Inspiration
Good leaders motivate good culture. In any organization, true leadership is what brings ideas to fruition. It’s what makes a company one single unit, capable of accomplishing more than the individuals that compose it. A strong leader provides direction, but is not willing to simply march his people off of a cliff. Listening to all inputs is key to making the right decisions. Without a willingness to discuss the decisions (as well as make needed changes), we may be marching to the wrong place. Change is inevitable in any organization (in fact, in I.T., changes is a defining characteristic). We have to be willing to change while sticking to what makes our values true. This is the key to good leadership.
Leadership
Having been in I.T. leadership roles since 2000, I bring a wealth of experience to help make these decisions, architect a company technology vision, and then motivate the organization to execute this vision. With a strong background in database design, I have the ability to see and understand how the business rules of a company translate into ones and zeros. Understanding the business is one facet that I see missed in many technical groups, and it’s critical to have this knowledge before leading a technology development group. Additionally, I have extensive development skills in web design, B2B and B2C marketing, service-oriented portals, and back-end automation development. This further gives me the credibility to speak to developers as easily as I do to C-level executives, and what makes me so valuable in my industry.
Efficiency
On the business side, my experience and knowledge of finance systems gives me the means to work within the budget confines of every organization, and helps me to maximize profits while minimizing costs. Over the years, I’ve developed entire A/R systems, created customer payment solutions, automated collections processes, and significantly improved my company’s bottom-line by reducing costs through automation. I believe that automation is a key (and frequently overlooked) component of any organization, and without it, companies make the same mistakes over and over again. Designing and implementing automated solutions with a team of seasoned professionals allows us to “do more with less”, a key value in many companies these days.
Innovation
Finally, my ability to innovate and creatively solve problems gives me an edge over others in my field. Indeed, we are charting new territory in technology every day, and it will require some original thinking and new ideas. I’m not afraid to propose new (and sometimes controversial) ideas, and believe that open, involved discussion by all parties bring the best possible solution to a company. With my leadership skills, I can find the good and bad in any suggestion, and help to articulate and architect a complete solution for a company’s technology systems.
Business Experience
Throughout the years, I have faced a significant number of technical and business challenges. Each is unique, and the diverse and extensive experience I have allows me to solve the complex business problems that my companies have faced.
Co-founding AccuConference was one of the grandest experiences of my professional career. It was truly rewarding to build a multi-million dollar company from the ground up. It required some very creative thinking, an ability to move quickly, and building and coordinating a technical team capable of executing my vision.
Technologies
With extensive database architect/administrator experience, I have the tools I need to correctly model a company’s business into a database. My experience in SQL Server is strongest, but I have a good background in Oracle, AS/400, MySQL , and recently, MongoDB. I believe that the business needs drive the data model, and if both sides are working together, the final solution is not only what the sales organization needs, but a technically elegant solution that is easily maintained as well.
Personal
Personally, I feel that a work-life balance is important. In fact, if it’s done correctly, your work colleagues become your friends as well. This is true not only for small businesses, but large companies as well. There’s no professional reward greater than going into a job where you are surrounded by friends.
In my free time, I enjoy spending time travelling with my family, coaching my children’s sports, and consider myself a bit of a foodie and wine-lover.
Contact Me…
I’m always interested in hearing about new, intriguing projects, technologies, or just connecting with like-minded individuals. If something on my site strikes a chord with you, please feel free to reach out!!!