“Ask for help, and find a mentor.” – Paul Preston
My guest today is Paul Preston, CEO of TechNL, an organization that represents NL’s advanced tech sector, where local companies are punching well above their weight globally. Paul is a former director at the Conference Board of Canada, and holds a BComm and MBA from Memorial University. He is passionate about the east coast tech scene and it shows!
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- What’s happening in NLs hot tech sector and what’s ahead in the future
- How new leaders (and non-tech folks) can tap into the career potential of the tech sector
- What companies are changing the game
- Paul’s biggest lesson as a new manager….and more!
Click that play button to listen! Don’t forget to subscribe and rate us on Apple Podcasts!
Setting Up Clear Expectations and Accountabilities
If you become too friendly without giving your team members or employees a clear picture of what the goals are, what you expect from them, and what their responsibilities are, things can become complicated later. And it will be frustrating for you as a leader and for everyone else, you’re leading because you did not make the expectations and accountabilities clear to them in the beginning.
Getting Into The Tech Industry
As much as we call it the tech sector, half the jobs are not actually tech jobs. There’s marketing, accounting, sales, customer success, business development, et cetera.
That’s one thing we want to demystify to people is that you don’t need to have a software development or coding background to get into the tech industry. There are other roles that are needed in this industry that people outside of this industry can definitely get into.
The Slow Path to Success
As a young person, you want to achieve so much especially in your career, but sometimes you just have to stick somewhere and learn, build a base of knowledge, and gain an experience set.
Links and Resources
Connect with Paul: LinkedIn, Website, Twitter, TechNL Twitter
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance (book)
Atomic Habits by James Clear (book)
Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey (book)
The Long Game by Dorie Clark (book)
