Hi there!

Below you'll find my README. It's an introduction, geared toward new coworkers. I used to bury it more deeply. Now, I think it's good top-level stuff. That said, before we get to it, here are a few other link-worthy pages.

• Publicly visible projects. The woodworking section is usually a hit.
• My handy-dandy resume.
• LinkedIn, which is allowed to run a bit longer than my ~~one~~two page resume ;)

README.kyle

Backstory

I was born and raised in Montana. I used to convince folks I grew up wrestling bears. I did not.

My wife and I met at University of Puget Sound, married right after college. Our dog entered the picture in 2019. She's too smart for her own good.

We now live in Tacoma, WA, after a long stint in Seattle.

In my spare time I like to walk, read, cook, play games, and work with wood. Some project photos can be found here.

Purpose

I read the following before my daily journaling.

Today is an opportunity to transform. I stand for love, kindness, and gratitude, leading those around me to our most noble selves. It is an exercise in definite optimism and the long view. Pity provides no comfort, and I do not thrive on catastrophe or negativity. I thrive on opportunity, grace, humility, and simple delights.

How I describe my role

My job as an engineering leader (environment cultivator) is to

• Grow individuals and the team for long term success
• Drive trust for real, effective conversations
• Provide cover when necessary

I love jumping in on the engineering problems, but those are a lot easier when the above goals are accomplished.

Books and such on my mind

These are books, articles, and talks I'm mulling over: i.e. they left an impression. The list sometimes changes.

• The 5AM Club
• How to Win Friends and Influence People
• Think in Systems: A Primer
• The Pragmatic Programmer
• The Old Man and the Sea
• Less Wrong
• Simple Made Easy
• Crucial Conversations
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
• The Tao of Pooh
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

(If you're looking for "fun" books or cookbooks, hit me up! I have a list too long for this page.)

Quirks

• I like to repeat and reframe things. A lot. Let's iterate together.
• I mumble/externally subvocalize to understand you better. It makes more sense in person when you don't have to ask if I'm muted.
• Language matters to me, a lot. I'll be picky about word choice and writing and how we frame problems.
• My calendar looks busy, but I'll nuke it if you ask me to.
• I joke, a lot. Sometimes, it's sarcasm, meant in good fun but smack me if I overstep.

Go to tools/tactics

• Self care: I'm trying (always present tense) to build world-class self care rituals. These help me show up as my most noble self. Current focuses: early rise, early workout, investments in emotional well-being, and constant, structured learning.
• Successful conversations: I believe in meetings with an agenda (purpose), conflict (the healthy kind that means we're tackling thorny problems), and the right audience. Sometimes the last two look a little like gamesmanship; I promise they aren't. I just happen to be a big believer in focus and timing.
• 1:1s: It's amazing what kind of conversations can come up with guaranteed time every week. I leave the agenda up to my reports but will always have something to discuss.
• A little bit of process (systems): I love goals, but it's impossible to meet them reliably if you're tackling every one as a wholly new problem. Instead, I focus on putting systems in place. Scott Adams has a great post about this. Another framing is to focus on being over doing (see The Landmark Forum).
• Vim: I'm just a really big fan of doing things in plain text on the command line, from coding to note taking.

What do I really need from others?

• Feedback: Keep it blunt, rooted in facts/examples, and timely. I'm expecting it! This goes for feedback about my performance and that of the team (which are really the same thing). Don't hold back. I won't mind. I will, however, mind if I find out you did hold back!
• Ownership: I expect folks to demonstrate high levels of ownership. As a team of adults, nobody is working entirely alone, but they are responsible for whatever they get assigned and commit to do. Sometimes this means asking for help and other times it means questioning or pushing back!
• Craft: I believe software "engineering" is a craft. That means I want a team dedicated to learning, challenging themselves, interested in all aspects of the problem, and a respect for the process. A lot of times this shows up in code and designs, but it also comes down to being professional: communicating clearly, helping share knowledge via brownbags, wikis, etc., respecting boundaries like working hours.

Things I'm working on

• Team level feedback. Having been raised (in the career sense) on teams with a disdain for sprints and business deadlines, I misunderstood some of the value in committing a team or individual to deadlines. I now understand concrete commitments can help create measurable progress and let folks know something is wrong earlier. Getting good systems in place so measurement happens naturally is a work in progress.
• Holding my peers accountable to the same level as myself. I am vocally self critical to a fault. This leaves room for my personality to assuage others of guilt and chide myself in the same breath.
• Not a fault, but I recognize my current position is about to change every week with new expectations and challenges. I'm anticipating this as a season of growth. It's going to be fun!