Building a Smarter Approach to High-Stakes Risk
“I know of no such unquestionable badge and ensign of a sovereign mind as that of tenacity of purpose…” — Ralph Waldo Emerson Project Overview This project involved the development of an interagency risk management process for aviation security, aligned with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 16 (HSPD-16), the federal policy framework in effect at […]
From a Whiteboard to a System of Systems: Executing Across a Network of Moving Parts
“We can’t impose our will on a system. We can listen to what the system tells us, and discover how its properties and our values can work together to bring forth something much better than could ever be produced by our will alone.” — Donella Meadows, Project Overview A former boss entrusted me […]
The Plan That Keeps Paying Back
“The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.” — Kakuzo Okakura, ——————— When Alejandra and I developed the baseline for our annual backpacking trip back in 2019, we did so with a deliberate project management mindset. We were conscious that this wasn’t a one-off event; it was a repeatable process. […]
Strategic Roadmap for Complex Modernization
“The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” — Michael Porter Project Overview A major federal entity needed a long-range strategy to modernize critical aircraft systems through a phased investment approach. The project produced a six-year roadmap covering five aircraft systems, defining future enhancements, outlining funding needs, and sequencing upgrade options […]
The Trip Was Won in the Planning: A Backpacking Case Study
“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” — Sir Edmund Hillary Project Overview In the summer of 2019, Alejandra and I embarked on a six-day backpacking journey to honor the memory of Diego, my son and her beloved brother, on the first anniversary of his passing. As mother and daughter, we approached […]
Operating at the Limits: Deconstructing the “Reckless” Illusion
“There is no adrenaline rush. If I get an adrenaline rush, it means that something has gone horribly wrong.” —Alex Honnold Most people look at a sheer rock face and see an impossible hazard; Alex Honnold looks at it and sees a problem to be solved A View of the Possible Since I was […]
Finding the Path: How Strategy Becomes Impact
THE PATH FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING Like walking together through a dense forest, strategic initiatives require attention, collaboration, and adaptability, navigating complexity, assessing risks, uncovering opportunities, and moving towards a shared destination. Strategic planning is often seen as setting long-term goals, prioritizing actions, and creating a roadmap to guide decisions and allocate resources, but it can […]
Thinking Under Pressure
Our most valuable approaches when thinking strategically under pressure are a systems-thinking lens and a deliberate, disciplined practice of critical thinking. They enable us to ascend to 35,000 feet, filtering out distractions, to pinpoint ground-level issues. Amid pressure, it’s vital to step back, assess, and dissect the situation, fostering calmness to devise optimal solutions. Chaos, […]