I am interested in people and how they interact.  I like people, probably more than any other single thing in the world.  I am intrigued by the ways we live, what we think, the things we do, the choices we make... intrigued and baffled.  People are puzzles waiting to be solved, but mostly unsolvable; we give away small parts of ourselves to many different other-people, we distribute ourselves and hide behind masks.  It is hard to gather all the pieces back into one place, to peel away the facades and see the core beauty of another.  But it should always be a quest.

It is always an adventure to meet new people, alone or in groups. Some new people are easier to meet than others.  Of course.  Open-minded, inquisitive people tend to take root quickly in my heart.  They don't necessarily stay for long, but they are welcome while they are there.  Others are more awkward, and skirt the perimeter.  Loud, self-assured people unnerve me; it is not that I don't like them, but I am never sure how to interact.  I want to get underneath the volume and discover their quietness. Everyone has quietness, it is where our truth is rooted... and yet people who don't speak unnerve me more.  Some are too silent, like secrets, closed and locked.  With those people I want to discover the one question that will make them speak, that will make them flood and appear wide-eyed and stunned by their own verbosity.  Simply, I just like discovering the next level.  There is always a next level.

I am especially attracted by the qualities of vulnerability, hope, faith and the kind of fearlessness that comes from the healing of a broken spirit.  I am drawn to recovering alcoholics and drug addicts, people who have dwelt in darkness and seek the light, and I am attracted to the broken ones desiring to heal, to the disempowered and the disfranchised, the fearful, the uneasy and the unsure, the downtrodden; I am drawn to those at the bottom of corporate hierarchies.  And I am drawn to those at the top.  We all live precariously.

When I work in an organization, it is always the people I look to first.  I focus less on the work processes that could, should, or ought to be followed.  Those tend to look after themselves when the people doing the work are comfortable in their skins.  Good process, the right process for the context, emerges from people who are listened to and trusted.  That is my experience.  I bring to my work the qualities of trust, courage and openheartedness.  In doing so I believe I have the ability to foster the same in others.

There are certain core truths I hold dear. I am not a sycophant or a flatterer; I will challenge you.  I do not believe in compromise, but will work with you to reconceive and discover.  If you are looking for half-hearted solutions or short-term fixes it is likely we won't work well together.  I am continually seeking the edge, the place where pain transforms into creative playfulness and deep collaboration becomes possible.  My goal, if I have one at all, is to witness an organization transform itself from a place of work into a place of wonder.  If you would like to join me in such a journey, please get in touch.  I look forward to hearing from you.