Full Signal - Aug/Sept '13 by Full Signal

GRADUATE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM NEWSLETTER

AUG/SEPT 2013

MEET TEAM DRAGONBELL Z! “It is a young, energetic team that is determined to learn the sport of dragon boating and compete at a high level” (p. 9).

Can BlackBerry come out on top again? We’ve got the latest on their revival strategy (p. 4).

Where do you get your scoop? The GLPs share their most frequented websites (p. 6).

full signal August/September 2013 EDITORS & DESIGN:

EDITORS & CONTENT:

FEATURED:

Samantha Brown Fabienne Lee

Samantha Brown Timothy Cheung Jaclyn Leebosh Maha Matin Will Robertson Krista Wymenga

Matthew Mesic Julie Squirrell Greg MacGirr Florent Dubois Couture

EDITORS’ NOTE: Happy September, Full Signal readers! We hope you had a fabulous summer of patios, music festivals, cottage weekends, and exciting product launches (Sony Xperia Z and Wireless TV, anyone?). As autumn creeps closer and we welcome our brand new class of 3.1 Grads, we also bring you another jam-packed issue of Full Signal. Be sure to check out our features on Bell’s new dragon boat team, DragonBell Z! (page 9), as well as articles on BlackBerry’s revival strategy (page 4), a continuation on dilemmas in the workplace (page 8), and much more! Yours Truly,

The Full Signal Team

What is Full Signal? Full Signal is a bimonthly newsletter published by Grads in the Graduate Leadership Program. We feature articles on the telecom industry, interesting stories, as well as profiles of our managers, directors and peers. We always welcome contributions for future issues! Please reach out to fullsignal@bell.ca to get involved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: aa

Updates from the GLP Team

RIM is No More, but can BlackBerry Fight its Way Back to the Top?

Where Do You Get Your Scoop?

Verizon: The Not-So-Looming Beast

Sociable Dilemmas Continued

Special Feature: Meet Team DragonBell Z!

10 MentorIn

Gradbook

Fun Stuff

Updates f rom the G LP Team We hope everyone has been having a great summer! It’s been a busy and exciting time for our Graduate Leadership Pro-

gram. Our first time holding Summer Recruitment was a success and we have extended offers to 10 candidates. Thank you to everyone for all of your help and support during this process—we couldn’t have done it without you! The team has been working hard on a few areas: • Planning for our Fall Recruitment and campus info sessions this September • Organizing our quarterly socials for Toronto and Montreal grads on August 29th and September 20th • Partnering with new areas in the business, including Astral for new grad rotations • Completing Thomas Assessment debriefs for all of our CP3 managers across Customer Operations • Our newly launched Leadership Development Bell Net Page! Our new wave of Grads also started with us on Tuesday, September 3 and we are so excited to have them on board! Here’s a quick snapshot of our new 3.1s and where they will be completing their first call centre rotation: Iris Wong - Fibe TV Tech Andie Rosenthal - Fibe TV Tech Jessica Silvestri - Fibe TV Tech Keith Dell - Fibe TV Tech Raman Paulovich - Fibe TV Tech King Yiu Leung - Fibe TV Tech Mantej Singh Minhas - Fibe TV Tech Catherine Archambault - Bell Consumer Care David Aboutboul - Bell Consumer Care Melanie Bournival - Bell Consumer Care Sara Robertson - Bell Consumer Care Patrick Douville - Bell Consumer Care Anne Jagielka - Bell Consumer Care

Aleksandra Jeremic - Virgin Care Erica Edwards - Virgin Care Meghan Bourne - Virgin Care Hanisha Kapadia - Virgin Care Victoria Pham - Virgin Care Ross Yellowlees - Virgin Care Stephen Joseph De Angelis - Virgin Care Carli Yim - TV Care Michelle Base-Bursey - TV Care Tom Feng - TV Care Ray Abramson - TV Care Josh Gladstone - TV Care

As always, our team is here to support you! If you need any help along the way, feel free to reach out anytime either by email, text, IM or a call. Cheers, Tegan

Left: The GLP team, 2.0 and 2.1 Grads giving it their best shot at Planet Bowl following their quarterly social!

