first of all I wanted to really start by
thanking you for your time and attention
for the next 12 minutes it means a lot
to me that we are taking our time
because right now the main commodity is
actually our attention we are living in
the economy of attention so thank you so
very much now today I’m going to talk
about the power of risk-taking and why
I’m so passionate about this topic
because it’s only through risk-taking I
become Who I am today I couldn’t think
of any other way or any other thing that
I had done that put me on this place
look at this goldfish it’s trying to
take a risk to jump to the other ball
remember anything you want I mean
anything you want in life just one risk
away what if you could write your own
Job Description what happens in talent
acquisition I could tell from that field
because I’m in that field we write your
job descriptions our hiring managers
write your job postings you find that
job online you land that job and it
feels sort of like this
right I am supposed to be inside this
circle so audiences right here that they
would actually feel more because I’m
close to this table that table but the
audience over there
unless I actually walk over and I
intentionally I want to connect with
user personally then only you will be
able to connect with me so think of that
in a red carpet over here yes that’s the
convention was supposed to be actually
be here not over there or taking a
little rest see it’s not much just
walking out because I want to connect
with someone over here at this table so
that’s what we’re talking about so once
we land and you know that once you land
that job you thought it was a dream job
right and then what happened
you start doing those tasks and we
figure out oh no that’s not my dream job
50 to 80% of the tasks that I’m doing
are actually not the tasks that I like
doing what I’d love to doing then what
happens is that we stick it out we say
you know what I will have another dream
job you know two years down the road but
for the first two years because I don’t
want to really jump out I’ll just stick
it out I’ll do although I don’t like
doing what I’m doing right now but I’ll
just keep doing it because what did my
boss think what do my mom think what did
my you know spouse think if I just you
know start this job I don’t like it so
it’s not about changing job but it’s
about writing your own Job Description
meaning you can land here that’s
perfectly fine but there’s nothing that
says that you know what you can’t come a
little bit this way you can’t actually
come to the front because I want to
connect with disabled same thing for you
so whatever you feel this I’ll give a
very simple example how it happened for
me
so I landed this talent acquisition role
I was doing okay but then I wanted to do
something in the online social media
world so at that time the organization I
work for was not doing anything to
recruit people off of Facebook because
at that time 2012 people were saying you
know LinkedIn is the platform if you
know recruit people that’s the only
platform somebody to do something try
something different
so I write up this email to my
supervisor at the time I said you know
this is why we should have a jobs
Facebook page and we should be able to
recruit people off of Facebook as well
because they are hanging out on Facebook
too just like they are on LinkedIn so I
write that email up I send that email I
11:55 I write that email and then I send
it off and I’m waiting that day no lunch
for me I’m just waiting in front of my
computer and I kept refreshing that you
know Inbox
just thinking that his
come back and say yes you can do it go
for it right I’m just waiting for that
answer
so kept refreshing that inbox nothing
came 12:30
12:51 nothing and then 1:07 an email
comes and then just one line
no because the company already has a
Facebook page at that point though a lot
of people will bail out you know say you
know buddy I I had a great idea I
pitched the idea but you know what my
boss said no ok so problem that was not
a great idea but it’s about not giving
up so if you have an idea you believe in
that idea you have to do anything you
can to go get it because it’s your idea
so I met up with him and I tried to
pitch it again and it’s all about sales
guys that’s what people don’t understand
life is sales everyday we are selling
what are you working whether you’re in
business whether you’re not in business
everything is sales in life so pitched
it again I said hey you know just give
me a chance give me a chance if we you
know if it builds or if it doesn’t work
it’s not the end of the world he said ok
not you’re passionate about it ok go for
it and that’s how many of you may know
there is something called ask a
recruiter that I proposed for the first
time in the Canadian talent acquisition
history back in 2013 candidates could
actually talk to a live recruiter
meaning your candidate you want to know
something
you can actually talk to a recruiter
online there was no admin person sitting
on the other side there is actually an
actual recruiter chatting with you on
Facebook answering any questions that
you may have so that’s how that little
risk that I took remember that email I
was very you know of not sure whether it
