Use a Rearview Mirror Board to Stay Confident

Life can be a rollercoaster, and we are our own worst enemies when it comes to self-doubt and insecurity.  A lot of people create Vision Boards as a visual representation of their goals.  Rather than go down a path about (ABC) Goals, I’d like to first share about a different…

Me in 2023, and Selling at 23

I recently shared this on LinkedIn and thought I’d also publish it here and add some more details. I was the first sales associate in the office with their own computer. The plaques on the wall include an award from a training event, an award for being Sales Rookie of…

Demos – The Website

Many technical solutions are related to a website or web based solution.  And when doing a demo of those solutions it helps to emulate that website to show the system interacting with.  It might be showing how Fastly can log everything that happens at the edge, or showing a customized…

Getting Started Learning Programming

HelloWorld() Several recent articles have listed Programming as a top skill to learn. Even if you don’t intend it as a career, there are many advantages to at least a BASIC* (pun intended) understanding of it. As someone who learned to program in elementary school, I’ve seen the lifelong benefits…

The Coming Evolution of Remote Work

Changes on the demographics of the US workforce will have a dramatic, perhaps painful, effect on “Remote First” companies. COVID and economic circumstances forced a lot of firms to allow people to work from home. Some decided it was a differentiator to be “Remote First” and prioritize this cost-saving methodology. …

True Grit as Company Culture

grit /ɡrit/ noun 1. small loose particles of stone or sand. “she had a bit of grit in her eye” 2. courage and resolve; strength of character. “he displayed the true grit of the navy pilot“ Culture matters.  It shapes the attitudes and effectiveness of any group.  There are many…

Don’t Position Your SEs As The Expert

One of the big differences in presales engineering is that the SE knows a wide range of concepts/topics but not always in a deep way. The post-sales technical people get down in the weeds building production deployments that are stable, fast and safe. The SEs know it can be done,…

Best Lesson Learned From Your Father Figure?

When you reflect on Father’s Day, what was the best lesson you’ve learned from the father figure in your life?  What’s that one principal you’d want to pass onto your offspring?   It shouldn’t take much reflection to know, but if it doesn’t come quick – read the comments on this…