P R E L U D E

Effectively guiding projects and people transcends analytical theories, managing metrics, process execution, and even industry expertise. It relies on universal principles and patterns for progress, applied discretely in relative contexts. Leadership is stewardship, exhibiting genuine care and accountability for personnel, partners, patrons, the public, and the planet. 

It is conviction in a purpose, deploying intuitive and informed foresight to set a collective vision and resources in motion, well aware of reasonable risks. It applies wisdom, ingenuity, and flexibility to adapt sensibly along the way, satisfying or surpassing expectations while balancing beneficence with fiscal sustenance for the organization too.

And the thought٠full marrow of it all is an approachable manner that encourages everyone involved—however things may go. I’ve found this interpersonal factor shaped most profoundly through life experience and career influences that form the fundamentals of a leadership philosophy.

C O N F I D E N C E

I first pursued a purpose establishing the LUMA, environmental furnishings venture in Seattle, Washington, setting plans in place to manifest what I believed would be better for myself and others too. Facing uncertainties as opportunities, I leveraged innate organizational skills with past learnings to establish partnerships, find ways to progress, and to correct course as needed. And when ends didn’t meet, I managed cash flow with freelance design work to ensure the debts were always paid.

Overall, I learned the dedication required to handle every aspect of the business, as a foundation for effective relations in leadership positions to come, ready to relate with peers in various operational roles. And later, supporting the interests for growth and fulfillment in staff members I led, would recall the personal satisfaction of striving for a professional passion.

E M P A T H Y

Imbibing the human condition through backpacking travels around Europe and into the Middle East then enriched an affinity for understanding others’ points of view. As an amateur anthropologist, I practiced listening attentively through language barriers, immersed in strangers’ lifestyles, their happiness, hardships, and hopes through encounters that felt like we had always been friends.

Visiting historical sites along the way was an impetus for hindsight, to avoid past mistakes and increase gratitude as a basis to improve ourselves and those who follow after. Ancient artifacts, architecture, and approaches to life alluded to foresight too, conjuring the patience and fortitude to achieve meaningful things from simple beginnings over generational durations of time . . .

Living in Portugal, wandering the hills near my home in Leiria, I noticed brambly, gray branched trees resembling oak, with the rough, lower bark stripped off the smooth, exposed trunks. And the number ‘9’ was mysteriously spray painted on each one. Later recognizing them as cork trees while spending a few days on a cork orchard in the southern, Algarve region, I learned that the farmers planted saplings for their grandchildren—not for themselves.

This noble tradition revealed that the tree bark required about 30 years of growth to thicken to its minimal worth. And it took another 10 years successively thereafter for the bark to regrow to its full, commercial thickness. Hence, the spray painted numbers I’d seen represented the last digit of the harvest year, 1999, remaining visible as the bark grew from within, to indicate its next harvest due in 2009.

I N S P I R E

Interdepartmental collaboration, program level management, and mindful staff administration were skills gained upon a homecoming near Seattle, Washington, as Director of Product Development with Watson Furniture Group—applying the past lessons of LUMA at a higher rank of responsibility.

It was a good match, as CEO, Clif McKenzie, saw my devotion to our consonant causes in LUMA, and was happy with the decisive way, itself, in which I joined Watson. I returned to accept his offer after amiably leaving an alternate, design consultancy contract only four hours into the position, based on moral, commercial conflicts that arose in the briefing with their client. He appreciated both the ability to realize something was going “pear shaped”, as he put it, and having the courage to turn things around.

Clif was a motivational leadership mentor in every way, demonstrating the merit of an inspirational presence upon others. His dedication to environmental operating practices and to the care of employees bespoke his concern for the holistic wellbeing of the community. And he always looked ahead for how to best respond to coming trends and challenges, making decisions for the long term. 

During the post, September 11, industry downturn which forced some Watson competitors into bankruptcy, Clif’s adept financial calibrations, product positioning vision, and regard for the employees led not only to Watson’s survival, but actually enabled it to enter new markets and invest in future capabilities.

And in the process, he preserved manufacturing jobs through fewer hours for all, knowing that every worker represented a family, not an individual. His transparency regarding business realities and his comfortable rapport with everyone from management to the production floor were also commendable.

I benefitted from Clif’s personal candor too, in particular when in discussing differences in points of view. He was a sincere listener and respectful in his responses on multiple levels, which I found exemplary for practicing integrity in turn.

In one case, he and others in management had voiced concerns they felt towards a member of my staff. Although, after I gathered and presented evidence to Clif showing the matter had been a misunderstanding, he was humbly receptive and thanked me for clarifying the mistake. And, upon hearing Clif’s personal apology, the staff member told me of his gratitude, as no one had ever supported him like that before. 

D I A L O G U E

Communications and relations for success were the subsequent theme in a Project Manager role at Intel corporation near Portland, Oregon. Although I hadn’t taken Office Politics 101 in university, life’s past insights would instead provide apt preparation for yet another realm of leadership—enterprise.

An international organization of over 100,000 employees has inherently more intricate dynamics than a rural one of 100. Although, based on our human similarities, the skills of listening, comprehending, creating, and communicating remain applicable across the range.

Respected experience, interpersonal skills, and coming onboard with a fresh outlook, allowed me to ramp up on the program challenges rapidly and impartially. Interviews to hear stakeholders in our own, and in our partner group revealed the relevant history, personalities, and corporate culture exigencies to be addressed.