is gonna work out or not but that little
risk really helped management see that
you know what if he could do that then
perhaps he could also do something else
and
that paved the way not only for the
promotion but writing the Job
Description
and this is I was blown away to myself
my supervisor asked me one day that
he/she he’d this is the role you’re
gonna do next and I want you to write
your job description like type it up
what do you want to do so if I could do
it that’s where I think you can do it to
is just that little risk right like you
want to do something you want to create
something you want to make something out
of the work that you’re doing right now
and once the right people see that they
will give you that opportunity they will
also tell you go write your own job
description and that’s where you will
have a fulfilling career now what if you
could become the next heart leader in
your industry you know what happens in
professional life we have our degrees
right from your PHA or whichever in our
city what have you and then we fit in
this again this red carpet right here
right and then we see say let’s say
navneet had an amazing presentation we
said Wow you know she spoke at TEDx
right we get inspired sitting here right
wow that idea was great but why not you
why not you sir why not you ma’am at the
back that’s what we don’t think about
it’s all about mindset all right we
start following all the thought leaders
who say wow that was a great idea John
Wow that was a great idea Suze I’m in
that industry and I follow you online
but do I actually take that one minute
to stop and think hey if John can do
that why not me if Susie could do that
why not me why not I become the next
thought leader in my industry why don’t
I change my industry and that’s what is
all about right you have ideas that can
change your
industry doesn’t matter what field
you’re in you have those ideas it’s just
giving voice remember the first stock
it’s about giving voice to those ideas
and the way you do that is again taking
risks to solve big problems and an
example I’ll give you quickly is in
talent acquisition again the main the
big problem we have in transparency
right candidates don’t know how long
it’s gonna take to hear back they don’t
know sometimes who the recruiter is and
most definitely you do not know who the
hiring manager is if you’re lucky you
get into the interview room and then
only you know who the hiring manager
then only you know who your you know
future supervisor will be but up until
then you have no idea who you’ll be
working with why are we hiding them why
so I had this idea I said I’m gonna
break this transparency problem that we
have in talent acquisition since 2016
what I started doing for the
organization I’m working for right now
is hiring manager podcasts so we
actually interview hiring men just sit
down before a posting goes live sitting
down with you getting to know you a bit
and then your leadership style and then
we recruit that audio podcast very easy
and then put it at the top of the job
posting what happens what it does for
the candidate is think about it for the
first time in the Canadian history of
talent acquisition now candidates can
know who the hiring manager is for this
particular role who I may be working
with so because why it’s important
because you definitely don’t want to get
a stuck with a micromanager right you
don’t what’s more important the more and
more I work in talent acquisition the
more and more realization that I have is
that it’s more important actually the
person you work for that you get that
person right then even the role that you
are in it’s very very important that the
leader that you will be working for you
that person right because otherwise you
can’t go where you want to go because
that person will not be behind you
supporting your goals and dreams so what
is that big problem
you have in your industry so now
thinking about oh it’s John will come
along or Shahid will come along to solve
this problem now I’m not going to come
along for you it’s you right it’s your
idea you solved that problem and then in
the process become that thought leader
that you also can be last idea is what
if you could run a very successful
business without quitting your job the
conventional thinking is you have a job
or you have a successful business that’s
it
you can’t have a successful work nine to
five job and then also have a successful
business are you crazy this is not
because the way that we really encourage
people is that you know either your
employee or your a business person
that’s it you can’t be both so what
happened is this also didn’t happen for
me
right away but once I figure out that
you know what you can poke the Box a
little just like this you know yeah sure
I can be out no problem I’m still okay
right I can go back I’m still okay so
once you have that mindset of I’m gonna
poke the Box a little and see what
happens poke it a little poke it a
little right and see what happens then
you figure out that you know what you
can still have both and my story begins
you know back in how the university was
doing my master’s program I did my
masters in e-commerce at that University
and the story that way it happened was
really started in Fort McMurray
and that’ll be home and I was working
