Who is Larry?
Larry Goddard is a man of confidence and determination. He believes in facing fears head-on and taking on any challenge with a can-do attitude. His multifaceted nature comes from a decision to pursue his passions wholeheartedly and not be held back by self-doubt. He is motivated by a desire to work with people who share his confidence and belief that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.
Key Takeaways
00:00 Interview with Larry, a talented, visionary leader.
05:35 Active on LinkedIn and YouTube, sharing progress.
10:08 Believe in self, pursue passions, mentor others.
13:48 Paul promotes his book on test automation.
16:17 Excitement for book, follow on LinkedIn, subscribe.
17:49 Thank you, Larry. Talk soon.
Valuable Free Resource or Action
https://www.packtpub.com/product/enhanced-test-automation-with-webdriverio/9781837630189
A video version of this podcast is also at
https://youtube.com/live/ra2bB6d6Plc?feature=share
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Transcript
Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Stuart Webb, Joshua Berry, It's Not Rocket Science, Five Questions over coffee, author, Dare to be NIEV, CEO, Econic, conversation, workplace, broken, humane, people positive, leaders, strategy, innovation, growth, human resources, new practices, agile, DevOps, lean start up, HR standpoint, remote work, return to work, curiosity, trust, experimental, collaboration, leadership mindset, creativity, purpose of work.
SPEAKERS
Larry Goddard, Stuart Webb
Stuart Webb [00:00:23]:
Welcome back to It's Not Rocket Science, Five questions over coffee. I'm gonna admit that right at the moment in my mug isn't actually coffee. It's, raspberry tea. I don't know what Larry's got in front of him, but Yeah.
Larry Goddard [00:00:35]:
I have hot chocolate.
Stuart Webb [00:00:36]:
I have hot chocolate. So that's brilliant. So, Larry, welcome to in rocket science over over Five questions I've got. Delighted to invite you to spend a few minutes with us today. Our guest today is Larry Goddard. Larry is an incredible, Polymath. I mean, the man that has so many talents, it's almost impossible to understand exactly where we're gonna go with this, but he's a he's a visionary leader, An award winning test architect, an interim CTO, and a a mentor to, the Black Girls in Tech and, the Black Voices and the founder Founders Institute, he is, He's been an expert witness for for international law firm and a technical adviser to a fashion house. Now This is this is more than we could possibly get into at this stage, Larry.
Stuart Webb [00:01:26]:
So I'm just gonna start with saying, talk to us a little bit about the sort of people you're trying to help and the problems they've got.
Larry Goddard [00:01:35]:
Yeah. I I I think, from from my point of view, I think I don't wanna look at the people who, They wanna do things, but, have this fear that, oh, if I do this, this is going to happen or it's gonna fall apart. I'm I think I I think I would use the word confidence. I don't think I'll be I wanna deal with people, you know, that want that confidence in themselves that I could do anything. Because although my I have to say, I'm multifaceted. And and it all comes from, you know, just deciding, you know, I wanna do this. I'm going all day, and I'm I'm doing that. So
Stuart Webb [00:02:11]:
And and talk to us about some of the some of the people you've helped. Some of those, of the you know, you're obviously working with with people who are starting businesses, and you're doing a lot of public speaking. Tell us about some of the sort of advice you give to those people. Especially,
Larry Goddard [00:02:27]:
I could say especially with the mentoring side of things where, you know, I help them deal with all these people. And I do it a lot from the, Fungus Institute. And those are people who actually looking to open some business. They are funded. They're to get funding for the business only. And one thing I tell them, I tell them is, you know, don't be afraid to take that step. That's the first thing. And 2, the other thing is once you have an idea, you need to put your idea somewhere.
Larry Goddard [00:02:56]:
If you just keep it in your head, Things just things just doesn't match up over that period. You need to document it. You need to relook at it again. And in short, yes. This is what I wanna do, and these are the steps that I want to take. And then you We really do again, you come to people like myself and others. You know, we would tell you, guide you hold your hand and guide you along the way It took your part, not from our vision, but your part.
Stuart Webb [00:03:29]:
Yeah. Absolutely. I love that idea. Be did if, You know, I've I've often said, you know, that, a a bad message out in the world It's far better than a perfect message still inside your head. You know? The the keeping something inside yourself and just waiting for the perfect moment is is always wrong, and I'm just trying to remember who it was that once said it. You know? The best time to start was 20 years ago, but the 2nd best time is now.
