My Article “Beyond Nerf guns: how to create real employee engagement” Published in Upsize Magazine
My thanks to Upsize magazine for publishing my article “Beyond Nerf guns: how to create real employee engagement”
Intertech Awards Scholarship to Stanford Student
The Intertech Foundation has announced the recipient of its STEM scholarship. The scholarship is $2,500 and we recently awarded it to an impressive high school senior named Annina Hanlon.
Annina lives in California and she plans to study at Stanford beginning this fall. If anyone can find a way to combine science/technology with a noble mission to improve the world, I believe Annina is the person to make it happen. She has successfully battled cancer while continuing to build an impressive academic and extracurricular record. She also has channeled her personal health challenge into an innovative iPhone app to help raise funds for pediatric cancer research.
Here’s a Q&A with this extraordinary young woman:
Q: Why are you interested in computer science?
A: It all started when I got my first laptop. I was wonderstruck by the simplicity and perfection with which the beautiful device functioned, and my desire to learn about technology was born. As a witness to the way technology has permeated the everyday life of the average person, I see the relevance and excitement in learning to code and affecting millions in unforeseen and beneficial ways. My dream is to use what I learn to help those in need, not necessarily just design the “next big thing” for those who can afford it.
Q: When did you first decide on a computer-related field?
A: I didn’t officially decide on a computer-related field until just this last year. I knew I was interested in technology for awhile, but I hadn’t tried actually coding. This last year, I learned Java in AP Computer Science A and loved it, and that was the deciding factor for me.
Q: Did you have any educational or extracurricular experiences during your k-12 years that helped you decide on computer science?
A: My interest in actually pursuing computer science as a career blossomed when I was first introduced to coding in a technology camp during the summer after my freshman year of high school. I learned to use drag and drop coding software, to create an iPhone app.
Over the course of that summer, and the following summer, I spent about 180 hours designing the children’s game, Zarno, as a fundraiser for the nonprofit my family started, Cure Me Too Childhood Cancer Foundation, which raises money for pediatric cancer research. Zarno reflects my first computer science-related accomplishment and I am extremely proud of having it published in the app store. The limitations of the software I used to create the app are part of what inspired me to learn how to actually write code.
Q: Why did you select Stanford?
A: Many factors contributed to my decision to select Stanford. Beyond being a world class university in an ideal location in terms of weather and proximity to
Silicon Valley, Stanford also has a unique interdisciplinary major called Symbolic Systems. It is basically the study of how computers think, how humans think, and how the two interact, and it incorporates studies in computer science, psychology, philosophy and linguistics. Within that major, I hope to specialize in either artificial intelligence or human-computer interaction.
Q: Would you be willing to share your thoughts about the value of the Intertech scholarship to your academic journey?
A: I am incredibly grateful to be the recipient of an Intertech scholarship, as it will decrease the financial burden on my family as I pursue my education at Stanford. Merit based scholarships are generally not given at top universities, so scholarships like this are extremely helpful.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to share for others, particularly young women, who may be considering a computer science career?
A: I would advise young women to not be intimidated by the “bro-culture” of the technology industry. Being in the minority can be an advantage as companies seek diversity, and it can also be an opportunity to empower other women to follow their passions. “Be the change you want to see” is some of the most solid advice ever given and is an excellent mantra by which to live and work.
Can Business Save the World? The CSR Benefits
If you’ve been following my current series of posts about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), you know I’m ready to share some of the benefits of engaging in CSR. These findings are from a survey of 142 business people representing a diverse range of industries: manufacturing, consumer packaged goods, extractive minerals, financial services, media, telecommunications and others. All were managers who attended Harvard Business School’s CSR executive education program sometime during the past four years. A surprising 60 percent said they were “dissatisfied with their firms’ CSR activities and wanted to improve them.”
The research team divided the responses into three categories, based on how each respondent’s company CSR programs were organized:
- Philanthropy = 48 percent of respondents
- Operational Improvements = 39 percent
- Business-model Transformation = 13 percent
Those who fell into the purely philanthropic category rated the benefits as follows:
- Improves company’s social standing (84 percent)
- Supports company’s philanthropic priorities (77 percent)
- Increases employee motivation (67 percent)
- Increases revenue (13 percent), with 41 percent citing increased costs
Among the managers whose companies’ focused CSR on making operational improvements, the benefits were identified as:
- Improves company’s social standing (94 percent)
- Improves company’s environmental impact (62 percent)
- Protects resources on which company depends (58 percent)
- Increases revenue (32 percent), with 35 percent citing increased costs and 32 percent citing increased costs
And among the 13 percent of respondents representing the “radical fringe” defined by “Business-Model Transformation” CSR programs, the following benefits were reported:
- Creates an important solution to a social/environmental program (89 percent)
- Promises long-term gains (82 percent)
- Addresses senior management’s social/environmental mission (82 percent)
- Increases revenue (31 percent)
- Reduces costs (35 percent), with 36 percent citing increased costs
While we started our foundation and volunteerism activities for altruistic reasons, there are benefits any firm can receive through philanthropy:
- Position and branding in the market place. Think of a friend who’s a “taker” versus one that’s a “giver”… which one do you hold in higher esteem?
- Recruiting. Most people, and especially millennials, want a multi-dimensional life and that includes where and how they work.
- Engagement. Volunteering outside of work gives us time to get to know one another in a non-work setting and build understanding and camaraderie.
- Perspective. I remember having a tough day at work, which was followed by going to volunteer at our local Ronald McDonald House. Within minutes, I was reminded that my “problem” was really a nuisance.
- Strengthens our industry. With our STEM scholarship, Intertech is helping build tomorrow’s technical talent pool. For more on our STEM scholarship and the 2015 recipient, see my final post in this series.
Intertech Named 6th Best Place to Work by Star Tribune
My thanks to our employees and customers for making us possible and for landing us in the #6 slot on the Star Tribune’s Top 150 Places to Work in Minnesota in the 50-150 employee category.
The Basic 4 For Success in Business and Life
#TBT
In 2000, we were named to the Inc. 500 (one of the 500 fastest growing private firms in America). In an interview with the Star Tribune, I shared four guidelines for success in business and life. Here they are in no particular order… do what you say, finish what you start, be on time, and say please and thank you. While many things are required for success, consistently omit one of the previous four, and success will be an uphill battle.