RIM Is No More, But Can BlackBerry Fight Its Way Back To The Top? Written by Will Robertson

Following a series of layoffs, executive team changes and the launch of the reinvented BlackBerry 10 platform, the reinvigorated Blackberry—formerly Research In Motion (RIM)—has began to fight back to the top. Does BlackBerry have what it takes to grow its beleaguered market position? To answer this, we must understand what markets the new BlackBerry is competing in. BlackBerry 10 Platform and Devices The recently released BB Z10, Q10, and Q5 smartphones run the new BB 10 operating system and software platform, one designed from the ground up and built upon the rock solid QNX OS. These new devices debuted in the UK and Canada to mostly positive reviews and strong sales, but lagged in the US due to limited marketing support from carriers and delayed testing schedules. BB 10 sales over the first two fiscal quarters since launch were 3.7 million—a minimal difference compared to Apple and Samsung. Risks: • •

Lagging US sales Difficulty convincing developers to launch key apps for BB 10 (e.g., Instagram, Snapchat)

Opportunities: • License BB 10 OS to other device OEMS (e.g., Sony, HTC, Lenovo) • Expand Android runtime support to eliminate the "App Gap" Enterprise Mobile Device Management and Security BlackBerry's latest iteration of the BlackBerry Enterprise Service, BES10, has been expanded to support both iOS and Android devices. BES10 can now provision security settings and enable access to enterprise systems (email, files, etc.) on any smartphone and tablet of a company’s choosing. Taking security one step further, BlackBerry recently released an add-on to BES10 called Secure Work Spaces. Like the BlackBerry Balance feature of BB 10, Secure Work Spaces provides iPhone, iPad, and Android devices a separate enterprise Email client, Calendar, Contacts, Office Suite, and Web Browser kept in a secure sandbox on the device. These applications and the data within them are protected by BlackBerry's trusted security. Risks: •

Increasing competition in mobile device management (e.g., Samsung’s KNOX)

Opportunities: • As smartphones commoditize BlackBerry can generate recurring revenue from BES10 licenses • Increasing importance of security as scandals (e.g., PRISM) become mainstream news

Mobile Social Networks and Messaging RIM was a pioneer in mobile messaging with BlackBerry Messenger. Recent BBM enhancements include BBM Voice and Video for HD calling between users. ere is also a new beta feature, BBM Channel, which allows brands to deliver a stream of multimedia updates similar to Facebook or Twitter. By the end of summer, BBM will launch for iPhone and Android. At this time, BlackBerry has partnered with Samsung to promote the launch on Galaxy phones in Africa. Risks: • •

45 million active BBM users compared to 250 million on other messaging apps (e.g., WhatsApp); can BlackBerry create a shi to BBM? Will BB developers manage to create top iOS and Android user experiences?

Opportunities: • Messaging is a large market with no globally dominant player • A great BBM experience could regenerate interest in BlackBerry devices M2M and Embedded Systems RIM acquisitioned QNX and used its real-time operating system as the core of BlackBerry 10. QNX has a business of its own, licensing the QNX OS for use in embedded systems, specifically Automotive and Electronics. BlackBerry has continued to support and develop the QNX OS and expand its capabilities. BlackBerry is also leveraging the global BlackBerry Secure Data Network to provide value-added services for makers of embedded systems. e first of these services provides Over e Air (OTA) soware updates to any application/system through BlackBerry's network (picture wireless updates to your car). Risks: •

Competitors such as Apple are awaking to the automotive opportunity

Opportunities: • Automotive technology is becoming more important as the industry moves to diﬀerentiate new vehicles • e "Internet of ings" concept is all about connecting devices nearby and around the world, something BlackBerry has great experience with Diversification BlackBerry has developed the Enterprise Security, BBM, and M2M/Embedded products into businesses of their own. ese diverse prongs are being developed to stand alone, even if the BlackBerry Smartphone continues to lose market share. Competing against technology giants Apple, Google, and Samsung, however, is no small task.

? p o o c S r u o Y t e G u o Y o D e r Whe menga ta Wy Written by Kris

Each and every day, we connect to our favourite websites for our daily dose of news, entertainment and of course, gossip. But after a while, we all tend to get tired of browsing through those same sites. Ready to give your go-to list a facelift? Read on for some awesome suggestions from your peers on where to surf the web and stay in the know!

Are you missing out on getting the top news stories first? According to our GLP survey, the Globe and Mail is the most popular site. However, if you like to stray from the common, try the Wall Street Journal: Today’s Paper/Marketplace, Reuters: Top News/Canada, or for a different style, Vice Magazine: Top Stories/Most Popular; you’ll definitely be on top of what’s happening.

Although some sites only target males or females (sometimes to allow being more risqué), lots of individuals enjoy frequenting both to try to understand those mind-boggling mysteries of the opposite sex! Ah yes, the timeless tale of women being from Venus and men from Mars...