Larry Goddard [00:03:56]:
Exactly. Because what's up in your head? It's just you are all annoyed. If you put it on paper, yes, it's still your idea, and you are all annoyed. But now you now have Something visual that you could look at, and you could say, oh, you know, I think I shouldn't go here. I should do this before I do that. But once it's just in your head and it goes around, You spend years waiting for and and and as I always tell people, there is nothing ever called the perfect moment. The perfect moment is right now.
Stuart Webb [00:04:24]:
Yeah.
Larry Goddard [00:04:24]:
Yeah. You know? That's the perfect moment. People tend to we are fine a lot too. People tend to try and Bill is perfect. And I'll just use the word product for the conversation. I want the bill is perfect product before They put it out to the market. No. You need to bill a product, put it out to the market, get some feedback, and improve on the product.
Stuart Webb [00:04:46]:
Yeah. Yeah. That that, that's so often the the the the fault that people have, isn't it? It's it's Trying to make sure something's absolutely perfect before the put it put it out, and it will never be perfect because, you know, first of all, you you have not I got had every single idea you're ever gonna have, but your customers, if they love it, will tell you what they like, what they don't, and what they want to see improved.
Larry Goddard [00:05:11]:
Exactly.
Stuart Webb [00:05:13]:
So, Larry, I mean sorry. Go ahead.
Larry Goddard [00:05:15]:
No. No. No. You you go ahead. Sorry. Now
Stuart Webb [00:05:19]:
so so tell me, what what are you you're also developing new software tools as well at the moment. What where are you where are you gonna be telling us all about this in the future? Where can we continue to watch what you're what you're up to and and your best ideas coming forward?
Larry Goddard [00:05:35]:
Well, like, I think I have my my LinkedIn profile, and then I have my YouTube channel. You You know? So that's where I put everything. So as time goes by and I improve on things or I build things, I put it out on the on the YouTube channel. I talk about it on on my LinkedIn profile. So if you're following me, you know, there you would see you're gonna see everything as it progress And go forward, and you'll get to see all the little bits and pieces that I get myself involved in. You know? So that that's where you'll find me. So I'm I'm on LinkedIn. I'm on YouTube.
Larry Goddard [00:06:08]:
And I'm on Twitter. Sorry. X.
Stuart Webb [00:06:11]:
X. Of course. Yeah. And I I've just put, Larry's, LinkedIn profile now at the bottom of the page, which is, linkedin.com.in. Larry g. So that's Larry G. Follow Larry on LinkedIn. He does do some really interesting stuff.
Stuart Webb [00:06:28]:
I'd say it's he's really got some very interesting things going on. And, yeah, he is an interesting character. So where did you get some of the inspiration? What book or course or, what was it that that really inspired you down your path, Larry?
Larry Goddard [00:06:46]:
Well, I have I have a thing. I mean, I'm one of the old school guys. It had nothing to do with A book or anything is just back in the day. You know, and computers, especially, have now come out because a a a novelty in the day. And just something that interested me, and I started to take my interest in it from since then. And so over the years, I have, you know, looked into it and always do something with it. Mind, I've not always I've never always been in tech. I'm a mechanical engineer by trade.
Larry Goddard [00:07:15]:
So It's it's after I moved from, I'm from Trinidad Tobago, by the way. So after I moved from Trinidad Tobago and came to the UK to live, Then I realized I I had a rude awakening that the call and mechanic don't mix. So So and and that is where my journey is to and that is when I changed my I took my my my hobby. I made it into my career. So a lot of it 90% of what I know is self taught. I thought literally taught myself, I got the software, Back in the day, and I got copies of a lot of things. It wasn't until now. I got a copy of the software.
Larry Goddard [00:07:54]:
I bought some computers. I, you know, I build them up. I start. And and and that's and that's going on and on. And as the technology change, I continue to follow it. And then, you know, the world opened up to open source. So then I started to delve into that, and Then I got to see what people are doing, and we got to use what people were using. And and and think and that's where Classy GS comes up comes about.
Larry Goddard [00:08:16]:
You know, I was tasked with, getting a a job done for Cambridge University at the time back then, And it was it was one of them surreal moments. I realized, oh, I know I I know what I should do. And I decided I started building this framework. Well, the rest is history, as you said. You're quite happy about it from that rough draft and being used to now it's a a node module. You could just, You know, just install as a known module in their place. That's one of the things I do. Yeah.
