platinum-technologies

Beyond Control: The Power of Trusting Your Team

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 14:10:28 GMT

Leadership is about making others better as a result of our presence in a way that lasts in our absence.

- Frances Frei, Professor – Harvard Business School

For the past three weeks, I have been away for some formal executive education. The combination of case review with our professors, individual and team study from early mornings to late nights made for an intense but incredibly rewarding experience. An added (and arguably one of the more important) benefit was the opportunity to discuss challenges and strategies with contemporaries from around the world in an academic setting. It was a fascinating 21 days that accelerated my preparation for life on the horizon.

As I was preparing to head up to Boston, I found myself in a bit of a paradox. On one hand, I was eager to dive into my upcoming learning experience, not fully knowing what to expect but excited about the challenge. On the other, I was acutely aware that for the first time in a while, I would not be available to run the company. This absence wasn't just about me stepping away; it was going to be our litmus test for where we are as an enterprise. The question lingered—could the team maintain the same level of excellence without my direct involvement? In fact, in our opening session, Deepak Malhotra said to us all, “Well, if you can’t leave your company without it falling apart, it says something about you.” He then added, “If you can leave and they don’t even miss you, well, that says something too! In either case, you’re going to find out.”

It turns out, the Platinum team didn't just manage; they thrived. They solved problems, maintained operational rigor, and delivered topline results for our customers, all without missing a beat. This experience was a nice reminder that leadership isn't about constant oversight but about how you empower people, build their trust, and provide them with opportunities to meet new challenges. Reflecting on the actions that drove their performance, some key behaviors stood out:

An Embrace of Our Cultural Alignment: The team exhibited a deep respect for one another and a genuine willingness to collaborate. This shared sense of purpose has been the foundation for our success, as everyone works towards the same goals with a clear understanding of our mission and values.
Understanding Our Systems and Processes: While we might have a bit of band-aid or duct tape holding together a few spots, we’ve generally built a solid framework that supports our operations and allows us to punch well above our weight class. This focus on processes has been a core differentiator that sets us apart from the competition.
Redundancy and Cross-Training: This has been pivotal to our resilience. The team stepped up beyond their primary roles and learned to become accountable for responsibilities outside of their core operating functions before they really needed to.

Lastly, we trust each other, and with that trust comes the responsibility of living with—and learning from—the decisions we all make. One of our aspirations is to continuously improve upon our decentralized decision-making to ensure our success is never reliant on a single individual, even me.

Going back to Professor Frei, she emphasized many of these points and underscored that team development is as much about creating experiences and developing the ability to handle different situations through a mix of preparation, empowerment, and learning. That said, solving the puzzle of Cultural Alignment and Operational Execution is tougher than figuring out any Rubik’s cube—because the answer can vary by organization. What’s clear is that our success hinges on more than just one person’s contributions, and we should celebrate the opportunity to build a culture where collaboration, trust, and adaptability are the norm.

This, my Platinum Effect Crew, is the power of a unified team that embraces shared goals and is committed and accountable to each other—not just for their roles, but for the success of the entire organization. I know many of you can relate—make sure you brag about your team and share these principles with your community. We’ll be better for it.

I went a little long today, but I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Brett Rome , Shimul Ray , Morgan Ainslie , Joel Shuler, CISSP, CEH , and the entire Platinum team for showing the best of leadership and embodying the values that make us who we are. You’re not just maintaining excellence; you’re setting the stage for an even brighter future.

Achieving your Aspirations of Tomorrow... Started Yesterday

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 14:06:53 GMT

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” — Joel A. Barker

Joel Barker, a futurist known for his work on paradigm shifts, reminds us that actively executing our decisions shape our opportunity for success. When we challenge the status quo and embrace change, we can turn visions into realities. As we celebrate #FourYearsOfPlatinum , this is a message that our team resonates deeply with. We started with a bold vision—to create 1,000 jobs, build leaders, and deliver transformative outcomes—but we understood that vision alone isn’t enough. We committed to a series of integrated choices and defined a path that replaced blind ambition with actively taking steps to achieve our goals. Our journey has been shaped not only by our achievements but by the experiences we've learned from along the way. Each challenge faced, problem solved, and every solution delivered has taught us valuable lessons about resilience, adaptability, and the power of staying true to our mission.