Ever feel like you’re behind on the wireless industry news? Besides Mobile Syrup, be sure to follow: -

Engadget.com Intomobile.com BGR.com

These sites have easy-to-read formats, trending stories, Canadian and US markets, reviews, and more.

uncrate.com maninteresting.com omgblog.com

fancy.com Women’s Health fmylife.com

Lastly, if you’re looking for a random new website to shake things up a bit, here are a few suggestions from your peers! -

JamesList (luxury items for sale)

What’s on your list of top sites to visit for fun? Depending on your mood, you might check out TSN and TED Talks, Buzzfeed and 9gag, TheVerge and Cracked. com. What we do for entertainment varies from person to person, but we almost always hit up some form of social media! The most commonly used sites by the GLPs, in order of popularity, are:

Songza (premade playlists sorted by mood or genre)

Flightaware (live tracking of flights)

TMNGO* (live streaming of movies and TV shows)

Duolingo*(learn a language)

(1) BuzzFeed (2) Facebook (3) Twitter (4) Reddit (5) Instagram

From news, to industry, to fun, to random—websites are a huge part of our daily lives. So take this list and check out something new—and don’t forget to share the good stuff!

(6) Thought Catalog (7) YouTube (8) Cracked (9) Pinterest (10) TSN

*Account required.

Verizon: The Not-So-Loom ing Beast Written by Samanth a Brown

Canadian telecom leaders breathed a sigh of relief

this week as Verizon’s CEO, Lowell McAdam, announced that they will not be entering the Canadian market. This announcement is largely a result of their decision to purchase Vodafone, a multinational telecom giant based in the U.K., for $130B. When Verizon declared their interest in expansion north of the border just a few weeks ago, Canadian stakeholders made their opinions heard. The Big Three telcom companies—Bell, Rogers, and TELUS joined forces to launch Fair for Canada (http:// www.fairforcanada.ca), a campaign centered on the implications that a giant, foreign-owned competitor could have on the Canadian telecom industry and economy. And believe it or not, Canadian telecoms were not the only ones concerned: on August 30, thousands of members of the Canadian Auto Workers and Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union rallied in downtown Toronto against Verizon’s entry into Canada. Their anti-Verizon stance is largely based on the belief that the U.S. telecom would be a serious threat to Canadian jobs. Consumers’ opinions on the Verizon debacle were divided. Many were aligned with the Canadian telecom companies and unions, agreeing that new entrants should compete on a level playing field and not be granted special privileges. According to the Canadians on Wireless Telecommunications Competition report (conducted by Nanos Research as part of the Fair for Canada campaign), Canadians are more likely to oppose the entry of foreignowned telecommunications companies into the Canadian market. On the other hand, a significant number of Canadians supported the notion of a

fourth player in the telecom space—many even leveraged the Fair for Canada campaign as an opportunity to bash and mock the Big Three, whether it be via angry Facebook statuses or history-laden blog posts. Real Fair for Canada (http://www.realfairforcanada.ca), a rebuttal that is modelled after the Fair for Canada site, describes Fair for Canada as “dishonest and a downright insult to our [Canadians’] intelligence.” Now, as the dust settles and the Canadian telecoms enjoy a jump in share prices, we can take a moment to reflect on what we learned from this looming industry earthquake. I believe the key takeaway from this short-lived scare is a greater understanding of how we are perceived in the eyes of Canadians. Like it or not, the cold, hard truth is that the average Canadian is not a fan of their wireless provider. When the sand beneath our feet shifts to quicksand, Canadians are not reaching out with open arms to save us. Moving forward, we must come up with a strategic plan to foster a positive relationship with our Canadian consumers, and ensure they side with us should we feel threatened by industry tremors again.

d e u n i t n o C s a m m e l i D e l b a i c o S atin y Maha M Written b

After the lighter-hearted social norms this writer had touched upon in our last

issue, a continuation of workplace observation makes one realize the complexity of the relationships forged here. The people working close to you can become either your greatest support, or the reason you dread coming to work in the morning. The superior advantage of starting off in the Grad Program is verified in these difficult times, proving to be a safety net for these exact situations; our large group of “co-workerfriends” is the perfect arena for sage advice and knowing nods.

Though now perhaps a matter of common sense, most of us venturing into our first rotations were seemingly more passionate about securing a good sounding title. Unfortunately, titles hold no meaning regarding how much you will actually enjoy and learn from the role, and in many instances may not even truly reflect the sort of work you end up doing. Someone taking an active consideration in your personal and professional development is undoubtedly a huge incentive for you to work harder and better. Choosing a role based not only on the field wherein lies your interest but also on the repute of the team and those you will be directly reporting to is then imperative. Skill development, as most of us have learnt by now, is not restricted to SAS coding but the ability to be open to ideas and include your own without alienating members on a team, have an increased understanding of the thought processes of others, putting a lid on bossy behaviours and breaking the moulds of timid ones.

