Production. I love production. Production is where I want to be. That’s where the magic happens. That’s where value is generated. I am highly driven to get to production. I’m going to explain this concept in the context of digital technology but let me make a few non-technical analogies first. Vacation You decide to take a vacation in Costa Rica. You book your resort and air travel. You pack your bags. You drive to the airport, park, go through security,…
Many of my coworkers saw me wearing an Iron Man helmet at work last week. Many of my followers on LinkedIn saw my Halloween post featuring the helmet. This article is the story behind it. Yes, there will be leadership lessons, as always. Three months ago, my 16-year-old son, Caleb, asked me if he could buy a 3D printer with his own money. I wasn’t surprised by his request. For years, he’s been following several science and engineering YouTubers such…
People, all people, are deeply flawed. We are all so far from perfection, that it’s not even close. Yet corporations exist with the understanding that we can assemble a vast array of imperfect people to achieve a great outcome. That task is something we call leadership. The body of theoretical and practical knowledge here is vast. There are a few foundational concepts that I’ll use to frame the topic. Theory X. People are extrinsically motivated. Through the use of rewards…
I’ve seen many early career professionals talk about how to break into cybersecurity, break into data engineering, and break into FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google). To “break into” means to get a legitimate job in one of those arenas. The language implies gatekeeping. It also implies that someone seeking entry must case the joint and look for weaknesses in the defenses like a cat burglar. Reconnaissance I’ve been in management for about 15 years now. Back when I was…
I had a great opportunity to be a guest on the Emerging Technologies in Business Podcast with Brock Riney. Brock is an XR Solution Architect and Strategist at Concannon XR. We talked about in-person engagement for remote teams. We talked about unlocking higher levels of team performance. We discussed how to empower teams with decision-making authority. We rounded out the discussion by talking about caring for team members and empathy with customers. I think you’ll enjoy this episode. Many of you…
Choosing the path of leadership means embracing change. Leadership implies movement. If you are standing still, you aren’t leading. You cannot lead people where you haven’t gone yourself. While the act of leading implies a journey, becoming a leader is a journey in itself. That journey is something we call growth. We embrace a growth mindset. We listen. We learn. We improve our skills. We never stop working on ourselves to be the best leaders we can be. Why? Because…
I believe that great leaders are made, not born. Many experience the drive and calling of leadership, but it’s the skills that make us successful. Many leadership skills are self-evident. Leaders need to be good collaborators and connectors. They need to be good at listening and communicating. They need to be good at motivation and encouragement. They need to be good at vision, goal setting, and strategy. The list goes on. In the brief sample of skills, I just listed…
Our world continues to become more and more complex. We accept it. We expect it. We deal with it. Yet complexity bogs us down. It makes us slow. It makes us cautious. It causes all sorts of unintended consequences and fragility. Simultaneously, we applaud the simple. We embrace it. We yearn for it. We absolutely will pay more for it. Our primitive limbic system is hard-wired to conserve energy, and simple is a better use of our finite resources of…
It is that time of year when students get back into their classrooms and teachers resume their positions of prominent influence over students. Given our collective focus on “back to school,” I thought this would be good timing to discuss a leadership approach inspired by teachers. Before I get into that, I’d like to share that teaching is a large part of my identity and upbringing. My grandmother was a teacher in public schools. My father was a teacher at…
A few years ago, I borrowed my father-in-law’s fishing boat. Before I left, he showed me how to operate it and deal with any particulars. One piece of his instruction grabbed my attention: “After a few hours on the water, you’ll notice that it will start to fill up with water. When that happens, just bring it up to speed, pull the drain plug, and it will all drain out. Then put the plug back in before you slow down.”…