What I Do
Strategic Advisor
I've been a founder, and both an operative and visionary officer. I may be again. When advising CEOs and executives, I see and hear the way their world could work. I've found my greatest contributions and clarity come as a strategist.
My advisement lives in a sweet spot between two places:
1) enough knowledge to understand an executive and their company and
2) enough distance to keep a clear, objective read on the rest of the world
Futurist
Our latest era of rapid change requires constant awareness and prediction. Tremendous new data feeds AI, building data refineries in the process, to informs new philosophy.
Building a business and developing technology in the relentless pace of the New Economy takes constant iteration of vision and strategy - and translation of it all to those who need to hear it.
A practical futurist uses the output signals of the world's data refineries to predict in sci-fi terms first, and then converts those predictions into real-world strategy.
Traveler
The world is small and endless. This dualism is worth exploring. I find it hard to sit still. My greatest learning happens when I hit the road, call upon my digital nomad skills, and then return to New Mexico to execute, build, and prepare for the next adventure.
But... what do I actually produce?
As a practical futurist, my consulting focuses on identifying trends affecting my client's business, and opportunities to gain category advantage. Deliverables include internal/external writing and strategic planning.
As a "CEO whisperer," I help executives translate their vision into readable, actionable strategy and evangelism for their stakeholder audiences: investors, prospective investors/customer, business development targets and select business readers, employees and recruits. We process tough decisions, discover resource and effort shifts, and communicate the results.
Where and with who?
Executives at growing tech companies, leaders at conventional firms looking at mission or product-market shifts, and even political candidates or elected officials who want bold economic development and technology policy. New Mexico, California, across the US, Asia, even parts of Africa and Europe. Digital nomadism works.
How does my process work?
The most important goal is establishing a flow with a primary leader. Face-to-face sessions in the less-operative/busy times of the day are most effective to start. Calls, longer-form email threads, shared documents, and project management tools for special efforts are used as we go. Marketing/PR, Product, Sales/Biz Dev heads are often included to collaborate on deliverables.
What's created?
- Published articles on LinkedIn, Medium, major and regional newspapers. Bylines submitted via PR to targeted industry publications and broader magazines (Wired, Fast Company, Inc).
- Decks/deck updates, website content, and external branding.
- Trend research and analysis reports (How does X work? What is the future look like, and how does my org fit into that future?)
- Informed decisions. Strategic plans.
My Story gives some justification for why I can play this kind of role and add true value. After many startups, funding cycles, and hats worn, I only tolerate honest and intentional "consulting." Politics is everywhere and navigable.
My mind contributes its best value at this strategic (and sometimes philosophical) level. It's why I travel, and need space, time to think and reason and craft new strategy.
The operative buzz can often pull leaders out from and into the day-to-day fray. My job is to bring them back, if only for sprints in flow, to reveal the better path - often shifting assumed efforts to new, efficient models and adaptive workflows.