Stuart Webb [00:08:47]:
So so the the the the current The current set of things you're doing, they've just they've just been something you've never been trained for any of this stuff. This is just something that you just know, you just wanna do. What's the what's the 1 piece of advice that you that you that you sort of took from somebody? What was it that sort of made you think, well, I'm just gonna give it a go? You you you there's nothing that's held you back. So it must have been something that somebody did or said or or at some stage pointed out to you that made you think, I could give it a go. Is it something from your parents?
Larry Goddard [00:09:21]:
It it it's one of the things my mom actually used used to say to us, you know, growing up. She see all you say, you know, don't matter what you're doing. Always try to be the best there is. You might never make it, But you will get very, very good at it. You know? And I and I took that I took that through. And then I started and that is where I was, like, about 10 years old or or something and down to the end of the street that I was living on growing up in Lebanon, that guy used fixing cars down there. Now I was trying out, you know, oh, that's really good stuff. Imagine a 10 year old back then, you know, in the early seventies, turns out, oh, that looks good.
Larry Goddard [00:09:56]:
And I just briefly walk into the and say, can you teach me how to do that? And he look at me and say capitalist. Yeah. He actually look at me and say, Son, go home. Why are you down here?
Stuart Webb [00:10:07]:
And yeah.
Larry Goddard [00:10:08]:
But when I I kept going. And then one day, you're saying, okay. You know what? Watch that for me. At the beginning of it, I, yeah, at the beginning, I started washing parts and, you know, and and and following and then the thought that he taught me. And and I think one of the things from that is I think everybody should understand is if you want to do something, no matter what it is, You for yourself have to have a bad belief in you that you could do it. And following my online normal advice, either that's how I think. And I thought I think now, like you rightfully see, I I'm into a lot of stuff. And especially now with the whole AI and the whole framework and building things in it, You know, I'm mentoring people.
Larry Goddard [00:10:48]:
I'm thinking it's all about I could do this. I'm not going to do this. I want to be the best there is. You know, like, somebody said to me once, This is how I just think. I just think like this. If I am a mechanic, I want to open the dictionary. And when I type a new mechanic, I must see a picture of myself there. No.
Larry Goddard [00:11:06]:
I yeah. I got resonate with me. Not really resonate. That means it it simply means what you're going to do always put your best foot forward. And and there's nothing as a stupid question. The only stupid question I have is the one it did not ask. You know? And and it's and it's true that and I follow that all the way through. So as new technologies come out, I I pick up on it.
Larry Goddard [00:11:30]:
I I I do some research. I, you know, I look at the white papers. Yeah. I get involved in in it in a lot of different ways. Going to, expose and and things like that. So that as well keeps, You know, keeps my head in the game with with everything that I'm doing.
Stuart Webb [00:11:47]:
Brilliant.
Larry Goddard [00:11:47]:
And and as you see that and I and as you see that, I think I might just mention this one time, and it's true that, I've written a book, so I don't actually have a book on the market. And it's all you know, talking about, again, automation and and doing other bits and pieces. And from that as well, you know, somebody asked me, hey. Could you and I thought about it. And then, in my head, I say, Why why think about it? Here, you have an opportunity to to write a book. Just go for it. And then why did I just say, yes. I'll do it, and this is the end result.
Stuart Webb [00:12:19]:
And when are we seeing that?
Larry Goddard [00:12:21]:
It's it's out now. I mean, I could see if you look at my my LinkedIn profile. I mean, I can I I could I could even share the the cover, the book you? I'm not sure where I can do that. Great.
Stuart Webb [00:12:30]:
Yeah. Please do.
Larry Goddard [00:12:32]:
I mean, I will send it come up for you in a email or call. I don't think I could drop it in this chat yet. Hello, Blake. And, yeah, I'm. So it's the book is live. It's on, Amazon. It's, it's on Pat Pat Publishing for the publishers. And and yeah.
Larry Goddard [00:12:47]:
So it's there. It's called it's called, enhanced test automation with WebDriver IO. That's in that's in the name of the book. If you look at Amazon right now, you could just you could find it with that.