Having a strong behind must be a definite advantage to working your way up the corporate hierarchy. There are those Sun Tzu copy cats who have allowed the great militarist thinker’s tactics to assimilate themselves into everyday routine. And why not? The modern day office environment may very well resemble a battlefield. One hears of ‘work hard, play hard’, (insert other ‘win win’ lines); all essentially translating to win or be left behind. But to what end? There must be degrees to which these motivational phrases should be interpreted. Is it possible to strike a perfect balance of personality traits, allowing you to climb the highest rung of your achievement ladder while maintaining a cheering squad to back you up? What point must you reach before you realize how far you have alienated everyone you have worked with, only to reduce any semblance of a relationship you had to something purely professional? Perhaps it is the lack of cutthroat business school grooming that gives this writer the disadvantage of not having a confrontational ability or the foresight to push past all obstacles to be the best. Not to sound too dramatic…but is it worth it to cross the finish line on your own? You will have to let me know.

special feature

Meet Team

DragonBell Z! Written by Tim Cheung

Meet DragonBell Z, Bell’s new dragon boat team. Composed of 22 members from the Business Intelligence team and Graduate Leadership Program, the group is led by team captain Kyle Hinkson and team manager Angela Chen. “Dedicated” does not even begin to describe the individuals on this team— their gruelling training regimen includes circuit training on land every Monday and Wednesday, and training on the water every Tuesday. Circuit training includes jogging, uphill sprints, push ups, squats, planks, lunges, and sit ups. About a month ago, the team began incorporating 3 . long logs into their training—an idea inspired by e O Course, a military-style obstacle course for people seeking a greater challenge than their everyday gym workout. During water training, the team is working hard to improve their race starts—that is, getting the boat up to speed from a stationary position—along with short bursts of paddling at 100% eﬀort. On Sunday, August 10th, the team competed in the B division of the Toronto Cup (200m) at the Sunnyside Paddling Club. In the first round, the team came in second out of four teams and avoided elimination. During the follow-up race, which pitches the top two teams against one another, DragonBell Z was not able to hold up against their competitor, Hakuna Matata. In the second round, the team came in second out of three teams, once again avoiding elimination; however, they were defeated in the next round by the Stone Hookers. Given that the team had only been practicing for a month and beat several teams that have been racing for years—even a team that has been racing for over a decade—they were extremely proud of their eﬀorts that day. is past weekend, the team participated in the GWN Dragon Boat Challenge (presented by CIBC) at Marilyn Bell Park. It was a very successful weekend for the team: their times were good enough on Saturday to land them in Division C on Sunday—a division

normally exclusive to teams with years of experience under their belt. ey also placed first of five teams in the Marketing and Communications Cup race, earning them the title of 2013 Toronto Sun Communications Cup Champions (with medals and a cup to boot)! According to team captain Kyle Hinkson, the team’s greatest strength is their determination and motivation: “It is a young, energetic team that is determined to learn the sport of dragon boat and compete at a high level.” Overall, this season was an incredible journey for the team that surpassed many expectations. Team DragonBell Z consists of the following members from the Graduate Leadership Program and the Business Intelligence team:

Kyle Hinkson (Team Captain)

Sifan Jia

Olivia Stille

Angela Chen (Team Manager)

Christina Kunst

Victoria Tang

Moharyar Ali

Kitty Law

Nisita Tappata

Ranji Bissessar

Ann Lee

Rebecca Tessier

Samantha Brown

Lianna Noh

Naryan Wong

Vijay Dakshinamoorthy

Samer Nusier

Joseph Zeng

Mark Huang

Will Robertson

Hadid Huque

Sandra Rzasa

Special thanks to John Watson for launching this initiative, and Ed Galutan for running the team’s dry practices and providing ongoing support!

Mentor

Julie Squirrel Director, BRS Technical Care 100 Wynford Drive, Toronto, Ontario | Telecommunications Your job in 5 words or less. What would they be? Strategic Influencer, Guide & Quality Controller

Take the time to experience a people leadership role. This skill is developed through practice, and is a necessary foundation to successful leadership.

What are some cool initiatives that your department is currently priming? Make It Right Technical L3 Launch & Introducing the FEED (Facilitate, Emulate, Educate and Demonstrate) Self Serve Strategy into our Fibe TV Blue Prints.

If you could choose anyone, living or not, to be your mentor, who would it be? Gene Autry. Mr. Autry’s career was diverse; Flight Officer US Army, Composer, Actor, Author and Business Executive. He is remembered for his intelligence, instinct, foresight, confidence and honesty.

