Hi. I’m Tricia.
Teacher, product director, and change management consultant.
I’ve spent the majority of my career building software products and high-performing teams. I’m fortunate that over the last six years I have had the opportunity to also teach others how to do the same.
This work has led me to seek out additional skills, education, and perspective in both an academic setting and through experience. It is from this work that I am able to identify my own leadership philosophy and vision.
Leadership Philosophy
In The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner state that you cannot lead through someone else’s values and words; you must define your values and beliefs and lead from those.
In the past, my teams have said what they appreciate most about my leadership is that:
- I can effectively communicate our team’s direction and then break that down into achievable steps.
- I actively seek out diverse viewpoints.
- I encourage others to contribute.
- I express appreciation for what my teams have done as individuals and together.
From the beginning of my graduate studies, I have been using what I’ve learned to refine my values and beliefs while respecting the qualities and behaviors my teams stated they value. At the end of my studies, I can articulate the philosophy that I use in my work building and leading high-performing teams.
Leadership is purposeful
People are not leaders simply because they show up. I am a lifelong student that both learns and refines my own skills to become a more effective leader. I learn from my teams what they need to feel empowered in their roles. I show up authentically and encourage others to do the same.
Leadership is standing up for what is right
My role as a leader requires that I act ethically and to ask others to do the same. In my role as a leader, I also must help others identify and break down barriers that exist between groups so that they can effectively live and work together.
Leadership is about showing teams that everyone has value
By conducting and encouraging positive inquiry and building trust, teammates can thrive together and see the value in themselves and others. I provide teams encouragement that affirms they are capable and give them the tools and support to work together to accomplish their goals. I teach curiosity and enable individuals to learn from those around them.
Leadership is identifying the systems that exist and helping to resolve the failures in those systems
Too often organizations identify people as problems. I believe that by identifying the attributes, both positive and negative, of our organizational systems and acknowledging that how we work is part of a system, we can more easily see that individuals are not problems to be solved and fixed. By focusing on the organizational attributes that need to be changed, I empower and enable individuals and teams to help solve the issues that arise.
Leadership is about doing the hard things
Change and taking action is difficult for some people. True leaders continually seek out information to identify problems, determine if the problems are technical or adaptive, and then take action to break down barriers so that people can create change. Taking action, whether it be to learn more or to create something new, is a foundational aspect of my leadership philosophy.
Leadership is best done with humility
Teams are capable of determining the way they do their best work. A leader can encourage effective change by approaching people and their problems with genuine curiosity, focusing on listening, and providing help rather than directives. I believe this dialogic approach respects each team member and allows them to create lasting change.
Vision for Leadership
My desire to build high-performing teams made up of authentic individuals drives my leadership.
A high-performing team accepts people for who they authentically are and appreciates the skills each individual brings to the team. As I extend my leadership outside of my Graduate studies, I will continue to encourage my teams to tackle hard, adaptive problems by listening to others and making space in themselves to add new beliefs. My leadership will be based on genuine curiosity and discovering new ways both myself and my teams can take action to help each other solve these challenging, adaptive problems. When individuals and my teams accomplish their goals or learn something valuable in the process, we will appreciate and celebrate those accomplishments.