I've been a manager at Google since 2019, with a leadership background dating back to 2010. My experience spans technical and managerial roles in major companies like Google, Vodafone, and Amazon. Currently, I lead Google Cloud's Customer Engineering team for SMB in EMEA, where I help startups and mid-market businesses succeed. I love coaching teams on problem-solving, idea development, and project execution. Throughout my career, I've guided many individuals through interviews, recruitment, and mentoring to reach senior-level positions. As a mentor, I believe in open communication and supporting your career growth. If you'd like guidance, mentorship, or career insights, let's connect and work together!
My Mentoring Topics
- Managing remote teams / building + (hyper)scaling global teams
- Stakeholder management / Stakeholder mapping
- Tackling ambiguity and embracing imposter syndrome
- Interview prep + mock interviews
- ️Career journey planning and PDPs
- Promotion and career progression strategies
- From ideation to solution (problem solving to project delivery): MVPs to global rollouts
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Our Iceberg Is Melting - Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions
John Kotter, Holger Rathgeber
Key Facts and Insights Change is inevitable and necessary for survival, both in the business world and in life. Effective communication of the urgency and importance of change is vital for successful implementation. Building a guiding coalition or teamwork is critical in driving change. It is important to create a vision and strategy for change. Obstacles to change must be identified and addressed promptly. Short-term wins should be celebrated to motivate and encourage further efforts towards change. Changes should be consolidated and embedded in the culture for long-lasting impact. The story is an analogy, depicting an iceberg as a company and the penguins as its employees. It's an easy-to-understand guide to the complex and daunting process of leading change. This book employs the use of fables to simplify the concept of change management. The eight-step process of successful change is the cornerstone of the book. Book Analysis and Conclusions "Our Iceberg Is Melting - Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions" by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber is a compelling and insightful book that uses a fable about a penguin colony in Antarctica to illustrate the vital importance of being able to adapt to change. The penguins symbolize the various roles and behaviors within an organization, and the melting iceberg represents the impending crisis or change. The penguin Fred represents the change agents who identify the problem and propose solutions. He communicates the urgency of the situation, a key component in the change process, and forms a coalition with Alice, Louis, Buddy, and the Professor. Together, they create a vision and strategy for the colony's survival, which emphasizes the importance of teamwork and collaboration in successful change management. As the story progresses, the penguins encounter obstacles, symbolizing the resistance often faced when initiating change. However, these are addressed promptly, demonstrating the need for flexibility and resilience in overcoming challenges. Also, the celebration of short-term wins serves as a morale booster and motivation for the penguins to continue with the change process. The book emphasizes the importance of consolidating and embedding changes in the culture for lasting impact. This is a critical step often overlooked in many organizations, leading to a return to old habits and practices. The simplicity of the fable does not undermine its profound insights. The book presents an easy-to-understand guide to the complex process of leading change, emphasizing the inevitability of change and the necessity for adaptability and flexibility. It provides an eight-step process for successful change, which is a practical application of the principles discussed. In conclusion, "Our Iceberg Is Melting - Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions" offers valuable lessons applicable to both personal and professional life. It emphasizes the inevitability of change, the importance of effective communication, the value of teamwork, and the need for a clear vision and strategy. It teaches that obstacles are opportunities for growth and that celebrating victories, however small, boosts morale and motivation. Lastly, it reminds us that change should be a continuous process, embedded in our culture and way of life for lasting impact.
ViewChecklist Manifesto, The (HB)
Atul Gawande
Key Facts and Insights from The Checklist Manifesto Checklists serve as a tool to manage the complexity of modern professional responsibilities and to ensure consistency and thoroughness in task execution. There are two types of checklists: DO-CONFIRM and READ-DO. The former allows individuals to perform their tasks from memory and experience, pausing to confirm that everything on the checklist has been done. The latter requires the individuals to carry out the tasks as they check them off the list. Checklists should be precise, efficient, and easy to use in the most difficult situations. They should not be overly long or vague. Checklists instigate team communication and foster collective understanding of tasks. Checklists are not designed to replace thought but to remind us of the minimum necessary steps to avoid obvious and predictable errors. The implementation of checklists in various fields, such as aviation and construction, has significantly improved performance and safety. The introduction of surgical safety checklists in healthcare has resulted in a notable reduction in complications and deaths. The resistance to checklists is often due to professionals' perception that they undermine their autonomy and expertise. Checklists should be continually reviewed and improved to adapt to the changing dynamics of work. The success of checklists lies in their ability to identify and rectify a problem before it escalates. Checklists serve as a cognitive net, capturing mental flaws inherent in all of us—flaws of memory and attention and thoroughness. Detailed Summary and Analysis of The Checklist Manifesto "The Checklist Manifesto" by Atul Gawande is an illuminating exploration of the power of checklists in managing the complexity and challenges of modern professional life. As a surgeon, Gawande uses his experiences and the insights from various fields to make a compelling case for the implementation of checklists, especially in high-stakes professions where errors can have severe consequences. The book begins with a broad discussion about the nature of knowledge and the challenges posed by increasing complexity in professional tasks. The author argues that checklists serve as a necessary tool in navigating this complexity, ensuring consistency and thoroughness in task execution. This argument is supported by examples from a variety of fields, including aviation and construction, where the effective use of checklists has been instrumental in improving performance and safety. Gawande introduces the concept of two types of checklists: DO-CONFIRM and READ-DO. The DO-CONFIRM checklist