Our path to ‘Tomorrow’ started with an idea to become more than just a service provider; we aimed to build a company that would overwhelm our customers with success through consistent execution and strategic problem-solving. We’ve grown into an organization that doesn’t shy away from challenges, using our operational depth and the expertise to turn complex problems into opportunities. Our focus has always been on action—creating a talent hub where everyone continuously pushes boundaries, exceeds expectations, and drives meaningful change. The path we’ve chosen—to invest in our people, make disciplined decisions, and relentlessly pursue impactful results—reflects the power of combining vision with action, transforming ambition into reality.

For many of us our aspirations are personal, consequential, and invoke an internal drive that propels us to achieve those goals. These ambitions are deeply rooted visions that guide our actions and shape our decisions daily. Embrace your vision. Take meaningful steps that you can measure. Celebrate your Tomorrow. Yesterday, we envisioned tomorrow’s future— a future built on dreams of impact, leadership, and meaningful change. Today, we execute with intention, putting in the hard work, making choices, and embracing challenges that test our resolve. To realize these outcomes, learn from every experience, celebrate small wins, and refine your strategies to stay on course. Relentlessly commitment to act in the present to transform your dreams into tangible outcomes. Tomorrow’s achievements won’t be accidents; you will celebrate today’s dedicated effort and yesterday’s courage to dream big— proof that every step forward, no matter how small, builds the bridge to the future you could have never imagined.

Enduring Values: Creating Momentum from Every Moment

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 14:02:27 GMT

I’ve got this goal to read all 100 of the New York Times best books of the 21st century… not in any particular timeframe or order, but since it is a well curated list, that’s one less thing that I have to figure out. Recently I finished When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Published after his death, Mr. Kalanithi chronicled his rise to being one of the top neurosurgeon residents in the country as his life was tragically cut short, succumbing to cancer. There were many poignant pieces to this this read but I can sum it up as a powerful reminder of how values shape our lives, both in the moments we can predict and especially the ones we can’t.

In our leadership journey, we have all had moments of brilliance — the big wins, the breakthroughs, the celebrated achievements. While it’s natural to celebrate standout performances, the real win is whether we can establish norms that are consistent, drive collaboration, and make our teams better. Focusing on behaviors for a moment… can we craft a legacy that transforms ideals into something more tangible? Can we demonstrate actions that traverse our fleeting accomplishments and translate them to enduring business value.

In Kalanithi’s memoir, he reminds us that life is often shorter than we think, and we rarely have the luxury of time to achieve all we hope for. This urgency applies in business too. We assume we have time on our side – annual strategic planning activities, 3- and 5-year outlooks, forecasted revenues… what did I miss? We have the authority and the ability, but usually fall short on the ‘will’ and the ‘motivation’ to create a culture of excellence based on values that will outlast us. When we elevate our excellence, we shape business opportunities according to a core ethos that attracts talent to deliver quality outcomes. I don’t know about you—but this is something I’d be proud to leave behind. Whether we realize it or not, our legacy is being written everyday whether we actively curate a behavior-based narrative or let it be externally shaped by others.

None of this is new. Respected works, from Jim Collins' Built to Last to Simon Sinek's The Infinite Game , emphasize that organizations thriving over the long term are those that embed their core values into every aspect of their operations. It is our constant reminder that values are not just words on a wall; they are the foundation of consistent, sustainable performance.

To transform isolated successes into sustained performance, we need to shift organizations from just celebrating sporadic wins to fostering consistent behaviors. This means actively reinforcing core values, recognizing those who embody them, and aligning daily actions with a shared purpose. At Platinum Technologies , we aspire to these three: Thoughtfulness; Time Management; Bias For Action. I’m proud to say that we start every all-hands meeting by celebrating individuals who embody those values. It is part of the intentional culture we have created that has become the bedrock of our performance.

As I completed the final chapter and then epilogue written by his wife (I won’t spoil the read), I can tell you this book hit differently. This past week, on more than a few occasions I’ve paused to think about the folks who count on me – not just professionally, but in life. The unanswered question still floats… Am I creating change that will endure if I’m not here in a few years, months, days… tomorrow? I really don’t know. But I’m more conscious and deliberate in trying to achieve that goal.