for Shell Canada at the time and you
know it was very difficult in terms of
the environment because I really don’t
like cold so I was trying
best to get out of Fort McMurray and be
in Calgary the head office at Shell
Canada so my suppose it did help me but
then what happened is I ended in Calgary
for a temporary role which was good but
then one day I get a call I said hey HR
wants to talk to you okay so I go to
that boardroom 2009 February I just got
married in in that December of you know
2008 so it’s just two months of new
marriage and then I I go to that board
room I’m sitting across from that HR
person and then HR person says you know
what you have done a great job Shaheed
you always go beyond you know what is
required so on and so forth but you know
what I’m so sorry this role is not
required anymore
we are Xing out this role so I couldn’t
really hear everything that you’re
saying but all I was thinking what you
gotta be kidding me right I just got
married and you’re saying this role is
done but you know she said you know you
can’t be here today parole you know
because we value your contribution what
not but that really you know made me
think about what is possible so instead
of you know going back to work again so
I took her wrist so I little money I had
I invested and did that in a master’s
degree at Dalhousie and from there I did
on e-commerce all of the folks were
saying you know go for an MBA go for an
MBA I said no want to go for e-commerce
because that’s an online marketing and
everything was going at the time and
learning that and because I wanted to do
that because you can then have a
successful job at the same time perhaps
you could also build something on the
side so it’s all about that side hustle
that you hear these days it’s absolutely
possible so if there’s one idea you have
for your side hustle I’m standing here I
implore you to actually take that risk
and you know how much it cost only fifty
dollars just go to Alberta Registry and
register your trademark tomorrow it’s
Monday and you were in business
do you believe how easy it is to start a
business here but we don’t think about
those right we always think on this
binary I have job or I have a business
we admire Richard Branson but have we
ever thought to our so can I actually
become Richard Branson to or some form
of Richard Branson that’s what I
challenge you to do like think of
yourself you have so many great ideas
within you give voice and then take that
risk and always remember as I started
this talk with anything I mean anything
you want in life it’s just one risk away
thank you [Applause]
thanking you for your time and attention
for the next 12 minutes it means a lot
to me that we are taking our time
because right now the main commodity is
actually our attention we are living in
the economy of attention so thank you so
very much now today I’m going to talk
about the power of risk-taking and why
I’m so passionate about this topic
because it’s only through risk-taking I
become Who I am today I couldn’t think
of any other way or any other thing that
I had done that put me on this place
look at this goldfish it’s trying to
take a risk to jump to the other ball
remember anything you want I mean
anything you want in life just one risk
away what if you could write your own
Job Description what happens in talent
acquisition I could tell from that field
because I’m in that field we write your
job descriptions our hiring managers
write your job postings you find that
job online you land that job and it
feels sort of like this
right I am supposed to be inside this
circle so audiences right here that they
would actually feel more because I’m
close to this table that table but the
audience over there
unless I actually walk over and I
intentionally I want to connect with
user personally then only you will be
able to connect with me so think of that
in a red carpet over here yes that’s the
convention was supposed to be actually
be here not over there or taking a
little rest see it’s not much just
walking out because I want to connect
with someone over here at this table so
that’s what we’re talking about so once
we land and you know that once you land
that job you thought it was a dream job
right and then what happened
you start doing those tasks and we
figure out oh no that’s not my dream job
50 to 80% of the tasks that I’m doing
are actually not the tasks that I like
doing what I’d love to doing then what
happens is that we stick it out we say
you know what I will have another dream
job you know two years down the road but
for the first two years because I don’t
want to really jump out I’ll just stick
it out I’ll do although I don’t like
doing what I’m doing right now but I’ll
just keep doing it because what did my
boss think what do my mom think what did
my you know spouse think if I just you
know start this job I don’t like it so
it’s not about changing job but it’s
about writing your own Job Description
meaning you can land here that’s
perfectly fine but there’s nothing that
says that you know what you can’t come a
little bit this way you can’t actually
come to the front because I want to
connect with disabled same thing for you
so whatever you feel this I’ll give a
very simple example how it happened for
