Author: Michael Santarcangelo

In our quest to solve problems and deliver value, the solutions often require people to change. The frustration of resistance gets mistaken for a lack of support or failure to understand instead of the more natural fear of change. Change is hard, even …

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We need to solve the right problems to deliver value faster and connect security with the business. Sometimes that means asking other people to share what they know with you. We often get a lot of pressure to figure out a solution before fully understa…

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It’s no secret that I love questions. I’ve found it’s more powerful to ask the right question than to offer the right answer. ‘What problem are we trying to solve?’ is among my favorite questions because it is simple to ask, but not always easy to answ…

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Guy Kawasaki once remarked that to sound casual and off-the-cuff when presenting takes at least 99 hours of practice. How long was your last rehearsal before a presentation? Often overlooked, it is important to rehearse before you present your ideas to…

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“More sizzle, less steakhouse” is how Chris, a security leader, explained the change in buying and selling in the last two years. It’s a nod to the idea of focusing on the benefits and value of the solution over the expensive meals commonly associated …

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What problem are we trying to solve? This is one of my favorite questions, and for good reason. It’s useful when working to pinpoint focus. This simple question is equally useful for bringing people back to focus — especially when we need to solve the …

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Good judgement comes from experience, and experience often comes as the result of poor judgement. Our experience makes up our story, the record of our value. Our story captures the characters, conflicts, and resolutions on our journey. With each new ch…

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I checked in on a friend recently to see how he was doing. After listing off an impressive amount of achievements, he concluded his week was “All small stuff with no 100% wins.” That blew me away, because he couldn’t see all the progress and growth obv…

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Why we need to clarify the ideal and acceptable outcomes If you want to deliver value faster, you need to know more than the problem you’re trying to solve. You also need to know what success looks like. Start by asking people to define and explain the…

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I recently got called in to assess a program to encourage employees to change their default method of multi-factor authentication (MFA). The key word is change. They’re asking people to change some aspect of their behavior, and we know change is hard —…

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I’ve noticed a lot of teams that feel detached from the business take on work they perceive as sexy or fashionable, hoping to get recognized as valuable. They think these BHAGs (Big, Hairy A** Goals) will show their value. It’s a trap! Often the team o…

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What might sound like a wartime rallying cry is a simple mantra I use. We fight for each step of progress through the problems we solve and conflicts we handle. Chaos and resistance are powerful forces, eager to set us back, forcing us to start over. I…

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“Keep your front sight focus.” It’s a reminder from the US Navy SEALS to work the problem in front of you and not get distracted with something happening some place else. For soldiers, this could mean the difference between life and death. For us, it’s…

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I grew up looking at a picture of a bald eagle with the inscription: “Leadership is action, not position.” I still have the picture in my office. Finding a better way to think about leadership A few years ago, I was leading a workshop on leadership and…

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Tired of being told to do more with less? This usually feels like the need to take on more work with fewer resources and less time. Which pushes you to the margins of your nights and weekends to “catch up.” All you end up with is more work and less val…

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We exchange value every day without thinking about it. The key to unlocking the power of the value exchange is understanding the value of your time and engaging with intention. For many, value is elusive and they use it as an excuse to avoid exploring …

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What does it mean to deliver value? I recently heard a business leader put it bluntly, “if you don’t complete the work you planned in 90 days, you delivered no value.” I don’t agree. The same leader then asserted that completing your planned work withi…

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How do you keep up with all the nonstop news and changes in the industry? This question comes up at office hours from time to time. When we’re overwhelmed, struggling to see our value, and trying to find time to invest in ourselves, there is seemingly …

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Do you recognize your value? A leader recently shared the disconnect experienced between the words “good job,” and the mismatched actions when the just-praised plan got shot down. When actions outweigh the words, people struggle to see their value. Why…

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Have you noticed that things often appear simple until we realize they aren’t? We see this happen a lot with projects that seem simple at the outset. Then we get into the details and our experience doesn’t match our expectation. We suddenly realize the…

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“I’m suffering death by meeting right now, so I do the work on nights and weekends.” That’s how a leader explained when they get their work done. It’s a common refrain. Maybe it matches your experience. When do you do your best work? Set aside giving u…

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On Tuesday, you get asked to produce a business case by Friday for a topic you aren’t the expert on. Sound familiar? I got asked how I’d approach that situation yesterday afternoon and tackled it with the same sort of constraints — four hours this morn…

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Is it me, or does it seem like we have more meetings now than before the pandemic? Despite acknowledging ‘zoom fatigue,’ I find my calendar chock full of meetings. Today I have seven meetings (totaling 8 hours) and only 3 of them have established struc…

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Ever heard someone suggest action is the cure for suffering? On its face, the concept makes sense, because when people suffer, they get stuck. Sometimes, when people are stuck, they get into what’s called analysis paralysis. Overwhelmed with options (o…

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Not having a problem to solve is a problem. That’s because we need hard, complex problems to solve to fuel our growth, contribution, and earn recognition. The reward for getting better at solving problems is getting harder, more complex problem to solv…

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How do you make progress when overwhelmed? Most of us have more than enough work, including conflicting and competing priorities. We know each day we need to face the unholy trinity of chaos, friction, and resistance. Guaranteed the ‘Tyranny of the Urg…

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What extra work did you agree to take on this week? When you accepted, did you mean it — or did you feel forced into agreeing? The ‘Tyranny of the Urgent’ often makes it seem like we have no choice but to agree. Urgent is not always important. Worse, t…

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Do you fear being wrong? We’re under a lot of pressure to always know the right answer. What is it you fear the most – being wrong, not knowing the answer, or something else? Take a moment to explore fear, sometimes explained as: False Evidence Appeari…

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The purpose of clarity is to remove confusion. Clarify the problem to solve and what success looks cuts down the friction that erodes value, destroys trust, and burns people out. Especially when the upfront effort to clarify reduces wasted work and unn…

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Tell me something good. Right now, take a second to tell me something good happening in your life. There are no limits to the good things in life and you can pick something good about work, a hobby, or whatever comes to mind. Are you drawing a blank? M…

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Ever walk past an open garage door and see someone working away? Maybe they’re running a saw or just hammering away. But it’s interesting to watch them create. Imagine what it’d be like to watch someone inventing in their garage? Or watching someone le…

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