We have the power to impact the lives of others. So, here’s my challenge: think about the values you’re living today and posit the internal question: Do those values help build the future you want, and does that future serve others as much as yourself? I not, are you willing to change to make those values matter more?

Winning Ideas vs. Winning Behaviors

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 13:59:43 GMT

On more than one occasion, I used to go to one of my mentors with a ‘really great idea,’ and to his credit—he’d pause to give me advice on how the idea could be additive to the business. Maybe on the third or fourth time, the ‘pause’ was different. It could have been the slow removal of his glasses or maybe I just caught him at the wrong time, but his response got my attention: “You know, Jermon, ideas are like a________s, everybody has one. You’ve got to pick one of these things and try to turn it into something—otherwise, you’re wasting time and not generating benefit for anyone.” Cue: chest sinking in and heart hitting the stomach. “Got it, Boss.”

Among the many lessons I’ve learned over the course of my career, this one resonates at the top on most days. I wouldn’t put myself in the ‘Idea Fairy’ category, but I have definitely learned that while innovative thoughts and refreshing ideas matter, it’s the discipline of picking the right one or two that you believe in and driving them to fruition. The reality is that organizations recognize the brilliance in results more than the brilliance in ideas. How many times have you heard some version of this: “You know, that was my idea. ______ took my idea and ran with it.” It’s never my place to question the person on that statement, but I’m always thoughtful about whether they made the effort to deliver something or if the consternation is more about someone else deciding to do the work instead of them.

Like my mentor, I (and many of you) am in a position to influence better behaviors that translate into results. In my view, we have a responsibility to encourage the robust thoughtfulness that comes with trying to differentiate how we think about providing customer value. Ideas remain crucial, as they are the fuel for differentiation. The good ones take effort and imagination that, frankly, you just can’t teach. However, if we stop there, at best, we have a ‘you won’t believe it’ story at a cocktail party—and guess what, they probably won’t.

Paraphrasing Peter Drucker’s emphasis that unless they degenerate into hard work, ideas and plans are meaningless. As I stated earlier, leaders have the power to affect this. Beyond encouraging our teammates to share innovations, we need to create spaces where these ideas are debated, matured, and adjudicated—creating a process that celebrates ideas but rewards results, emphasizing the necessity of turning intentions into actionable outcomes.

Realizing our potential comes down to a commitment to action. It’s easy to be captivated by new concepts, but our true challenge—and reward—comes from the disciplined effort to turn those concepts into reality. In our leadership roles, we need to inspire creative thinking but also build an environment where those ideas are rigorously tested, refined, and ultimately implemented. Building a culture of continuous improvement isn’t simply about evolving our ideas; it’s about fostering a culture that prioritizes action and accountability, ensuring that each idea has the opportunity to become more than just a fleeting thought but a driving force for real, lasting impact.

As you reflect on your own leadership practices, ask yourself: Are you creating the conditions where ideas can truly flourish through action? Are you equipping your team not just to think creatively but to execute effectively? Our journey continues. How can we better align our efforts with the principle that while ideas may ignite the spark, the disciplined pursuit of results is the ultimate reward? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Building Teams: Practice for Mastery but Train to be Excellent

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 16:39:16 GMT

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

For those who don’t know me, I’m big on learning agility – being able to understand, translate, and apply a new concept for a specific purpose towards a desired outcome. Throughout my career this characteristic has come in handy, even if the byproduct is that I’m also a pretty good source of ‘random, why do I need to know that?’ information. Be that as it may, I have always placed a premium on personal mastery, and believe that if you are going to be a source of information—you must first be informed. Over time that intellectual curiosity morphed into a responsibility where people began to depend on me for answers and trust I was giving the ‘right’ one. And of course it gets harder the broader your reach. Whether fair or unfair, but it doesn’t really matter. What matters more is whether you can implement a scaling framework that builds the next generation of autonomous teams that can make these ‘right’ decisions (which might be different than yours) you can live with?

Most leaders agree that for organizations to experience extreme success you need teams that align to the goals and culture of the entity, however, can operate independently to achieve these goals. It’s an elusive thing to build. We go out of our way to provide the training classes, professional experiences, and lessons learned to make all that happen. I’d argue though, that these building blocks are not enough. We are developing mental and technical acuity, which is a good thing – but are we positioning these individuals for the next level where you have confidence they can operate with autonomy?

