Insights on leadership, technology, and human-centered strategy, originally shared on LinkedIn and expanded for deeper exploration.
Our #1 value prop for clients and Striders is Striders. Growth depends upon equitably and inclusively expanding the market of people who build software well and the positive impact they make. Our vision is to help create a brighter future for our planet and generations to come.
“Studies have shown that facial recognition technology is biased against people of color” Facebook Apologizes After A.I. Puts ‘Primates’ Label on Video of Black Men. from The New York Times
Once someone said to me with exasperation, “It is as hard for me to explain why and what I want as it is for you to make it.” Yes, it is. The quality of our shared learning reflects the quality of the result.
If a leader can change as needed to build their business, they can hear criticism, respond respectfully, feel their feelings, and not lose their focus.
Despite 25 years of experience building software and living the experience of our customers, I am in so many ways the least qualified member of my executive leadership. What CEO wouldn’t be grateful to say that.
Had to add “inequity” to my personal spell check list in Google docs. So far from addressing it in our society that our systems don’t even recognize the word? It’s in the dictionary.
I reference sources when I explain what I’m doing. I found out that conveys a sense that I read a thing so I’m trying it. I want to credit influences and share learning but, seriously folks, a book represents one piece of what I’ve learned from over 30 years of professional life.
My first job in tech was as a LAN admin and mac Helpdesk for 100 Civil and Electrical Engineers. If working your way up is still a thing, I can’t express how lucky I feel for the empathy and troubleshooting skills it taught me.
A challenge of business priorities, is defining them narrowly. Then honoring that boundary to say, “No, not yet” to a cloud of related important and urgent activities you know you “should” do. Revisiting that scope if it is off the mark by shifting the focus - not broadening it.
I put effort into learning what I can do better. Then I put it words for others to see. I don’t pretend to be discovering anything new or that articulating it is profound progress towards actually doing it. But it sets an intention and stirs some accountability.
Learning reminder today is if you adopt a process, follow the process. Study, begin at basics and DO the steps. Intrinsic learning through repetition (Shu in shuhari) takes more time, discipline, humility, and reflection than our egos and our culture understands.
The journey of my life is reversing the order in which I prioritize behaving nice over being kind over creating good.