allows professionals to execute tasks from memory and experience, followed by a pause to confirm that everything on the checklist has been done. READ-DO checklist, on the other hand, requires the individuals to perform the tasks as they check them off the list. Regardless of the type, an effective checklist should be precise, efficient, and easy to use in the most difficult situations. A critical insight from the book is the role of checklists in facilitating team communication. Gawande argues that checklists can foster a collective understanding and approach to tasks. This is particularly important in fields that require high levels of coordination and teamwork. The author also tackles the resistance to checklists, which often stems from the perception that they undermine the autonomy and expertise of professionals. However, he counters this by emphasizing that checklists are not designed to replace thought but to remind us of the minimum necessary steps to avoid obvious and predictable errors. A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the implementation of surgical safety checklists in healthcare. Gawande shares the World Health Organization's initiative in this regard, which has resulted in a notable reduction in complications and deaths. This serves as a sterling example of the potential of checklists in enhancing performance and safety. The author concludes with the assertion that checklists should be continually reviewed and improved to adapt to the changing dynamics of work. He underscores the role of checklists as a cognitive net, capturing mental flaws inherent in all of us—flaws of memory and attention and thoroughness. In conclusion, "The Checklist Manifesto" offers profound insights into the power and potential of checklists in managing the complexities of modern professional life. It encourages professionals to recognize and harness the value of checklists in enhancing performance, safety, and communication. As such, it serves as an essential read for anyone seeking to improve their professional practice and outcomes.
ViewAtomic Habits
James Clear
Key Facts and Insights The power of small, everyday habits and their cumulative impact on our lives. The concept of habit stacking, where you layer a new habit onto an existing one to make it easier to adopt. The idea of making good habits obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying. The importance of focusing on systems rather than goals. The role of environment and context in shaping our habits. The difference between outcome-based habits and identity-based habits. The concept of the two-minute rule for establishing new habits. How habits can lead to compound growth in personal and professional development. The significance of the feedback loop in habit formation and breaking bad habits. Understanding the role of dopamine and reward in developing and maintaining habits. The importance of tracking and accountability in habit formation. An In-depth Analysis of Atomic Habits In the book, James Clear posits on the power of small daily habits and their cumulative impact. It underlines the idea that success is not a matter of grand actions or drastic changes, but rather the product of small, incremental habits applied consistently over time. This concept aligns with the theory of marginal gains, a concept often applied in business and sports, which emphasizes on making small, 1% improvements in everything you do. The author introduces the concept of "habit stacking", where a new habit is layered onto an existing one to ensure its adoption. For example, if you already have a habit of brushing your teeth every morning, you could stack a new habit of flossing right after. This is based on the psychological principle of classical conditioning, where a response to a stimulus becomes associated with another stimulus. Clear asserts that for habits to stick, they need to be obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying. This principle resonates with B.F. Skinner's operant conditioning theory in psychology, which stipulates that behavior is more likely to recur if it is followed by a reward. Making a habit satisfying or rewarding is crucial for its reinforcement and repetition. Interestingly, Clear argues for focusing on systems rather than goals. Goals, he asserts, are about the results you want to achieve, while systems are about the processes that lead to those results. This perspective aligns with Deming's System of Profound Knowledge which stresses on understanding and improving systems, rather than solely focusing on outcomes. The role of environment and context in shaping our habits is another noteworthy insight. Clear suggests that by altering our physical environment, we can make the desired habits more convenient and the undesirable habits more inconvenient. This approach aligns with the field of environmental psychology, which studies the interplay between individuals and their surroundings. Clear also distinguishes between outcome-based habits and identity-based habits. While the former focuses on what you want to achieve, the latter emphasizes on who you wish to become. This insight is pivotal in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), where changing one's self-identity is often a key step towards changing behavior. The two-minute rule is a practical tool offered by Clear to establish new habits. The rule suggests that when starting a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do. This concept is rooted in the principle of shaping in behavior modification, where a complex behavior is broken down into manageable steps and then gradually built up. The book also explores the phenomenon of compound growth in personal and professional development as a result of consistent habits. This principle mirrors the financial concept of compound interest, where small, regular investments can lead to significant growth over time due to the power of exponential growth. The significance of the feedback loop in habit formation is also explored. Clear discusses the importance of immediate feedback in reinforcing or eliminating a habit. This concept is a cornerstone in cybernetics and systems theory, where feedback loops are used to adjust and control system behavior. Clear also discusses the role of dopamine and reward in habit formation. The release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, reinforces the habit loop. This is a fundamental principle in neuroscience and has been extensively studied in addiction research. Finally, Clear underscores the importance of tracking and accountability in habit formation. Logging your progress and having someone to answer to can be powerful motivators for maintaining good habits. This idea is supported by research in the field of behavior analysis, which has shown that monitoring and accountability can significantly impact behavior change. In conclusion, Atomic Habits goes beyond the usual advice on habit formation and offers a comprehensive framework grounded in scientific research. Its principles and strategies, if applied consistently, can lead to significant personal and professional growth. It's a testament to the power of small, everyday habits in shaping our lives.
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