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| I love to learn, and take technology to it's limits! |
Who I am ...
by Richard A. Allcorn
Recently, on a website I was asked to answer a few questions about myself, questions that were thought provoking. I liked the value of some, and I added a few, and sprinkling it with some formatting, I present this here for your reading pleasure ... to learn more about "me".
What/who inspired me to get where I am today
I have always been an inventor/creator/engineer type. I make things, draw things, design things ... often things that others do not consider. I love designing things, like various submarines and submersibles, and undersea working environments, or off-grid remote location shelters, and the power, communications and related support infrastructure they need. I have designed weather stations, in-the-field data stations, field repeater towers, and even Internet cafes. I am one of those jack-of-all-trades that can master many areas, on that needs to find a place where I can share my abilities and talents, to accomplish more.
Traits I most appreciate in others
Honesty, character and integrity, team work and loyalty. I love it when someone refuses to be beat by a problem, but studies, researches and discovers things they didn’t know or perceive before, to beat those odds and accomplish what others could not! I like working with people like that! I encourage and work to bring out those traits in those I work with.
Most important lesson I've learned in business
That phrase, "It's not personal, just business." is all wrong. When you work, on anything, you are dealing with people. And it “is” personal! It is very personal. These people, your most valued resource, take these projects and these needs as a personal goal, and work hard to accomplish the tasks they are given. And it “is” personal, for them! All they ask in return is for a good paycheck, a feeling of confidence that you are behind them, and the security of “knowing” you have their back, as long as they have yours! Remember that, and communicate it to your employees, and your company will excel far above others, in productivity, in loyal employees, and in success!
How I would describe my leadership style
I am not a micro-manager. I hire someone to do a job. I expect them to give of their very best. When they come through, I want "them" to get the credit - not me. They did the work! But I also understand the learning process, and that it involves occasional failure. I support them in their failures, and help them to find ways to avoid those failures and to abound in successes. I believe in empowering individuals to perform at their best. I like to bring that out, with encouragement, trust and rewards for a job well done.
My advice for other business leaders
My experience has shown me that most leaders in business cannot be given advice. What they believe is what they will do. They are often "not open" to a different approach, and that becomes their downfall. My advise would be to embrace the mind of a student, even as a leader! If you cannot learn and grow, then you're dead. Something that is alive is changing, but something that does not change, but remains the same, always, is static, immobile, and … dead.
You may still be walking and breathing, but you will not develop and improve until you are open ... open to learn, open to consider different approaches, and one who recognizes the value of your people. A good leader is just that - a "leader", and not a driver. You drive cattle because they have a small mind, and very little ability to abandon a routine. But people have an on-board computer, a mind that far surpasses anything man has yet to design. Learn how to draw the very best out of your people. Believe in them! And show them that you are not their master, but their leader ... someone who wants to walk beside them, to get the job done with excellence, and to give them the glory they deserve for a job well done! Do not forget to reward them! Often today, we are too cheap. Find what they like, their interests and their dreams, and "feed that" as a reward. It - will - always - pay off.
The thing I love most about work
Working with inspiring people, that have a “team” mentality. Solving problems that everyone else thinks cannot be done. Coming into a situation and re-working a "sacred cow" process, making it 3-5 times more efficient through automation and re-divised processes, and then using people for more of what they do best, and letting the machines continue with the menial, redundant stuff.
What I would still like to achieve professionally
I want to become a part of something creative. I want to make such an impact that even when I move towards retirement, they want me on retainer, to consult, to assist at times, and to continue to be an active part of that product, that division and that business.
How I balance work and life
As most inventors and creators, I often become engrossed in my projects. But I do like to play. I love camping, scuba diving, sailing, and travel. I love people! I love meeting new people, inspiring them, getting to know their hopes and their dreams, and encouraging them! I have to make myself “play”. Often I find that when you "play", you free up the mind to discover the answer you've been hammering to find all week long. Play is an important process to learn.
What I'm passionate about
I am passionate about progress, about doing it right the first time, and about planning far beyond what our goal is, so that when the opportunity comes for expansion/growth/enhancement, we've already considered it and engineered it into our design.
Books on my nightstand
I am rapidly moving a great deal of my books to the iPad, and to my Kindle. With that small device, I can carry my entire library with me, for reference! This I find invaluable, as a mobile resource. On my night stand, you will often find journals, small books for me to draw in, and take notes, to sketch out new ideas and plans, and a place to record dreams and visions. Other than that, you will find my Bible, a Merriam-Webster dictionary, a Wikipedia reference guide, a Thesaurus, and a few inspiration books or the latest book I might be reading for inspiration.
