by Shane Grevin
Being a Rock Star does not require an instrument, crazy makeup or even vocal range. In the “real” world, every industry, company, geography, and even conference has a Rock Star. This is the person that you want to see, you want to associate with, you want to learn from etc… this person has accomplished something or at least has the image of someone that has or could accomplish something.
Think of these Rock Stars:
President Obama during his campaign, Yes we can!
US Air Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger after landing a plane in the Hudson River and personally ushering all his passengers off safely
George Clooney, because… well… he is George Clooney
Corporate America business visionaries; Eric Schmidt, Mark Benioff, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates
New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady
Bono, peace advocate and actual Rock Star
Alison Toon
Uh… wait a second… who?
For those of us who attended the Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA) conference this past week, Alison Toon was our rock star. What she has accomplished in the past seven years at HP has been nothing short of amazing. She started with the thought of “Things can be much better than this” and then combined knowledge with learning to develop a sound business strategy. Eventually through hard work, perseverance, industry leading technologies and processes, executive sponsorship and a little self created luck, Alison has changed the way HP delivers products worldwide.
Yet she is not finished, and this is what makes her the rock star… she knows there is more to do and has created an environment in which others want to be part of whatever comes next. I for one hope to get the chance to work with her, learn from her, help validate my solutions with her and to do so over the course of the next year or ten. Surely I am not alone in that feeling.
Who is your everyday rock star? Leave a comment to let us know!
If you feel, as Alison once did, that your localization situation could be better let us know about that as well. We would love to help make you the company’s rock star!
My Mum definitely is a rock star! Thanks for making it public
You have no idea how big of a Rock Star Alison really is. What you don’t see is the behind the scenes Alison. She orchestrates many different groups, projects, management levels, employees, and life problems on a daily basis across the entire globe. She always has a smile and a giggle for you. She is a joy to work with as well as a very pleasant person. Cheers