What we have done to this point, and this is where most of us stop, amounts to practice. We feel that we have put our future leaders in a position to apply what they have learned to get something right. This is a good foundation for skill development, and one where they can focus is on learning and refining techniques. If they are motivated, they will explore, repeat, and course correct to help them understand the nuances of a task and achieve initial proficiency. This is all critical, but only foundational… we need to shift are focus to a deeper level.

To build excellent teams that have the competence and aspiration to execute flawlessly and transform organizations, our focus should go beyond providing tools. As leaders we need to implement systems that push beyond repetition and instill discipline, achieving a level of mastery where teams can perform tasks correctly every time, almost instinctively. This is where I draw the distinction between Practicing and Training.

Training involves rigorous, repeated application of skills until they become second nature. It is about developing the muscle memory and mental fortitude to perform flawlessly, even under pressure. Practice lays the groundwork by helping us get things right, while training ensures we can’t get them wrong, even under the most challenging circumstances. We should aim for mastery in our domains (Practice), but the real challenge lies in moving from mastery to execution with excellence (Training). Using the United States military as an example, service members spend up 50% training for scenarios where they will need to assess situations accurately and make quick, decisive decisions.

As we look to channel more responsibilities towards our team members, remember that providing the tools and equipment is just the first part of our job. We need to instill discipline coupled with a continuous feedback loop of opportunity that gets them comfortable with rapid decision making in various situations. that gets our team comfortable with challenges. Let’s get introspective: How can we incorporate the discipline of training into their daily routines to enhance your team’s leadership capabilities? Reflect on your current approach and consider what steps you can take for them to lead with confidence.

Be Selfish to Be Selfless. Prioritizing Your Health.

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 20:48:31 GMT

If there were any doubts before, summertime is here! Record-breaking heat, family vacation schedules conflicting left and right with our professional duties, and for those in my industry – the busiest time of the contracting season… the closing quarter of the Federal Government’s Fiscal Year. For me, the summer months are also that time of year when I do all my annual health checkups as it seems like the only time, I can get them all done. Even then, I’m always good for at least one or two reschedules because some other commitment took priority.

The verdict is in: nothing adverse or any watch items of concern, thank goodness. But… nothing exceptional either. No high fives from the doctors saying, “You’ve got the fitness of a 25-year-old,” or “Wow, your health is amazing.” To be clear, it’s not that I expected it – I do enough to maintain a relatively healthy lifestyle, but there’s no kidding myself that I am overperforming in this area because my belt buckle tells me that I’m not! In a recent quiet moment, I asked myself, why is it that I set priorities for just about everything, but I let the focus of my health meander?

Since “I don’t know” is rarely a good enough answer, the more I reflected on this thought—the clearer the answer became… I really hadn’t tied my personal well-being to a greater purpose. We all have our motivators, and one of mine is that I spend my time on efforts that yield more for others. This is a common trait for those who understand the gravity of increased responsibility – people depend on you to make the right call. That calculating factor weighs heavily in our decision-making, and it is often where we direct our efforts. I know this crew can appreciate this because what differentiates us is our collective wisdom and experience for which others are reliant, and we apply these qualities toward our leadership styles. This sets us apart from most: 1. Our emotional and business acumen are always on display, and we are decisive when we have to be. 2. In client engagements, we are empathetic to external and opposing points of view to understand how we can make a difference.

But to be able to call the ‘balls and strikes’ (tips hat to the All-Star game earlier this week), you kinda have to be around. Which also means you need to be positioned to bring your best (and healthy) self to that decision-making table. I’d say it is time that we refocus some of that wisdom and experience inward on our personal well-being. In that context: listening to our bodies, understanding our limits, and deciding to make active and informed choices about our health and well-being. Just as we leverage our professional expertise to drive success, we must use our personal insights to prioritize our health. This is not just about personal goals; rather its foundational to our professional effectiveness. When we are at our best physically and mentally, we can make better decisions, lead with clarity, and inspire those around us. It’s a necessity that, like any other important thing, requires us to commit. Again, remember that people depend on you.

