Hi! This is me…sort of :)

Over the years, I’ve been extremely fortunate to be a part of some pretty amazing teams. They‘re not associated with the typical resume bending names based out of Silicon Valley, but I’m pretty damn proud of them and everything we’ve accomplished during my time with them; Best Buy, Pearson, Activision, John Deere, Handrail, Spark, Pear Deck, GoGuardian, Roboflow, and most recently Imagine Learning.

These professional experiences have shaped me in many ways. So much so, I’ve had a few colleagues reach out wanting to know what I’ve learned over the years and get some insights to what has made me “successful”. I’m always happy to share, but to be totally transparent, I have a hard time with accepting the concept of success and articulating the lessons I’ve learned since it’s so intertwined. And most of the time I don’t really learn them until after I moved on to my next adventure.

So, I thought I would create a user guide, of sorts, to…well… me. Not just to help me articulate what I find important and influences me, but also help me remember and appreciate everything those amazing teams have taught me. And hopefully there are parts you can take and help teams you are a part of be a little more amazing too!

If you’re interested in chatting about any of this..please reach out, but consider this as a quick WIP primer. It’s meant to capture some of the principles that are important to me, how I think, and some of my nuances. My hope is this can serve as a quick way to gain a little empathy and understanding on “Mat”.

My Principles

There are many things I’ve held close over the years, and other things I’ve completely given up. Most of that is due to me continuing to experience a whole lot of life and a wide variety of professions. In general, I tend to lean towards traditional management theories like the Human Relations Theory and General Systems Theory, but basically I’ve come to value and appreciate a few key things:

Servant leadership

• I truly believe we’re all in this together and success is because of everyone involved

• It’s important to me to build trust, have integrity, and demonstrate competence

• I try to lead with empathy and accountability

• I don’t think leadership is a monopoly and I don’t like the concept of “managing” others

• I strive to position others to succeed, celebrate wins, and give credit

Humility and Empathy

• I continually try to do the right thing and not just be right

• I think it’s critical to collaborate and respectfully challenge in order to get shit done

• I believe context is very important when trying to understand, evaluate, and respond

• I try to listen more than talk

Continuous improvement, learning, and teaching

• I’m trying to improve almost every aspect of who I am; personally and professionally

• I have goals, but they can move if and when I get new information

• I believe feedback is a gift and it should be received just as much as given

• It’s important to me to give back both in my personal and professional life

My Brain

Analytic

• As much as I fight it, I’m a very analytical person

Hard to shut it off

• If I get passionate about something, I tend to ruminate

I like clear answers

• Even if I don’t like the answer, it’s important for me to understand

Empathetic

• It’s listed last, but it can be overwhelming at times

My Nuances

• I am introverted…but love attention

• I can be very goofy…but typically not at work

• I am sarcastic…seriously

Things I’m working on

• Assuming positive intent

• Not jumping to conclusions based on partial facts

• Swearing…

• Spelling

Things I Need Help With

• Knowing when to stop (see my brain)

• Knowing if I’m providing value

• Knowing when/how I can help