Transforming Alberta's Economy: Issue 27
Tyler Chisholm
Endlessly Curious CEO | Marketing Leader | Podcast Host ??? | Philanthropist | Top 40 Under 40
Welcome to Issue 27 of Transforming Alberta’s Economy.
What you’ll find inside:
1?? Alberta News & Events
2?? Collisions YYC: August episodes
3?? Curious as Hell
Alberta News & Events
Raven Indigenous Capital Partners announces investment in Runwithit
North America’s only Indigenous-led and owned VC intermediary — announced its multimillion-dollar backing of runwithit synthetics (RWI), a company specializing in 3D synthetic modelling, data visualization, and digital twin technology.
Regions and cities use the company’s digital models as “sandboxes” to explore the potential impact of natural or human-caused events. These scenarios could involve climate, sustainability, energy, or public health challenges. To date, RWI has worked with 14 municipalities in Edmonton, Calgary, Los Angeles County, and Nashville. Its work has also won an award for the United Nation’s global call for innovative solutions for decarbonizing.
Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2024
Save the date and join our friends from Avenue Calgary Magazine at this year’s Top 40 Under 40 graduation!
Taking place at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) ’s beautiful Jubilee Auditorium, this night will surprise and delight you. Stay tuned for more details. Avoid FOMO by securing your tickets now!
Tech Thursdays: Innovation in Calgary’s Aerospace Sector
Join Tech Thursday as they partner with Calgary Economic Development to bring a conversation on the Aerospace sector in Calgary. The panel will discuss current innovations taking place here in Calgary, investments into the sector, and what the future looks like in the space (pun intended).
Speakers are:
Psst… Kimberley is a past guest on Collisions YYC . Listen to her episode before you attend! Lisa Eyamie has also been on the show - check out her episode!
OCIF and AFIII: Building Economic Resilience in Calgary
Visionaries can access resources to scale their projects to the size of their ambitions in Calgary.?
The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF) has been investing in industry players that position Calgary as the location of choice for companies, capital and talent since 2018. A $100-million visionary initiative, OCIF was launched by the City of Calgary to make strategic investments that diversify and transform the economy.??
Saskatchewan Tech Sector Employment Doubled Over Four-Year Period: Report
According to data shared Tuesday at a press conference held by the government innovation agency in Saskatoon, employment in the province’s tech sector has grown nearly 109 percent to 5,489 workers from 2019 to 2023. Between 2016 and 2023 the tech sector accounted for 10 percent of all new jobs created in the province, more than mining and manufacturing despite those sectors being larger.?
The Saskatchewan tech sector has added 715 jobs on average annually since 2016, which would put the province on pace to exceed its target of adding 7,893 jobs by 2030.The report also found that workers in tech had an average compensation between $82,857 and $87,896, significantly higher compared to the average of $65,075 for all workers in the province.
Collisions YYC: August episodes
领英推荐
Liz O'Connell , CEO at Arolytics
Liz shares insights on the strategic challenges of growing a scalable clean tech software company, emphasizing the importance of being future-proof amidst regulatory uncertainties, leveraging emissions management for competitive advantage, and navigating funding landscapes.
Robert Price , Founder at Bōde
Robert emphasizes the critical importance of leveraging AI and customer feedback to drive operational efficiency and transparency in the real estate market, while fostering a culture of passionate, aligned, and motivated employees amidst evolving industry dynamics.
Kamales Lardi , CEO at Lardi & Partner Consulting
Kamales unpacks the essentials of digital transformation, advocating for a human-centric approach that balances technology adoption with empathy, continuous improvement, and alignment with organizational values and purpose.
Cedric S. , Director of Transportation at Pollution Probe
Cedric discusses the financial viability, operational challenges, and equitable implications of adopting electric school buses in cold Canadian climates, emphasizing the importance of accessible research and federal incentives.
Curious as Hell
How to Create a Culture of Curiosity?
The greatest threat facing your company and your team is not competition but your lack of intention to build your culture on purpose. Without a culture of curiosity, your team may become stagnant, resistant to change, and less innovative, ultimately leading to a decline in business performance.
I once had a conversation with a local startup founder who (by all accounts) was “crushing it.” When I asked about culture, he gave me a response that, to this day, I find to be surprising, if not borderline ridiculous.
He said, and I quote, “Culture is not something we think about. At 500 people and growing, our team is just too small to worry about it; in a year or two, when we are larger, it will be worth it then.”
I was borderline speechless and proceeded to be curious and ask a few probing questions to learn more. I run the risk of revealing my source by sharing more, so if you want to know about the conversation, pop me a note. I'm happy to chat.
As leaders, managers, and founders, we all have a choice: Do we purposely create a culture or let it take its own path? Trust me when I say that you will have an organizational culture no matter what you do. But the more deliberate you can be about it, the higher the chance you can build a resilient business with the team you need to reach your collective goals.?
Creating a culture of curiosity starts with intention, a personal belief that it will be beneficial, and the self-awareness to lead by example and give your team the time and space to practice it until it becomes second nature and engrains your company’s culture. In my opinion, this starts with the following three key factors:
Psychological safety is creating an environment where everyone feels safe expressing their thoughts, asking questions, and sharing ideas without fear of judgment or negative consequences.
If you’re not sure if your culture is psychologically safe, start by asking yourself and your colleagues these questions:
When you consider yourself a leader, what behaviour do you model with your team? Saying you believe in failure and then holding yourself to a different standard will always leave a powerful message to your team. Remember, your actions speak louder than your words, and you have the power to influence the culture of your organization.
“Always be aware of your attitude; actions speak louder than words.”
Emotional intelligence is understanding and managing your emotions and using this awareness to navigate social interactions more effectively and with reduced friction. The following questions can help you identify the level of emotional intelligence in yourself and your organization.
Creating space and taking time does not mean carving out a particular time for curiosity or holding a curiosity session. It means giving your team that extra moment to think and to question without shutting it down.
So much of this may sound like common sense, but as we all know, common sense is rarer than we might think. It has been my experience that, like so many aspects of curiosity and, in this case, how it relates to culture, how you show up as a leader will set the tone for how your team engages with you and each other.
The leader I referenced in the first paragraph's tale didn’t get a happy ending. Their company struggled and stalled in growth mode, which resulted in a mass exodus of unhappy team members. You get the culture you create; in their case, they got the one they ignored.
Stay Curious!