This one is going to require me to fire off some new synapses and dedicate new energy, but in the words of John Maxwell, "To lead others, you must first lead yourself." My motivation is about those who depend on me professionally and personally—and knowing that I have got to purposely equip myself to take better care so I can try to provide opportunities for others. What's yours? -- whatever it is, make it meaningful and with purpose so that we an be in this for the long haul together. So, schedule that checkup, make healthier decisions, and if you need a little vanity – borrow my goal to fit into the jeans you wore in high school. Cheers to living to 100 years old ��.

Are You a Work in Progress or Are You Working to Progress?

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 20:45:49 GMT

In America, on July 4th, we get to reflect on and celebrate the birth of our nation. Oversimplified, that foundational step where we declaratively broke from our past began the journey towards our stated goals for a better future, codified in the Constitution eleven years later… “to form a more perfect Union.”

The Declaration of Independence was a bold assertion of our nation's intent to create a society based on liberty, equality, and justice. It marked the beginning of an ongoing journey—a journey that requires active participation and unwavering commitment. This got me thinking and I asked myself: Am I merely a work in progress, or am I actively working to progress?

We all had to do that one play when we were kids. Unfortunately for me, I was not a Tree, but instead Benjamin Franklin—and my lines were to recite the Preamble of The Constitution. I only remember this because 1. I had to wear a barrister wig and 2. I was so nervous! In our practices, my teacher kept the pressure on that I needed to emphasize “to form a more perfect Union” when it came to showtime. Those lines were the hardest 52 words of my life. The good news was I didn’t forget my lines, and the better news was this was the last time I ever had to perform. However, after all these years, those lines – all of them – stuck with me as a reminder that as changemakers our work is never done. For me that underscores that development is an ongoing AND active process that demands continuous effort, dedication, and sacrifice. Throughout our history, progress has been achieved by those who actively sought change, sometimes at great personal cost. Those outcomes were driven by individuals who embodied the spirit of service and sacrifice, and showed up with (and on) purpose, guided by a vision of a better future. They were not content to be passive observers of history; they were determined to shape it.

We can all be bellwethers of change in our personal and professional lives, leading by example with actions which remind us that leadership is about the willingness to serve and make a difference. So… how are we showing up today? Are we actively working to progress, or are we passively drifting along? Are we aligning our efforts with our values or are the enticements of monetary rewards and professional achievements absent the thought for a greater good?

My son turns 11 in a week, but tomorrow we get to talk about how important an 11-year journey can be and what type of future he wants to shape for his friends and his community as an active participant in our society. Yeah, I know… tough dad. He’ll be ok, we’ll still do fireworks later.

Getting off the stage now(I do that well); fight inertia and commit to the progress of a better, if not more perfect society where we rededicate some part of our lives to being active citizens committed to service and progress. Show up with purpose, and if you don’t work tirelessly—at least sweat a little bit, and align your work with values that inspire others to join you.

Happy 4th Everyone!

Durability: The Melody of Leadership... ask Babyface

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 20:43:40 GMT

It has been a busy two weeks of gratitude. It started with attending a change of command ceremony to see Robin Montgomery assume duties as the United States Army’s 45th Chief of Ordnance. That same week, I attended the ceremony for Darion McCullough , who after nearly 40 years of service, retired from the United States Navy. I’m thankful to both for their friendship and for inviting me to celebrate their respective milestones. Finally, during our Trustees meeting this past weekend, Bennett College welcomed a new cohort that will infuse new insights and energy with our board to support the college’s most ambitious endeavors. I know that I said ‘finally’, but in the middle of all this, me and my wife got to see Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds in concert. At 65-years young, he has produced and written 125 Top-10 Hits, 61 of those rose to #1 on the Billboard charts… and let me tell you, he can still go!

What’s the commonality here? Babyface hasn’t written any military ballads (at least that I know of), and Robin and Darion can’t hold a falsetto (this I’m sure). None of these gentlemen went to Bennett College – a Historically Black College… for women ��. However, each person and Bennett as an institution, share a key element – Durability. Their accolades are attributed to the influence they have had on those that have been under their steward of care who will or have gone on to be difference makers in their respective lives. This was due to a permanence and dedication to 1. Their craft 2. Desire to positively affect the lives of others. 3. Responsibility to cultivate these behaviors over decades.