I recognized the need to clarify roles and responsibilities and conduits of communication, to reiterate mutual goals, and to facilitate compromises without people feeling compromised. I found these solutions best accomplished by reaching out with a personal approach, offering alternatives, considering issues objectively, and productively holding people accountable to resolve relationship issues.

And, indeed, we were able to far exceed our original objectives, before staging a phased transition to place the program completely in our partner’s hands.

S E R V I C E

Entering a service sector, identifying organizational needs, operations development, and creating online interactions for about 1000 annual, study abroad students and up to 100 staff became my next forte over a tenure of nearly nine years as Director of Institute Development with Qasid Arabic Institute in Amman, Jordan.

Extending from past leadership positions and from mobile device design at Intel, I drove projects involving website upgrades, an online registration system, and an internet, language instruction offering. Developing engaging, online services was an intriguing, communications challenge, focusing on digital interactions to delight globally diverse, end user sensibilities. The sensory, design confines of a multimedia, computer interface—in contrast to designing the computer itself—pushed the envelope of insightful perception of people’s preferences and propensities in order to deliver brand building, customer experiences.

Proactively assessing other opportunities and bringing solutions, I initiated a weekly meeting for department heads to improve administrative coordination and institute service quality. And for faculty, I implemented consistent, textbook publishing standards with white spiral bindings to be inobtrusive when teaching and to fold 180° for ease of holding while standing. The format also saved desk space for students, and allowed facing pages to remain flat without flipping themselves closed as with regular, glued bindings.

The Qasid Housing program for attendee accommodations would encompass the most elaborate set of operational directives—from proprietary, online tools, to facilities management—to annually satisfy hundreds of student, parent, and partner rep sensitivities about living in the Middle East. The intention was to make a positive impression before they even arrived, and then to sustain it in every way throughout their stay.

An informative, intuitive, Housing Overview website presence anticipated a majority of questions in advance. A modern, online booking portal and payment process, and an internal, applicant profiling database app assured ideal housemate compatibility. And a dedicated, residential building of 16 apartments facilitated the relative comforts, conveniences, maintenance support, and security of home. All with a landlord who spoke fluent English—as I was acting Housing Coordinator—and who had their best, hospitality interests at heart.

I had the good fortune of learning about leadership generosity too, working in tandem with Qasid’s remarkable, Executive and General Directors, whom I count as friends to this day. They both understood and valued user experience, customer service, staff retention, and continuous improvement. And they invested in them all as though they meant it, with their own, affable good will and astute wisdom, along with the institute’s wallet. These precepts continually proved central to Qasid’s business success.

Although I was never given a budget, I was rarely denied any expense. And whenever a financial issue arose with students, they inevitably recommended refunds and discounts to ensure the student’s content. The employee salaries were well above local, industry wages, with compensation also including health insurance and onsite child care. And their flexibility with employment arrangements were unparalleled, whether part time, time off, or working remotely.

1 1 0 P E R C E N T

Stepping up to a community need was one example of splitting my time with Qasid. I would take on two jobs as our local, Peaceful Paths, primary and secondary private school of about 80 students and 35 staff was in peril of shutting down during an administrative transfer in which a replacement principal could not be found. 

Combining my professional background in academia at Qasid and as a university instructor in Turkey, I accepted an initial request to fill the role, which shifted into a Vice Principal contribution to optimize the admin team’s overall efficacy. The new administration felt my participation would instill student and family confidence in the school, which would be based on a extant, North American model.

It was another chance to rapidly and collaboratively assess, define, and manifest an organizational structure and establish tactical resources, to then adapt and ensure operations were carried out in a compelling manner. It involved extensive documentation and interactive communication of policies, the creation of online registration and performance tracking procedures, and imparting institutional best practices with staff.

Cultivating wholesome relations with families and faculty was then at the heart of the effort. As was empowering them all throughout the COVID 19, campus closure that caused the redevelopment and deployment of the school’s entire curriculum into an online, at home format within the two week, spring break of 2020. 

P R O A C T I V E

Kindling kindness for others to reach beyond themselves has since been perhaps the most meaningful leadership role as a seed to begin making an even more enduring difference.

With Jordan having the second highest refugee population per capita in the world—approaching 30%—an awareness of those in deprivation is inescapable when living there. However, professional  involvement in providing aid is limited due to restrictions on foreigners working domestically. Still, craving to do more than simply give to charities, near the end of 2017, I recognized a personal opportunity and forged ahead. 

I didn’t have a lot of money. But I had some.

I didn’t have a lot of time. But I had some.

And I didn’t know much Arabic. But I knew many Arabs who spoke my English tongue.

One those was the head of a local NGO, the Jabal Zamzam Association, whom I’d recently met. So, I pitched the idea of volunteering a bit of time and tens of bags of round, khubz flat bread to bring to Syrian refugees each weekend from the late fall to mid spring seasons.

It was a small gesture compared to the scale of projects the organization usually handled. But he knew that a true intention is what matters most, as does every trace of assistance to even a single person in need. So he took the time to coordinate our trips to the camps and introduce me to the families.

Following up in the same manner over the next three years I engaged our locality too, composing descriptions of the visits, raising thousands of dollars of donations, and delivering carloads food, clothes, funds, and financing heating fuels. And through appeals to friends and neighbors, they too joined the excursions to share their care and concern in person and to demonstrate to those who have been displaced that they are not alone.

The endeavor would embody all the prior leadership learnings and display how a small cause can lead to something larger when it takes a heartfelt hold.

Where it leads from here, then, we’ll have to wait and see.

In the mean time, a few samples of thought٠full directing, shown in detail elsewhere, are presented in brief below.