Synopsis of Background and Interest in IT Leadership

As you may or may not already know, my name is Raymond Nadon and unlike most in my cohort, I am not currently in the field of education. I currently am a minister in a local Christian church and am very active working with youth both in the church and the community.

I have always been interested in teaching, though life got in the way and steered me down many different pathways. I have been in banking, construction, retail and a variety of other fields before returning back to school to further my education. I have had extensive experience in leadership roles within a variety of formats. I owned my own construction business and retail outlet, which put me in the “boss” position, which taught me many, many things about leadership and in particular, what leadership is not. From there, I was in a leadership position in an alternate school for at risk youth. My responsibilities included pioneering educational software and curriculum for the students and leading the technology thrust. It was at this time in my life that I decided to go back to school to do my masters, but it was also the time that I was asked to go into the ministry. While being a minister, I have learned more about people and leadership than anywhere else in life. I have attended many conferences and had extensive training in counseling and life planning. Being in a leadership “position” for the past several years has been extremely educational. The expectations upon leadership are great and diverse. The differing leadership styles is also very intriguing. I personally, would rather not be a leader, however, I have the attitude that I need to be involved and I need to do my part, therefore, this often pushes me into these types of positions. In my leadership position now, I am responsible for both the adult and youth programs of our church as well as overseeing the finances. I am also the North Western youth “expert” specializing in youth program development and curriculum development. This includes things like conference design and summer camps (which is my favorite). I love working with youth and in particular at risk youth. That is why I am in this program. I have a deep desire to provide more resources and programs for special needs children. I feel there is a great need to provide more technological support for these children. Our church is currently making a partnership with Prince Charles Elementary school to help them meet some of their needs. I will be providing technological support in the sense of working with the youth there and encouraging them in their skill development.

As for my technological background, let’s just say it is diverse. My original degree was in the direction of math and computing science. In the 1980’s and early 90’s I spent a fair bit of time programming and assembling computers. In the mid 1990’s, I ventured into the world of networking and set up a few different networks with NT server. At this time, I also acted as a network administrator for the program I was working in. After, this and into the new millennium, I redirected my efforts towards more video editing and data base management. I love working with computers, I love teaching youth about computers and I love the challenge of change that comes with computers. For example, at our summer camp, we have several video editing suites which the youth use to develop videos while at camp. By the end of camp, they have a DVD to take home with them. I would love to learn more about wireless, though, I find my time limited.

Finally, as for education, I was a teacher for three years in an alternative program in BC. This program consisted of all youth who were court ordered to the program. My responsibility was to get them “up to speed” in math and science. I loved working with these youth and helping them believe that they could learn. I believe education is much more than just in the classroom, it is life. I try to instill in everyone I work with the attitude of a student, the attitude to learn. We always have things we can learn. Every situation has learning potential.

Anyway, that’s me in a rather large nutshell.

Characterisics and Outcomes

“The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.” (Theodore Roosevelt, American President)

“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” (John C. Maxwell)

There are countless quotes and countless books on leadership and leadership qualities. These various qualities are consistent across all fields, whether that be educational leadership or IT leadership. A characteristic which is totally invaluable is that of relationship building. The strongest and most influential and effective leaders, were men and women who knew how to build, form, strengthen and encourage relationship. One such leader is Ron Petter who was a minister in Vancouver. Ron is amazing, his ability to help people grab on to and believe in Christianity, not in a non-committed, traditional way, but in a committed and progressive way. He was able to take volunteers and get the very most out of them. Helping them to believe in themselves and see all that they had to offer to the world. The results were astounding. The church grew and people were maturing in many ways in their lives. Needs were met and you knew that when you came into our fellowship, that you would be taken care of. He was able to help people embrace change because trust was established through relationship. His first questions are always, how are you? How is your family? He cares deeply and people know it and are therefore motivated to be involved, to participate, to do their part and then some.