me
so I landed this talent acquisition role
I was doing okay but then I wanted to do
something in the online social media
world so at that time the organization I
work for was not doing anything to
recruit people off of Facebook because
at that time 2012 people were saying you
know LinkedIn is the platform if you
know recruit people that’s the only
platform somebody to do something try
something different
so I write up this email to my
supervisor at the time I said you know
this is why we should have a jobs
Facebook page and we should be able to
recruit people off of Facebook as well
because they are hanging out on Facebook
too just like they are on LinkedIn so I
write that email up I send that email I
11:55 I write that email and then I send
it off and I’m waiting that day no lunch
for me I’m just waiting in front of my
computer and I kept refreshing that you
know Inbox
just thinking that his
come back and say yes you can do it go
for it right I’m just waiting for that
answer
so kept refreshing that inbox nothing
came 12:30
12:51 nothing and then 1:07 an email
comes and then just one line
no because the company already has a
Facebook page at that point though a lot
of people will bail out you know say you
know buddy I I had a great idea I
pitched the idea but you know what my
boss said no ok so problem that was not
a great idea but it’s about not giving
up so if you have an idea you believe in
that idea you have to do anything you
can to go get it because it’s your idea
so I met up with him and I tried to
pitch it again and it’s all about sales
guys that’s what people don’t understand
life is sales everyday we are selling
what are you working whether you’re in
business whether you’re not in business
everything is sales in life so pitched
it again I said hey you know just give
me a chance give me a chance if we you
know if it builds or if it doesn’t work
it’s not the end of the world he said ok
not you’re passionate about it ok go for
it and that’s how many of you may know
there is something called ask a
recruiter that I proposed for the first
time in the Canadian talent acquisition
history back in 2013 candidates could
actually talk to a live recruiter
meaning your candidate you want to know
something
you can actually talk to a recruiter
online there was no admin person sitting
on the other side there is actually an
actual recruiter chatting with you on
Facebook answering any questions that
you may have so that’s how that little
risk that I took remember that email I
was very you know of not sure whether it
is gonna work out or not but that little
risk really helped management see that
you know what if he could do that then
perhaps he could also do something else
and
that paved the way not only for the
promotion but writing the Job
Description
and this is I was blown away to myself
my supervisor asked me one day that
he/she he’d this is the role you’re
gonna do next and I want you to write
your job description like type it up
what do you want to do so if I could do
it that’s where I think you can do it to
is just that little risk right like you
want to do something you want to create
something you want to make something out
of the work that you’re doing right now
and once the right people see that they
will give you that opportunity they will
also tell you go write your own job
description and that’s where you will
have a fulfilling career now what if you
could become the next heart leader in
your industry you know what happens in
professional life we have our degrees
right from your PHA or whichever in our
city what have you and then we fit in
this again this red carpet right here
right and then we see say let’s say
navneet had an amazing presentation we
said Wow you know she spoke at TEDx
right we get inspired sitting here right
wow that idea was great but why not you
why not you sir why not you ma’am at the
back that’s what we don’t think about
it’s all about mindset all right we
start following all the thought leaders
who say wow that was a great idea John
Wow that was a great idea Suze I’m in
that industry and I follow you online
but do I actually take that one minute
to stop and think hey if John can do
that why not me if Susie could do that
why not me why not I become the next
thought leader in my industry why don’t
I change my industry and that’s what is
all about right you have ideas that can
change your
industry doesn’t matter what field
you’re in you have those ideas it’s just
giving voice remember the first stock
it’s about giving voice to those ideas
and the way you do that is again taking
risks to solve big problems and an
example I’ll give you quickly is in
talent acquisition again the main the
big problem we have in transparency
right candidates don’t know how long
it’s gonna take to hear back they don’t
know sometimes who the recruiter is and
most definitely you do not know who the
hiring manager is if you’re lucky you
get into the interview room and then
only you know who the hiring manager
then only you know who your you know
future supervisor will be but up until
then you have no idea who you’ll be
working with why are we hiding them why
so I had this idea I said I’m gonna
break this transparency problem that we
have in talent acquisition since 2016
