Insights on leadership, technology, and human-centered strategy, originally shared on LinkedIn and expanded for deeper exploration.
Wrapping up my CTA coaching class. Six months of learning alongside interesting, passionate people with diverse life experiences and missions for their life’s work. All of them dedicated to helping people make their own decisions and navigate their lives with joy and kindness.
Theater did not prepare me for leadership and a career in corporate America. It made me want to help change what those things mean and I’m eternally grateful. #leadership #companyculture #creativity
My answer to the lawn dart of a question, “should scrum master be a fulltime role?”…
A full throated consulting, “it depends.”
Saying a team is running Scrum and has a Scrum master is data without information.
Is the team proficient and performing? Is the scrum master a capable coach or just a facilitator/project manager. Does the org invest in learning, team leadership and continuous improvement?
It’s like a sport where most teams aren’t allowed to practice, don’t field all the positions, and are coached by an office admin. Then asking if that coach is necessary.
What value are they creating, what harm are they creating, what outcome does the team and org need, and can they learn and adapt?
I discovered that my theater experiences didn't directly prepare me for the corporate world, but they instilled in me a strong ethical framework rooted in empathy and collaboration. I learned to navigate complex team dynamics, respect diverse perspectives, and prioritize well-being in the workplace. My journey from engineer to C-Level executive took time, but it was driven by a commitment to create environments where people can thrive and take risks safely.
Theater didn’t prepare me for corporate cultures I found myself in over twenty years ago. It showed me an ethical leadership style that’s popularized but still not popular and that I continue to aspire towards. #leadership #companyculture #creativity
Dipped back into financial reporting to setup a rolling summary P&L view: actuals, forecast, or budget/plan for an arbitrary range of months forward and back. Supports agile financial planning and reporting without breaking annual views into budgets and income statements
There will always be some person or condition that has power over our wellbeing and happiness. That is a truth. We feel things about that. Those feelings are also truth. We are not any less because of those truths. The art of life is responding in ways that make a positive impact for us, our communities, and our planet or, failing that, minimizes the harm we perpetuate to others.
I go 21st and 19th century with my meetings, taking notes on quality paper with a fountain pen. It helps me focus and pleases me. I also let AI assistance generate a meeting summary. Then I edit down the summary and add interesting points from my notes. Takes 15 minutes.
Sat in on conversations today about the state of assisted care and sustainability in UX design and came away overwhelmed by our utter inability to construct systems that achieve rational outcomes.
Insecurity is a gift. It is a sea whose waves crash against an ego, etching empathy throughout its granite surface. Reside on its shore, wade the shallows, do not overwhelm in its depths.
Having cranked out about 40 user stories and some system deployment diagrams in the first hours of the day, I feel a bit drained and in that mental void, a bit sad. I need a walk.
We humans are such a flurry of capabilities, joys, insecurities, and sadness. It’s a wonder from time to time we can rise above the turbulent stir of ourselves to see one another.