have no final exams.
  • The weather is beautiful. Here comes the sun!
  • I started the semester with a fresh tan from Turks and Caicos.

Today, I realized something. During the MBA, we have had many interviews and speakers, and there is one question that has often weaved its way through each:  What would you recommend to MBA students, as future business leaders? I have thus prepared answers from select interviews and lectures with the Montreal businesspeople that I have seen, as I believe it is good advice to share.

Sebastien Racine, Associate Producer at Ubisoft:

  • Listen to people.
  • Communicate expectations and objectives.
  • Have fun!


Stephen Hart, COO of Rideau:

  • Really listen to the people around you.
  • Do not be afraid to hire people who are smarter than you are.
  • Be practical. Go with your sixth sense.


Eric Chouinard, CEO of iWeb:

  • Stay curious.
  • Get inspired.
  • Learn from your failures.

I hope you have appreciated these words of wisdom as much as I have!

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