There's Snow Place Like IMLP: Snow Stories from around the World

As I have previously stated in this blog (see "It’s a Party Outside the USA" ), I really enjoy the global nature of the Information Management Leadership Program.  The friends that I have made from around the globe through IMLP have meant the world to me (pun intended: you can groan). Last week, I received a request for a brownie recipe from an Italian IMLP (and I’m hoping to get an Italian recipe in return).  Yesterday, I received an email with a “save the date” for the wedding of a recently engaged Indian IMLP (I’m already looking up flight prices).

In my previous post, I shared some stories of holidays IMLPs celebrate around the world. Today, I bring you a collection of snow stories from IMLPs around the world. I hope you enjoy this small taste of global perspective. Join IMLP, and you’ll get an entire feast!

(P.S. Don’t forget to comment and share your own snow stories.)

Tomasz B., Poland:

Once I parked my car in a huuge parking lot in Krakow, Poland. It was my first time in that town – I was visiting my friend and it was middle of the night so I haven’t even put much effort in memorizing the exact spot location. It was late December and it happened that it was snowing for next few hours. When I got back in the morning I saw something like in the above picture. It took my two hours and a half to find my vehicle – it annoyed me and made me laugh at the same time. ;-)

Almaz K., Russia:

I live in Kazan city; it is in the middle of the Russian “snow gauge”, where one side is a fun and another is a disaster. Here in Kazan we have long, cold winters and a lot of snow. This year our winter “started” in the middle of November and we have already had heavy snowfalls. During one of the days, more than 7000 tons of snow were removed from the city. To overcome snowfalls and clean roads, the city has to keep about 500 special snow machines and lots of lorries. But it was not enough last winter…

Click to read more ...

When one becomes the customer ...

Some people say Information Technology is a business enabler, other ones that it is a support system and many mention it is a service. Most people agree we always have a customer focus and it is one of our main drivers.

During this rotation I have been working in the Network environment to maintain the quality that Six Sigma excelence standards give us.

For the first time since I started the IMLP I had the chance to interact with vendors and telecom carriers, making us the customer in this case. It is a very interesting perspective as we need to define our requirements, standards and needs and that is not as easy as it seems.

GE is a worldwide company and when defining global processes we cannot forget how different each region, country or even site are, so the program manager challenge is not to lose that global mindset when drilling down to low level issues.

This rotation is giving me the capapbility to zoom in and out into project details without losing the objectives we have and thanks to the international scope, the chance to be working with teams in Asia, Europe and America teaches me one can fix things being thousands miles apart from the issue.

IMLP Internships in GE Aviation UK!

In order to keep on growing the IMLP in the UK, GE Aviation is recruiting IMLP Interns (also known as Co-Op or EID) for this summer in Cheltenham.

They will be the first ones to join GE Aviation in the UK as IMLP Interns and will be working closely with IMLPs based in Cheltenham. Exposure to leadership and an amazing learning experience is guaranteed.

Exciting rotations of one-year length will be available so they will understand how GE operates, the infrastructure and services we provide while are mentored to develop new skills.

This initiative is part of the effort the recruiting team is putting to bring top talent to the UK IMLP.

Please, find more details and how to apply here.

We are looking forward to working with you!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! Umm, what's my line?

There are definitely some perks in working for a company with such a vast business portfolio as GE: we have resources in areas that some companies could only dream of!  In April, IMLP's from across the UK teamed up with our colleagues at CNBC in London to shoot the first evThe 'cast' of the UK IMLP video in the studio. L to R: Eulogio, Rich, Gemma, Miguel, Lydie, Seb, Renuader IMLP promotional video, starring yours truly and a whole host of IMLPs, alumni, and interns.

Lead by UK IMLP Eulogio, the entire commercial was designed and scripted by the cast and shot in one afternoon at the CNBC News Studio.  We filmed over 3 hours of footage (there were plenty of outtakes!) and with the help of the editing geniuses at NBC we chopped this down to a two and a half minute segment. The video will be used in our online recruitment advertising for IMLP.

The IMLP program is rapidly expanding in the UK, and one of our largest challenges is getting our message out to the graduating students in a market where both IMLP and the GE brand are not well known.  This video, along with the huge publicity boost provided by GE’s sponsorship of the 2012 London Olympics, will go a long way towards bridging that gap.

Visiting the NBC Studios was a fantastic experience for everyone.  We learned a lot about how filming works in a studio environment and the pressures involved in making live television, as we were fortunate enough to sit in the control room during a live news broadcast with a breaking story!

Thanks to all the IMLP's involved, and an extra special thanks to Lloyd, Martin, Charlotte and Tim from CNBC for giving up their time and being such superb hosts.

Check out the video and find out more about IMLP in the UK by following this link:

IMLP in the UK

Welcome to the first in a soon-to-be regular weekly series of posts from the IMLPs in the UK.  There are currently just 14 of us, but that is soon to expand to over 20 in the coming year, and we’re very excited!

Before starting IMLP, I was working as a full-time engineer with GE for 2 years.  So, to kick-off this series I’m going to tell you about IMLP in the UK and why I gave up my engineering job to move back on to a training program. 

I started back in 2007 for GE Aviation Systems in Cheltenham as a Systems Engineer working on avionics products.  This was a role I enjoyed immensely but towards the end of my second year I was ready for a new challenge, which was when I discovered IMLP. 

IMLP gave me the opportunity to get leadership and project management experience sooner than I would have been able to otherwise. 

Add to this the world-class training we receive and the huge peer and alumni network IMLPs have and I didn’t have to think twice.  I now get the opportunity to regularly meet with the senior leadership of our business, and the great thing is; they genuinely listen to our ideas.

Never without: Laptop, Blackberry, VPN tokenOne of the perks of the UK programme for me has been to be part of a global, mobile workforce.  I work with teams in the USA and India on a daily basis and I can work from anywhere with an internet connection (including home!).

 In fact I am writing this post from a GE Healthcare office in Milwaukee WI.  I’ll be hopping on a plane back to the UK next week, just in time to meet some prospective new IMLPs at Warwick University on the 19^th October.  See you there!