Most websites have a link that says “about”. It goes to a page that tells you something about the background of this person or business. For short, people just call it an “about page”. Most websites have a link that says “contact”. It goes to a page that tells you how to contact this person or business. For short, people just call it a “contact page”.
My “now” page goes tells you what I am focused on at this point in my life. For short, it’s my “now page”.
2024 - Pending
The Thinking Practice is about working and living at the edge of what we know. Surprise, uncertainty, ambiguity, intensity, and change are all disruptive forces we often avoid or fear.
Finding our thinking edge is essential to practical problem-solving. The quality of everything we do depends on the quality of our thinking. A chilling thought because the implications are enormous. Nothing is more critical in developing individual and organizational effectiveness than ensuring people think for themselves with rigor, imagination, and courage. Every day, in every meeting, and every interaction. Yet most of us cling to playbooks, templates, and tools from the past.
Learn how to think like a craftsperson who can motivate painters, CEOs, woodworkers, business owners, stone masons, data professionals, and you to achieve these powerful capabilities when allowed to escape studio walls. The Thinking Practice provides original and practical tools to transform what we think about craft's role in professions, organizations, education, and, most importantly, in everyday problem-solving.
Publication targeted for Fall 2023 through Technics Publishing.
2024 - Feb
Driving Data Projects: A comprehensive guide, published by BCS Publishing February 26th.
Targeted toward early career and higher education, Driving Data Projects is a compelling guide that empowers data teams and professionals to navigate the complexities of data projects, fostering a more data-informed culture within their organizations. With practical insights and step-by-step methodologies, the guide provides a clear, how-to approach to driving data projects forward in any organization, regardless of sector or maturity level. It also helps project leads overcome the overwhelming feelings of where to start and not lose momentum.
Book site and blog here.
2022-23
Taming Numbers and Nerves: Driving data projects from scope to scale, manuscript pending publication.
This guide evolved in response to a simple question from my graduate students: how to drive a data project in any organization, sector, and maturity level? I, too, have faced requests like these in every organization I’ve served and hear from other data management professionals who struggle with the same issues, face the same challenges, and have similar concerns. Where to start? Based on 25 years of data projects, Taming Numbers & Nerves packages what I have learned into a pragmatic, easily adaptable, step-by-step guide for every organization to scope, secure, manage, and scale data projects.
Publication targeted for Fall 2023 through BCS Publishing.
2020-21
The Driving series are self-directed learning guides from blog posts done in 2018. Published in book form, they make handy resources for people looking for fast refreshers on how to choose a coach and where to start brushing up on emotional intelligence skills.
2021
Profiles in Craft illustrates subjective qualities in others past and present, providing a mental picture of a series of ambidextrous skills and behaviors we want to practice. What we don’t see on the resumes we review or the job descriptions we want is the litany of emotional entanglements we bring to our roles, uninvited, to the team and organizations we work in. Alongside technical skills, people who can master a range of subjective skills can better influence, deal with ambiguity, bounce back from setbacks, think creatively, and manage themselves in the presence of challenges. In short, those who learn lead.
2019
Modern Craft Skills was a series of blog posts and a re-examination of specific skills of craftsmen and women that contribute to ambidexterity and problem-solving.
2019
Meditations & Mindfulness lead to more effective decision-making. Developing a practice for reflection is something I work on for my development. It informs my practice with clients. Some people find they can unplug and think clearly about their day and the decisions they have made or need to make when doing something physical like lifting weights, running, or doing yoga. Others prefer internal practices like journaling or silent meditation. Regardless of the catalyst, the practice will yield results if done regularly. Insights come with discipline. Enjoy the juicy imagery and reflections. Use them to prompt your own meditation practice.
2018
Driving Results Through Others started as a series of blog posts observing and synthesizing common questions from my clients as they encountered obstacles familiar to all of us—the manager who keeps moving the goal posts, an un-collaborative colleague, negativity, criticism, or people that are just hard to work with.
2017
Driving Your Self Discovery was a series of blog posts to think through and explain how I interpret and practice coaching and how it leverages basic principles from psychology. I explored questions I had and questions my clients had of me. The outcome explored the difference between dipping and dwelling in the past and what the needs in all of us it serves, the methods by which it addresses these needs, and what the outcome of a coaching intervention could ideally be. The results helped me explain to people who have never had a coach understand what coaching is and what is not and how they might utilize coaching toward their own performance goals.
2016, 2023
The Craftsmen Project was a post-doc research project and qualitative study highlighting individuals dedicated to the craft of their professions in pursuit of excellence and meaning. Craftsmen and women use common principles and raise standards for effective problem-solving. Drafted field guide with practical client-test tools.
Manuscript, pending.
2015
Mental Models are an explanation of our thought process about how something works in the real world. In the midst of a busy project it's all too easy to forget the nuances that distinguish great work. Use these 50 insights from psychology for an easy reference and brainstorming tool. Each image describes one insight into human behavior and suggests ways to apply this to the products, services, teams, and culture. Experiment with these as flash cards or meeting prompts for discussion.