Work with Me

I make software engineers and organizations better.

I Excel:

• When given time to read, reflect, and apply what I’m learning.
• When put in a role where I can use (and grow) my knowledge to help others solve problems.

Key Motivations and Drives

• Driven to understand how things work.
• Driven to be the best version of myself in all areas of life.
• Always learning.
• Desire to be surrounded by the best people possible that I can learn from.
• Driven to make my engineering organization the best it can be.
• Motivated to always improve and support the people, processes, and systems in my circle of influence.
• Finishing things makes me feel accomplished. Learning things makes me feel excited. Helping others makes me feel fulfilled.

My Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment

You Lead With Strategic Thinking CliftonStrengths themes

Leaders with great Strategic Thinking strengths are the ones who keep us all focused on what could be. They are constantly absorbing and analyzing information and helping the team make better decisions. People with strength in this domain continually stretch our thinking for the future.

1. Restorative: People exceptionally talented in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.
2. Analytical: People exceptionally talented in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all of the factors that might affect a situation.
3. Ideation: People exceptionally talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
4. Futuristic: People exceptionally talented in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They energize others with their visions of the future.
5. Learner: People exceptionally talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. The process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.

Perceived Strengths:

• Researching, Problem Solving, and Ideation: These activities excite me, and I generally add value to teams when doing these activities. As a software developer, I read at least one hour a day consistently for over a decade, and reading and writing was typically my fastest path to entering a flow state.
• Continuous Learning & Self-Improvement: My innate desire to understand how things work has been a significant asset in my career, as it has lead me to developing hands-on mastery of many new technologies and methodologies. As a leader, this has enabled me to lead my teams more effectively. I cherish constructive feedback.
• Improving Processes: I take a balanced approach to advocating for policies that prevent issues, while challenging and removing policies that hinder progress. For example, defending an unpopular policy that required mandatory root cause analysis for all production bugs forced the team to acknowledge steps we could take to improve our accountability. By contrast, I fought and successfully overturned a policy that required developers to provide written daily scrum notes, as it undermined team autonomy and encouraged micromanagement from senior leadership.
• Perceptive & Detail-Oriented: My attention to detail has been instrumental to foreseeing and mitigating risks early in the project lifecycle.
• Methodical & Thoughtful: My deliberate and hands-on approach has been key to achieving successful outcomes.

Areas of Active Improvement

• Perfectionism: Because I value quality, I have a tendency to spend longer than necessary on certain tasks, leading to diminishing returns. To overcome this, I do well when paired with someone who is action-oriented or when facing deadlines where I have no option but to finish the task. I remind myself often that for most tasks, done is better than perfect.
• Analysis paralysis: Sometimes I can get stuck when I see too many paths forward and no clear best option. In these times, being paired with someone action-oriented helps me focus and pick one of the least bad approaches.
• Procrastinating: I have noticed that when I avoid important tasks, it tends to be due to conflict avoidance, having incomplete information, or not knowing how to complete the task. I have also been surprised to observe that many tasks can be avoided procrastinated indefinitely as a form of prioritization, without negative consequencess.
• Conflict avoidance: As a new manager, I struggled to give direct feedback, especially when it was negative. I feared that negative reactions could lead to ireversible escalations. I learned the hard way that it is not kind to the individual or to the team to withhold necessary feedback. This has led me to Be kind, not nice. Through this transformation, I have seen firsthand how direct feedback fosters a culture of excellence and accountability that attracts high performers.
• Navigating Impatience with Empathy As an action-oriented leader, I am naturally inclined to push for efficiency and progress. This sometimes causes me frustration, especially when encountering repeated discussions over established facts, resistance to positive change, or a focus on obstacles rather than solutions. My leadership journey has deepened my empathy and commitment to creating an inclusive environment that supports the diverse needs of team members. When leading change, I’ve recognized the importance of acknowledging and validating the spectrum from resistance to eagenerness without pressing for immediate consensus or action. I’ve learned that leadership is a balance of pushing for progress while ensuring every team member feels heard, valued, and included. My human-centric leadership philosophy reflects my belief that true success is not merely about achieving outcomes but about supporting and developing the people who make those achievements possible.