What advice would you give to all the new grads coming in 2013 as they start their new careers at Bell?

Where would you like to visit, if nothing is off limits? Why? Slovakia. My grandma fled (literally) from Slovakia to Canada during World War 2. Over the years she has shared with me her cultural traditions and I have a desire to visit her home country. If you were a superhero, what superpowers would you possess and why? If I were a superhero, I would possess the ability to manipulate time...both at work and at home. It is important to pause and enjoy, celebrate your successes and milestones.

Matthew Mesic Director, Acquisition Marketing (BRS) 100 Wynford Drive, Toronto, Ontario | Telecommunications

Your job in 5 words or less. What would they be? Maximize Bell triple play households. What are some cool initiatives that your department is currently priming? • Launching our new Bell TV app for DTH and Fibe in market • Big launch of Fibe TV in Ottawa in September • Introducing new direct mail/ telemarketing event triggers against the Mobility base • Driving over 50 Fibe TV mall tours in ON/QC • Launching our student inward campaign for Bell Internet

What advice would you give to all the new grads coming in 2013 as they start their new careers at Bell? Pick your rotations wisely. Learn as much as you can both technically & leadership wise. Start building your network now. Find out who the key people are & forge good relationships right away. If you could choose anyone, living or not, to be your mentor, who would it be? Alexander the Great. Business is the war for mindshare/share of wallets. The great war leaders of our past have a lot to teach us about strategy and

Profiles submitted by Tim Cheung & Samantha Brown

tactical execution to win on the battlefield, real or competitive. Where would you like to visit, if nothing is off limits? Why? Since nothing is off limits—time travel back to Roman times. I am fascinated by the Roman Empire. If you were a superhero, what superpowers would you possess and why? Telepathy–smarts beats brains every time. Information is power. What better advantage then to be able to be in someone else’s head.

Gradbook

Florent Dubois Couture Program Design and Delivery - Self-Serve If you had to explain your job in 5 words, what would you say?

What is your leadership style?

Solutions for efficient capital management.

A combination of: 1. Pacesetting: A pacesetting leader expects and models excellence and self-direction. 2. Coaching: A coaching leader develops people for the future.

What has been your biggest career accomplishment since you joined Bell?

How and where do you find inspiration?

Analyzed the situation, identified the problem, developed the necessary tools and procedures, and implemented a new process within my team for capital management.

My curiosity and competitiveness inspire me to move forward. I find sources of reflection, creativity and inspiration by reading about incredible management leaders, innovative company models and cutting-edge design thinking.

Describe your favourite GLP moment.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Going to Toronto for the first John Watson presentation was an amazing experience!

James Bond...a secret agent!

If you could give the Grads advice to live by, it would be... “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Thomas Edison

Greg MacGirr Project Specialist

Describe in your job in 5 words.

What’s your dream job at Bell?

Projects, pushing e-chat, data analysis, end-to-end.

I consider myself to be a problem solver, and like the idea of dictating strategy and being able to lead the competitive direction the company should take. So a role that combines those elements would be perfect for me.

If you could be really skilled at one thing, what would it be? Communicating! Good businesses are generally driven by strong communication, and to accomplish things you need to not only put forth your view, but also accept outside feedback. Communication helps you come up with holistic solutions rather than those around individual thought.

How do you deal with uncomfortable situations at the workplace? My first instinct is to go to the source of the problem…not confront, but seek to understand the other persons’ side, and work things out through understanding and of course communicating effectively.

Any sage advice you would like to pass on to your fellow grads? Be pro-active and work hard. I think that any time you have the opportunity to be pro-active whether for your own career or anything involving your work you should really jump at it.

Which fictional character would you like to personify? Jon Snow from GOT. He’s level headed, fair, strong-willed…but also empathetic, seeking to understand other peoples’ views and incorporate their opinions into his decisions.

Profiles submitted by: Jaclyn Leebosh & Maha Matin

Fun Stuff! How to Break a Not-So-Golden Silence

by Jaclyn Leebosh

Ever find yourself stuck in one of those awkward silences, racking your brain for something to blurt out while the tension mounts, the polite smile fades and you begin to sweat under the heat of discomfort? Welcome to WTFfunfact.com, the guaranteed cure to break all dreaded silences! With a handful of these random tidbits under your belt, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be fully armed to break the ice and impress your audience by speaking of something other than the weather. So read on, dear friends, the world of fun facts awaits youâ&#x20AC;Ś

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 12

August

September

19: Hanisha Kapadia 23: Jared Pautler 27: Timothy Cheung

18: Sarah Levin