what I started doing for the
organization I’m working for right now
is hiring manager podcasts so we
actually interview hiring men just sit
down before a posting goes live sitting
down with you getting to know you a bit
and then your leadership style and then
we recruit that audio podcast very easy
and then put it at the top of the job
posting what happens what it does for
the candidate is think about it for the
first time in the Canadian history of
talent acquisition now candidates can
know who the hiring manager is for this
particular role who I may be working
with so because why it’s important
because you definitely don’t want to get
a stuck with a micromanager right you
don’t what’s more important the more and
more I work in talent acquisition the
more and more realization that I have is
that it’s more important actually the
person you work for that you get that
person right then even the role that you
are in it’s very very important that the
leader that you will be working for you
that person right because otherwise you
can’t go where you want to go because
that person will not be behind you
supporting your goals and dreams so what
is that big problem
you have in your industry so now
thinking about oh it’s John will come
along or Shahid will come along to solve
this problem now I’m not going to come
along for you it’s you right it’s your
idea you solved that problem and then in
the process become that thought leader
that you also can be last idea is what
if you could run a very successful
business without quitting your job the
conventional thinking is you have a job
or you have a successful business that’s
it
you can’t have a successful work nine to
five job and then also have a successful
business are you crazy this is not
because the way that we really encourage
people is that you know either your
employee or your a business person
that’s it you can’t be both so what
happened is this also didn’t happen for
me
right away but once I figure out that
you know what you can poke the Box a
little just like this you know yeah sure
I can be out no problem I’m still okay
right I can go back I’m still okay so
once you have that mindset of I’m gonna
poke the Box a little and see what
happens poke it a little poke it a
little right and see what happens then
you figure out that you know what you
can still have both and my story begins
you know back in how the university was
doing my master’s program I did my
masters in e-commerce at that University
and the story that way it happened was
really started in Fort McMurray
and that’ll be home and I was working
for Shell Canada at the time and you
know it was very difficult in terms of
the environment because I really don’t
like cold so I was trying
best to get out of Fort McMurray and be
in Calgary the head office at Shell
Canada so my suppose it did help me but
then what happened is I ended in Calgary
for a temporary role which was good but
then one day I get a call I said hey HR
wants to talk to you okay so I go to
that boardroom 2009 February I just got
married in in that December of you know
2008 so it’s just two months of new
marriage and then I I go to that board
room I’m sitting across from that HR
person and then HR person says you know
what you have done a great job Shaheed
you always go beyond you know what is
required so on and so forth but you know
what I’m so sorry this role is not
required anymore
we are Xing out this role so I couldn’t
really hear everything that you’re
saying but all I was thinking what you
gotta be kidding me right I just got
married and you’re saying this role is
done but you know she said you know you
can’t be here today parole you know
because we value your contribution what
not but that really you know made me
think about what is possible so instead
of you know going back to work again so
I took her wrist so I little money I had
I invested and did that in a master’s
degree at Dalhousie and from there I did
on e-commerce all of the folks were
saying you know go for an MBA go for an
MBA I said no want to go for e-commerce
because that’s an online marketing and
everything was going at the time and
learning that and because I wanted to do
that because you can then have a
successful job at the same time perhaps
you could also build something on the
side so it’s all about that side hustle
that you hear these days it’s absolutely
possible so if there’s one idea you have
for your side hustle I’m standing here I
implore you to actually take that risk
and you know how much it cost only fifty
dollars just go to Alberta Registry and
register your trademark tomorrow it’s
Monday and you were in business
do you believe how easy it is to start a
business here but we don’t think about
those right we always think on this
binary I have job or I have a business
we admire Richard Branson but have we
ever thought to our so can I actually
become Richard Branson to or some form
of Richard Branson that’s what I
challenge you to do like think of
yourself you have so many great ideas
within you give voice and then take that
risk and always remember as I started
this talk with anything I mean anything
you want in life it’s just one risk away
thank you [Applause]
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