One funny thing about the human mind is that when things don't make sense, we either disregard them, or make up parts of the story to quell our cognitive dissonance.
My blend of perspectives, interests, skills, and experiences can sometimes seem strange. It can be challenging to understand why I might be writing about developing leaders while obsessing about accounting rules or building software to gather data around a change narrative. It also might seem strange that I would consider taking on tasks as an individual contributor when I have experience as a trusted advisor with executives in global firms.
If my profile was a little "boxier" or "pidgeon-holey" it sure would require less effort on your end. Although my strengths may seem unrelated, my versatility is a strength, and I can help you and your organization.
Take a glance at the following highlights so we'll have a place to start our conversation!
My first job out of school was starting and running a small business. At our peak, we employed 13 people in two cities. Nothing compares to the experience of being an entrepreneur.
My MBA internship was with Chicago Public Schools and Education Pioneers, where I helped bring Computer Science education to ALL 400k students. Following my internship, CPS became the first major public school district to include Computer Science as a high school graduation requirement.
Inspired by leading change at CPS, I continued my advocacy and change leadership in corporate environments, developing the confidence and skills to be relevant at all levels of the org chart. I brought leaders closer to the stories and experiences of their people, becoming an advisor and trusted partner for global executives.
I like turning ideas into something useful. Software development continues to be an outlet for me to build ideas, and it helps that I'm a full-stack engineer. (Apparently we're a dying breed!)
Since earning my MBA, I have been less active as a professional contributor, but I have continued to build and learn alongside my friends and colleagues. I still write APIs, optimize SQL queries, play with frameworks, build front-ends to spec, and develop custom interactions in Javascript. I even try to stay close to my friends in the DevOps space to be aware of cloud technologies and infrastructure.
I can add immediate value to almost any gap in the software development lifecycle. However, when I think about my favorite times as an engineer, I think about working with great product and design teams. Bringing concepts to life, bringing value to users, and collaborating with other experientially-minded people gives me a deep feeling of joy, gratitude, and satisfaction.
If you meet me in a leadership context, you might never guess that I entered the people space through a technical space. Having led teams to success in multiple organizations and industries, I have settled on the truth that emotions are the root of all behaviors and decisions in workplaces (and life).
Although I'm a skilled Agilist, I think we simply cannot "process" our way into greatness. And since greatness is what I'm after, I became a huge consumer of perspectives from counseling, change management, psychology, and leadership while leading change in organizations.
By necessity, I became a developer of people, expert facilitator, and trusted resource for people in all roles of the organization. I have been told my brand of leadership is an expression of my core values of authenticity and understanding.
It is my pleasure and honor to teach leadership and personal development to MBA students as adjunct faculty at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. I also consult and write for Work With Feelings.
I became a leadership and organizational development person due to my experience teaching, advocating for, and living by the principles and values of The Agile Manifesto. Although Agile is often seen as a process tool, the underlying values of empowered teams with sustainable delivery pace are all about people and interactions. It says it on the front page.
When I get an opportunity to work with Agile teams, I bring some structured tools and processes to create communication channels and clarity. However, I focus on the dynamics of the team to unlock the greatness that is already present. Most of the time this comes down to two things: people feeling seen and appreciated, and developing a predictable delivery cadence.
I have turned around teams that leaders have written off, concluding they simply have the wrong people. I have yet to meet a team that can't be great. And Agile is a tool that helps me develop greatness.
I took the practices and tools I honed across multiple organizations and formed Agile Data Science LLC to help other teams and organizations become highly predictable, highly performant, and highly appreciated.
Have I mentioned that I like building stuff?
Whether it be a positive behavior recognition app for my kids or a shuffle algorithm for a middle school math card game, I'm always ready to try out an idea to see how the solution feels.
This goes beyond digital products. I like building teams, developing leaders, and assembling projects with 2x4s and deck screws. I have even recorded instrumental and vocal tracks for my best friend's music studio.
It's all about possibility!
During one of my first undergraduate entrepreneurship classes, my professor said, "Entrepreneurs are addicted to opportunity." It was one of the most obvious, yet impactful, statements I had ever heard. 6 months later, I won a business plan competition.
What should we create together?