mister secretary
A brief recounting of the power of the written word across my life and career. Leadership isn’t in a title, it’s in your words, and you should beware anyone suggesting you outsource them in the name of efficiency.
Tag: My Story
reviewing performance
Several executives over my career have sat me down, looked me in the eye, and implied I was a naive fool for trusting my employees. Fuck ’em.
first resignation
This is a reflection on my first resignation in late 2006, nearly 18 years ago, that I found today while looking for a document in my attic.
community signal
Patrick O’Keefe of the long-running show Community Signal asked me to join him in a discussion that ranged from private equity buying community software, community data ownership, and the stakeholder challenges of community software roadmaps.
spring reflection
I’m thinking about how easy it is to get locked into a path. We tell ourselves lies about who we are every day and make choices based on those lies.
myself again
Leadership skills are the water I swim in and it took a couple years in the corporate wilderness to remember that.
first love
When I was in middle school, I fell in love with a boy. I’m pretty sure he liked me back. It’s a simple narrative, but it took me most of my life to understand it.
here again
I swear to God that all I’ve ever wanted was / A little bit of everything, all of the time
nitro porter
A week ago I forked a decade-old open source project and Nitro Porter was born.
spilled puzzles
If you’re half-done with a jigsaw puzzle and flip the table it’s on, what happens?
one year
Some months ago, we decided I would be the one to take Kyle’s computer and put it to use. Today felt like the day I could remove the PC without doing further damage to my soul.
attention management
It’s very easy for me, now, to cite how ADHD affects me daily. I hope me sharing this helps folks identify similar traits in themselves or others they care about.
tipped scales
Last week I spent a full day refactoring something and my brain went to that mythical “zone” for the first time in a long while. I was burning again with confidence I’d forgotten.
project folders
With only a week left until my new job begins, I’ve begun tidying my office and virtual desktop for a new day-to-day pattern.
square one
Maybe it’s just a story I’m making up, but this Web doesn’t feel like the dream we were all working toward. What are we doing here, anyway?