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Yeah, We Can Do That (But There’s a Twist)

Yeah, We Can Do That (But There’s a Twist) One of my favorite parts of traveling with @Kevin Pattison, our Head of Engineering, was watching him in action with customers. Anytime they pitched a use case—no matter how specific or off-the-wall—he’d say: “Yeah, we can do that.” (Brief pause…) “…It’ll just take some time and money.” That line always got a smile—and it landed because Kevin knew his craft. He understood the use case, had written much of the code, and had a solid handle on the product management roadmap. Customers respected that. So did I. Curious, I recently asked Kevin about his approach. Turns out, he had said no plenty of times. What frustrated him wasn’t tough requests—it was finding out months later that Sales had told a customer something couldn’t be done… when it was actually easy. His take: “Sales usually said no to the easy things and yes to the hard things.” And what he really wished? That they’d just asked. It reminded me of a moment early in ...
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Don’t Paint the Goat Path

Don’t Paint the Goat Path I noticed the phrase last year on Philip Goodwin’s whiteboard but didn’t have time to ask about it. I noticed it again this year. Same phrase. Still up there. So I finally asked:  What’s the deal with “Don’t Paint the Goat Path”? Philip explained it like this: It’s a reminder for those of us working through tough problems, chasing growth, or leading change. Driving through the Colorado backcountry, you’ll spot steep little trails zig-zagging up the mountains — goat paths. They’ve been used for years. They work… sort of. But they’re narrow, winding, and inefficient. (Quick disclosure - Philip lives in Boulder and I lived close by for close to 20 years, thus the mountains reference.) Sometimes, he said, we keep following those same goat paths in our work — doing things the way they’ve always been done. Maybe with a few tweaks here and there. A fresh coat of paint, sure. But underneath? Still the same trail. If you're aiming to grow 10x or launch something en...
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Impossible ask from your VP? Bring two alternatives.

Impossible ask from your VP? Bring two alternatives. That was the advice I got from a former EMBA classmate when I faced a steep sales growth target that felt, well, impossible. A flat-out “no” wasn’t an option. But signing my team up to deliver sales targets made of unobtainium wasn’t right either. Her advice broke the deadlock: “Bring two paths forward.” So I did. One focused on North America. The other included South America to balance seasonality. Both paths outlined what would need to be true to deliver the ask. When we recently caught up, she shared more insights: sometimes the ask isn’t just about hitting a number — it’s leadership exploring options. So, b ring data. Offer both a standard and a stretch. Be creative. Start a dialogue.  And don’t be afraid to ask what’s really driving the request. #Leadership #GrowthMindset #ProblemSolving #BusinessStrategy
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Please don’t come with just the problem. Bring a solution also.

Please don’t come with just the problem. Bring a solution also. That was the response Joe Armas got from Graeme Hennessey, then head of global sales and marketing, after flagging a delayed shipment and asking what to do. At first, Joe was caught off guard. But after thinking through a few options, he realized how powerful that mindset was—it helped him take ownership, and it helped Graeme move faster by understanding the tradeoffs. I had heard the same line from Graeme during my time working for him. And like Joe, I was puzzled at first. But it taught me to think more like a leader: 💡 Offer “good enough” solutions, even with incomplete information ⚖️ Understand tradeoffs and consequences 🤝 Work cross-functionally to gather context and alignment 🎯 Focus on what truly matters to customers and the business Soon, I asked one of my team members to do the same. There was some natural hesitation, but with coaching, a few guiding principles, and a safe...
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Help First

Help First. Years ago, as we were preparing to launch a new software platform for farmers, Bob Wold—head of our software team—told me something that stuck: “If your sales team runs into any issues signing up customers, call us. We’ll drop everything to fix it.” At the time, as head of inside sales, I appreciated the focus on what I assumed was revenue. But when we caught up recently, Bob clarified it wasn’t just about sales—it was about something broader: 👉 Help First. His view was simple: If one function is stuck, the whole organization slows down. So, step in. Help. Not just because it’s urgent, but because that real-time support often sparks automation ideas and long-term fixes. It reminded me of similar moments in my hardware and consumables days—when customer operations were down, our guiding principle was always: 🔧 “Achieve customer recovery first.” But here’s the challenge: not every issue is a crisis. Sometimes the process is just… manual. Or complex. Or the...
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Most times, the answer is simply the answer.

The late Graeme Hennessey was one of the best managers I’ve ever had—direct and funny, firm and fair, trusting and trustworthy. Unflappable. I caught up with a friend and former colleague, Joe Armas, a couple of weeks ago, and we reminisced about Graeme. I shared a story he hadn’t heard before. At the time, I was struggling with a project. Graeme noticed and suggested I take a break. Then he told me a story. I didn’t realize it was a lesson until much later. He said his final chemistry lab was a take-home assignment. Each student received a small vial of liquid to identify using basic equipment. He tested his sample so thoroughly that he ran out of it and had to ask for a second vial. When he returned for a third, the professor asked why he needed it. Graeme replied, “The result doesn’t look right.” “What did you get?” the professor asked. “It says the liquid is water.” “And what’s wrong with that?” the professor said. “It is water.” Graeme had been convinced it had to ...
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Can You Still Differentiate in a Commodity Market?

Can You Still Differentiate in a Commodity Market? Absolutely. Just ask Mr. Takagishi from Nippon Sheet Glass. About 20 years ago, we were exporting coated glass to LCD manufacturers in Japan—hardly the most glamorous product. But Takagishi-san gave me a framework I still use today: QCDS —Quality, Cost, Delivery, Service. I spoke with him this week (my first Japanese conversation in over 10 years—still holding my own!).  He remembered QCDS, but said the real foundation was the 3 Cs : Customer, Company, Competitor . QCDS was simply how you executed against them. Each account had an Account Plan with a 3C matrix, and every account manager had to understand, at a minimum: Customer : their priorities, decision-makers, and challenges Company (ours) : our strengths, gaps, and opportunities to improve Competitor : who they are, why they win, and what they’re good at Here’s one example: At a key customer, they held a 60% share. There was no edge on quality or delivery, and ...
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