What's on my playlist
I'm a cowboy, by nature, an all-cards-on-the-table kind of guy. Integrity and honor are important to me. As of late, though, I’ve grown my hair, adopted some moderate styling in my wardrobe, and … it’s a new me! I’m not as rushed or driven, but rather more solid, grounded, with forethought in what I do. I got into computers and technology years ago, and I find that it comes very easily to me. I love all sorts of music, but find when working on a deadline, I often prefer techno. Weird, I know, but it seems to free up and speed up my mental processes. My favorite music is jazz, piano, guitar, Christian rock, and old gospel songs. In my Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk I purchased in late 2016, I have an iPad Mini 2, that I use as navigations aid. I use it for so much more, and one thing I really like is that it plays Pandora in the background, keeping some soft piano music gently playing in the background, when I’m parked somewhere working. It’s peaceful, and keeps me calm and sedate when I’m in heavy traffic. Of all the music I might listen to, though, it love songs written in “minor key”, the mysterious, the heart moving and soul grabbing tunes you simply love, but cannot understand why.
Person I would most like to meet
Successful people. A friend of mine who teaches on wisdom says that you are a summary of the company you keep. He also says that the key to determining what your worth is, is hidden in the type of problems you solve. So, I would like to be around successful people, people with dreams and visions and the funding to make them happen. I want to learn from them, but more importantly I want to get to know them. I want the relationship, the friendship, the thing that makes that friendship special, memorable.
Superpower I most desire
Mental focus. If there was a way, I would love to achieve full use of my brain and it's mental capabilities to a near 100% level. It’s like in the movie, “Limitless” … I would simply love to have that!
Favorite movie/book
"SeaQuest DSV", "Tron Legacy", "Star Trek Voyager" and “Star Trek - Next Generation"; I love the movie, "The Edge", and a recent one with Robert De Niro, “The Intern".
Guilty pleasure
Gadgets. I love them! All of these neat little techno toys and what you can do with them ... I love UNIX, LINUX, and terminals, dial-up, and connecting to my LINUX system via two-way radio! I love smartphones, iPads, ultra-lite notebooks, solar panels and thermal generators, and two-way radio ... the list is endless! If it's a neat gadget or techno toy, I've got to at least play with it! Recently, I totally outfitted my Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk with instrumentation that makes it look somewhat like an aircraft now! I have 2 iPhone 5s units, retired, that now display my current GPS location and altitude, and another one displays a digital compass, with waypoints, bearings, ETA, etc.. and then the iPad mini-2 is my navigations unit, that also does so much more! I love my Apple watch, my daypack (personal man bag), and the list goes on-and-on. In my Jeep I have wifi, an external cellular antenna to boost that wifi range; I have a cellular range booster also to give me better cellular coverage for my smartphones in the Jeep. I just love gadgets!
Favorite quote
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live a life that he has imagined, he will achieve a success unheard of, in common dreams. [Henry David Thoreau]
Even more about me
A director at Dell Computers once told me that I proved the "jack-of-all-trades" theory wrong. He said, "You are a master of many things", and he saw that potential in me! I learn, process, analyze, and find the understanding of a matter. Then, I can figure out just about anything that we can do with that, that others might never have imagined. I remember. When I learn things, I remember them, and am able to recall on past data, things learned, resources, etc. It's a gift! Unfortunately, the many dreams and visions I have, require funding to bring them from the holographic image in my mind to the physical reality, so man can enjoy them!
I seek that place where my creative abilities can stretch and strut their stuff ... a place where the company I work for is highly blessed financially, because of what I do! And naturally, I will profit as well, and often be given leeway to stretch out and show them new things to profit that they never considered, because of my past track record. THAT is what I am looking for in a career, a place where I can “make things” and “do things” that just make more and more money, and serve mankind in ways they never imagined!
What I currently do:
I am a virtual IT guy, often mobile, who works "on-the-GRID" managing domains, websites, Google Apps accounts, and public social media accounts, making connections between contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, files storage, and more.
I create and manage virtual systems; working as a systems engineer, a server admin, a help desk, online services rep, a consultant, a security tech, and as a manager, whatever it takes!
I love working with people. I am a trainer, an encourager, and a helpful resource. I constantly put together quick-reference lists, with the full intent of sharing them with others who find themselves at the point I am which spurred me to create said reference list. This helps others that I work with, to be more efficient, learn faster, and be organized.
With extensive experience in areas like electronics, communications, navigations, telephone electronics, engineering, broadcasting, public speaking, and presentations, I am a valuable asset to "any" organization!
In summary, let's just say I work best in the clouds!
#richardaallcorn, #rallcorn, #ITguy, uucpnet, #richallcorn, #richardallcorn
