because writing is clarifying

12 Dec 2021

Cultivate the Coaching Practice

Most managers and companies spend weeks and months hiring but do little to feed and groom the minds of the people they employ – that’s what…

07 Dec 2021

Tell Me More

As a form of asking a question, “why” is the queen. Asking for why demonstrates a curious mind at work. We expect a question with a “why”…

19 Nov 2021

Broken State of Data

In recent years, data has gotten a more oversized seat at the enterprise table. Data was never less prominent, though the focus used to be…

13 Nov 2021

Looking for a Coach?

Hello. Are you an individual contributor in the tech field? Are you looking to make an impact at work but are running into obstacles? Would…

23 Oct 2021

Being Nice and Effective

I’m writing this article for the nice people in leadership roles. By the meaning of the word “nice,” such people are kind, polite, and…

16 Oct 2021

Infinity Minus One Possibilities

Career changes come in different forms, some of which are more socially acceptable than others. For example, you find a new job and call…

05 Oct 2021

Leading vs. Participating

Over time, I observed a particular leadership trap that managers and others in leadership roles fall into. The trap is participating as…

05 Sep 2021

Let’s Discuss Attrition

Let’s discuss attrition. Attrition gets the most negative attention at workplaces. Folks talk in hushed tones about who is leaving, who is…

11 Jun 2021

My Leadership Document — 2021 Edition

Leadership is a loaded word. We attribute a lot to it; we expect a lot from it; we know when we see it, and yet, we don’t have a concise…

21 Mar 2021

Stop Feeding the Monkey – Journaling

Consider a few contemporary problems for tech workers.

07 Mar 2021

On Being Present

The concept of “presence” eluded me for some time. Based on some muzzy ideas that I formed over time, I’ve associated presence with how…

21 Feb 2021

On Getting Promoted — Push vs. Pull

I vividly recall a particular one-on-one conversation. … The question that bothered me most at that time was how to get to the next level.

31 Dec 2020

2020 — A Year of Privilege

2020 was a weird year. Many things were different twelve months ago. At first, there was the pandemic. Before we even realized what the…

16 Nov 2020

Jumping Across Career Ladders

I went through a career reboot earlier this year. All these years, I grew in my career through the individual contributor (IC) ladder…

31 Dec 2019

Lessons from 2019

As I look back into 2019 and prepare myself for 2020, I’m proud of two things. First, leading through influencing with little positional…

30 Dec 2019

Studying an Incident

It is not often you get an opportunity to study an incident to illustrate a few lessons. A recent incident that I describe below teaches…

23 Dec 2019

Retinitis Pigmentosa

Nature and evolution offer some astounding patterns. Imagine a genetic disorder that affects males (sufferers), while their female…

17 Dec 2019

Why Learn from Incidents

Resiliency related discussions usually delve into so-called “resiliency practices” like circuit breakers, bulkheading, and timeouts…

26 Oct 2019

On Public Speaking

Public speaking is one of the most uncomfortable things I do. Though I’ve spoken occasionally over time, despite knowing the subject and…

09 Oct 2019

Penalties and Purgatory

I spoke on this topic at the ServerlessConf New York on October 8, 2019. Below are the slides and speaker notes. The thesis of my talk is…