My name is Thom Kearney, Thomas to some, and for those of you that don’t know me here are a few words about what kind of a person I am. They are based on a little navel gazing, one or two self awareness exercises and chats with a few folks I trust. In no particular order I am:
- Honest – what you see is what you get. In one job a co-worker came up to me to tell me I was too honest. Students are sometimes shocked by my honesty but usually come to respect it. Honesty is hard work.
- Value driven – I have always tried to live my life by some basic principles: be fair, equal opportunity, open to diverse opinions.
- Inclusive management style – I try and get many points of view before making a decision. I also work to create an environment that fosters autonomy while maintaining accountability.
- Creative – always looking for new ways of doing things, lay down the parameters but allow people to be creative and innovative.
- Kaizen – generally I am not satisfied with the status quo and believe that we all have a responsibility to make things better. On the other hand, I also believe that “good enough is” and that perfection can be the enemy of progress.
- A big thinker – one of my bosses told me that’s why he hired me.
- Versatile – whatever it takes to change!
- Collaborative – even when its hard.
- Entrepreneurial – 6 companies, GCPEDIA business unit – big things on a small budget.
- Intuitive – over the years I have discovered that how I feel about something often leads to finding the right path.
Other random thoughts
Good enough is.
A VP of Mitel Networks had me work that into a project charter once and it has stuck with me. Perfection really is the enemy of progress.
Management and leadership are two very different things.
Management is putting a ladder up against a wall in the most efficient way possible. Leadership is making sure its the right wall.
Communication is hard.
Everyone is different. That’s one of the reasons communication is hard, its also the strength of diversity
There you have it, Thom in a nutshell. Or at least my version of it. If you know me and would like to add something please do, either good stuff or I am always looking for opportunities for improvement!