Stuart Webb [00:13:00]:
If I I if I could find it in the moment, I'd show it, but there we go. We're not gonna be able to do it. Had 1 comment in as we've been talking. Paul has commented and said, it's so true. Test in test automation, it is never too Soon to start. And, yeah, what can I say? The number of, of live software projects that I have been involved in where We started testing far too late, and we tested with the wrong people, and it all ended up in complete disaster. But that's another story for another day, And I won't bore you with it bore bore you with an hour range.
Larry Goddard [00:13:33]:
Guys have I don't think I that just you randomly choose that, but that is my co author, by the way.
Stuart Webb [00:13:40]:
That's a good one then.
Larry Goddard [00:13:42]:
Yeah. That's that's my call. You both know that.
Stuart Webb [00:13:46]:
I'm so glad
Larry Goddard [00:13:47]:
reach out there.
Stuart Webb [00:13:48]:
I'm so glad that Paul's listening in. Paul, he's also said to us at this very moment, enhance test automation. Okay. That's the name of the book. It's enhance Test automation with WebDriverIO unlock the superpowers of hybrid testing frameworks. Paul, Larry, I'll make sure that goes into The show notes so that people can get a copy of that if they want to. Look, I've, I've asked you a series of questions at the moment, Larry, and I'm sure there's probably one that you're thinking I haven't asked, and when's he gonna get around to asking it? So this is my way of saying, Here's your opportunity to to tell me the question you would have liked me to have asked, and then, obviously, you have to answer it for us. So what's that question?
Larry Goddard [00:14:32]:
I think I think that question should, you know, should be, what are you working on now, and where do you see yourself going with it?
Stuart Webb [00:14:39]:
Okay. So what what are you working on now? Where do you see yourself going with it, Larry?
Larry Goddard [00:14:44]:
Yeah. At at the moment At the moment, I'm working on a project called Classy GS. It's it's out there. What it does is our test automation framework. By the way, it's using WebDriverIO and and things like that. And where where, where I'm going with it is, Because, you know, AI is the whole new talk at the time, the new kid on the block. Yes. I'm heavily involved in in in in AI as well.
Larry Goddard [00:15:11]:
So right now, going forward, I'm going to remove some of the existing parts from it and replace it with AI powered technology and and make it, you know, up to scratch and activate the, you know, for the future going forward. And in in doing that, it will also It will also gives me the opportunity to improve on what is there and see, you know, what's new coming out. And as you can see, we're in the AI space. So A lot of new text. You know? You have. You have the you have the Microsofts. You have the the the the Chrome, the Googles. I know everybody bringing out their own copilots and and things like that.
Larry Goddard [00:15:47]:
So going forward and for the future, it's about locking into those products and seeing how best we could use it to, You know, to to help the testing community. So I would spend a lot of time, you know, going forward doing that for for the for the community. And it's and it's all open source. So not like I'm building something that people have to pay for it in a day. I'm building it, and I'm giving them that just as part of me. That is me saying thank you for all the knowledge I got from you guys over the years, and This is my contribution back to the community.
Stuart Webb [00:16:17]:
I love that. I love that. I look forward to seeing that in the in the world. Larry, it's been fascinating sort of having you on for a few minutes. I really do hope people check out that book, and follow you on LinkedIn because you've got some fascinating insights into the world. I'm just gonna mention at this point, if, if you would like to get onto our mailing list so that every A week, pretty much, I put out an email which just says who's coming up on the, on the podcast so that you can be prepared to follow them, To ask questions as Paul was here to sort of interact with the guest on Tuesdays, please go to this link, which is link.thecompleteapproachdot c0.ukforward/newsletter. That's link.thecompleteapproach.c0.ukforward/newsletter. Get on to the list.
Stuart Webb [00:17:04]:
Allow me to send to you our upcoming, live interviews with interesting characters just like Larry, and then you too can be here to, to interact with people like that. Larry, thank you so much for being with us today. Really appreciate you taking out a few minutes of your day. You're a busy guy, so I guess, I guess we better let you get back to changing the world, changing the lives of some of those mentors that you're working with. And thank you so much for spending a few minutes with us.
Larry Goddard [00:17:34]:
Yeah. The pleasure is all mine, Stuart. And, you know, like I said, it was a pleasure to to to do this, and, I and I will continue doing so, and I will follow I myself will follow your newsletter and, you know, jump in and see what some of the other guests come and have to say as well. Another thank
Stuart Webb [00:17:49]:
thank you very much, Larry. Speak to you again soon.
Five Questions Over Coffee with Larry Goddard (ep. 95)