Articles
BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE
Q: What led you to become a partner at Green Leaf? What inspired you to take on this role?
A: Having been in technology consulting my entire career, I’ve been in some great companies and some not-so-great companies. With building Green Leaf, the objective was to build an environment where we are open, honest, technically excellent, and only hire people who fit that mold. We wanted to create a space where every single person feels valued and their contributions are appreciated. I’ve seen that done well and I’ve seen it fail. I want Green Leaf to be a place people never want to leave and clients keep asking us to help.
Q: What experiences earlier in your career most shaped your leadership philosophy?
A: I wouldn’t say experiences so much as I would say people. The people who led through good times and bad and kept an even demeanor. The people who were genuinely caring and gave honest feedback, both positive and constructive.
Q: Looking back, where have you found the most meaning or success in your professional journey?
A: Helping other people. Coming out of college, I did not have the deep technical coding background that others have, which led to a lot of imposter syndrome. But I found that learning the technology I was working with was most impactful when a client or teammate thanked me for helping them solve a problem. That’s always been the most rewarding aspect – when someone thanks me for helping out.
VISION AND LEADERSHIP
Q: How would you describe your vision for Green Leaf’s future?
A: To continually provide an environment for our team to be challenged, involved, and rewarded.
Q: What do you see as the biggest opportunities for our clients in the next few years?
A: Data and AI. Our opportunities have always come from clients reaching out because they need help with their data. AI, in terms of real solutions, will be dependent on high quality data. Our background will blend the two seamlessly.
Q: In your view, what qualities make a consulting team stand out in today’s market?
A: Empathy and technical ability. Too many consultants go into a project with a technical approach only. But being able to put yourself in the client’s mindset, understand their challenges, and really see things from their point of view makes for a great consultant. It’s not always about a pure technical solution, but rather mixing that with an understanding of what will solve the problem.
ROLE AT GREEN LEAF
Q: What aspects of your work as a partner do you find most rewarding?
A: Seeing our team succeed and grow on an individual level.
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
Q: What emerging trends or technologies are you most excited about, and how should organizations prepare for them?
A: AI. It’s definitely the hot buzzword in the marketplace now, and most large companies are struggling to understand what it really means and how it can be applied to solve real-world problems. Preparation for AI starts with having clean well-organized data. Any company should look at the state of their data now, take an honest look at how it is structured, integrated, and secured. Without that basis, you’re implementing a solution just to say that you are using AI and are setting up for failure.
Q: What challenges do you think will be most important for our clients to navigate in the years ahead?
A: AI again. New technologies have the potential to drastically change this industry. AI can make us faster at writing code, can allow non-technical users to build an app in a day, can help quickly sift through terabytes of data, and on and on. Learning how to responsibly and accurately implement these technologies will be a big hurdle.
CLIENT AND TEAM IMPACT
Q: How do you approach building trust and long-term partnerships with clients?
A: Brutal honesty and constant communication. Sometimes we’re not the ones to deliver on a project, sometimes clients are asking for something that is unrealistic. Being open and honest from the start sets this foundation. It’s always better to set realistic expectations on what we can deliver than to lead someone along.
Q: What do you think is the key to delivering sustained value over time?
A: Constant learning. Technology evolves at such a rapid pace that it’s a challenge to learn, understand, and master new skills and tools.
PERSONAL: INTERESTS AND HOBBIES
Q: If you could have dinner with any figure from the world of technology, who would it be and why?
A: Elon Musk. Bill Gates. Mark Zuckerburg.
Mark Cuban. I love his attitude, the way he approaches problems, and the diversity of interests he has. And he’s always been my favorite shark on Shark Tank.
Q: What do you enjoy outside of work that helps you recharge or stay inspired?
A: Golf is a big hobby of mine. The recharge happens when you do something particularly well, knowing that it took a lot of time and practice to get there. Yet at the same time, it’s an activity that I can always find a spot for improvement. I’ll never be “excellent” at it, and there’s always a way to find something to work on.
Q: Is there a book, podcast, or resource that’s influenced you recently?
A: I’ve really enjoyed the podcast The Rest Is History. Fascinating topics.
Q: Green Leaf is a place where there’s a good balance of serious business and good-natured humor. Can you give a fun example of when you’ve either doled out or been on the receiving end of some of that humor?
A: I particularly enjoy that we have one person on the team who consistently referred to Power BI as “Power Builder”. We now have a Power BI jar, and this person has to put $1 in every time “Power Builder” is mentioned. We’re not too far away from a round of beers, but unfortunately we seem to have broken the errant thought pattern as no money has been added in quite some time.