As a consultant both inside my organization and for Tree Toad I often have very shaky sponsorship and limited or no publicly sanctioned mandate. I usually have however been given expectations and deliverables - either explicit or implicit that I am held accountable for. A good portion of my career has been about finding/creating the leverage to move forward projects, to introduce change and to facilitate large system improvements. My 20-year tenure in my organization has allowed me to develop relationships across functional areas which help me in getting information and support. There isn’t a week that goes by that I am not contacting someone from a past role or project for help on something new I am working on.

In a complex world with fast paced change and ubiquitous technology, the fundamentals of personal connection and relationship have become invaluable.

Equally invaluable is to be aware and comfortable not knowing everything. This insight and humility can create an environment for others to feel comfortable to contribute ideas and expertise and also admit to being a novice in a situation.

I think one of my superpowers is not knowing everything but in having the capability of connecting people and synthesizing the information from the subject matter experts into an actionable plan to solve issues and move projects forward.