What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on?
Scripting with Python is something I’m starting to work on – for various SDKs like Cisco Fiber Channel switches and Pure Storage.
What’s your go-to productivity trick?
There’s a technique that developed naturally for me, where I’ll articulate a problem to myself and then let go of it while I perform some mechanical or routine work. Later, when I come back to the problem, I’ll find that my subconscious has arrived at a solution. Oftentimes, I’ll wake up in the morning and catch my mind in the midst of this kind of problem-solving. Writer/Director Lee David Zlotoff documented something remarkably similar, calling it the The MacGyver Secret.
What behavior or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why?
Thinking holistically. I don’t take it for granted that everything is connected and so I’m always looking to identify the downstream implications of any change I make to an environment. Because of this, I’m not often taken by surprise.
What is your favorite hobby?
Reading. I’ve been a bookworm since I was very young. My shelves are full of science fiction & fantasy, and eastern philosophy books.
What’s the one thing that has surprised you about working at Involta?
The talent! What an impressive group of professionals we have working at Involta. I’m grateful every day for their collaboration and insight.
What’s the best advice you were given? From who?
My grandmother once said to the rebellious, angst-ridden teenager sitting across from her at breakfast, “it’s okay to start over.” And so I did — more than once. And who knows, maybe I will again.