I contend that Durability is one of the most underappreciated concepts for those who are called to lead. Tracing back to its Latin root word, durabilis, which means “permanent or lasting”, this has to be something you actively sign up for when you get the call, otherwise don’t pick up—or better yet, send it voicemail. We tend get caught up in moments of Leadership or actions that make us feel good in the moment, but we should remember this is not a fleeting concept. If we started a list of all the attributes required or expected of leaders, I’d bet that there would not be one wrong answer to be found. Vision, Innovation, Authenticity, Grit… yes we can (but won’t) keep going. These are all important, but they matter less when the passion doesn’t meet the urgency, and the urgency is not sustained.

Leadership is not a fleeting concept based on assignment or attribution. It is about what and how you contribute your talents over time. Let’s also not confuse this with ‘time in the seat’, rather focus on building resilience by fostering the consistency required to deliver on that list we just started. Because over time, we all know that buzz words matter a whole lot less than the actions we take. Be Durable.

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I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to recognize General Order No. 3, executed by Union General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, once his troops reached Galveston, Texas at the end of the Civil War. With just 93 words he reaffirmed President Lincoln’s proclamation that “slaves in any States… shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” It is a meaningful moment in our history that allows us to reflect, learn and celebrate what our nation can become. Happy Juneteenth.

Embracing Adaptability and Fueling your Growth Mindset

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 19:40:09 GMT

Last week we received news one evening that we were not selected for an opportunity the company was pursuing. While you don't expect to win every deal (secretly, I do), this was one where our team felt prepared and put forward what we thought to be a good effort. Unfortunately for us, the evaluators saw it differently and this time we had to focus more on “learning” rather than winning. Seeking a little inspiration, I went back to an old book I read by Max McKeown which focuses on choices we must make to shape the future. For me, his quote sums up the choice we have: "Adaptability is about the powerful difference between adapting to cope and adapting to win."

In our situation, as a primary mechanism we could choose to manage the difficulty of the loss by focusing on keeping things running – effectively maintaining a status quo and taking a more risk averse approach to expanding the business. There are threads within this coping mindset that might be necessary, however it doesn’t lead to growth or significant improvement. Over time, the focus becomes managing the metrics and treading water eventually down to zero as the team fails to evolve and capitalize on new opportunities. They say Defense Wins Games… but you still have to score points.

Instead, we choose to apply a Growth Mindset and focus on adapting to win. Our position is that we use our experience to build resiliency and to learn new lessons that will help us unlock the path to success. Did we need to innovate, or did we innovate too much? Did our assumption of the Conditions of Success match up to how we were evaluated? The one questions I always go back to because this seems to be the thing that is always hardest to learn… Did we give it our best?

My point here is less about our company situation and more about leaders making the deliberate choice to understand and leverage changes in their environment so they can make forward-thinking decisions to achieve higher levels of performance and success. People depend on us every day to see over the horizon for where we should make the investments to influence or be prepared for the change. These moments serve as the building blocks for any transformation. Consuming information, applying knowledge, and experience in new situations. Promoting innovation and collaboration with the team responsible for the execution. Cultivating and creating a Growth Mindset: Embracing the opportunity of a challenge and fostering a culture of adaptability.

I’ve said it here and shared with my team, “We don’t lose, we learn.” This journey is not just about winning, but also about growing and evolving through every experience and positioning ourselves to turn obstacles into steppingstones towards greater achievements. The Status Quo always tips the Libra scales against us at the onset, but that weight is no match for a learning organization that exhibits vigor, determination, and truly believes that its best days are ahead of them no matter today’s setback. So replenish your energy and fuel up-- we've got a lot of work to do.

Dueling Spirals: Construction or Destruction. Leaders Choose.

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 19:35:39 GMT

According to NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information , 2024 has already produced seven major weather events (>$1B in damage) in the United States, five of which were punctuated by tornadoes. The other two were severe winter weather events that spiraled across significant regions within the country. Aside from the financial impact, the commonality here is that in all cases there wasn’t really anything we could do about it, as these natural disasters wreaked destruction across everything in their path leaving us to rely on whatever preparation time would allow.

Similarly in our professional lives, in the face of external challenges like market volatility or unforeseen crises, a lack of preparation and reactive decision-making can amplify risks, leading to significant setbacks. Along our Leadership journey, we will often find ourselves at a crossroads where our choices can either lead to spirals of destruction or spirals of construction. The distinction between these paths lies in our approach to challenges and our commitment to fostering positive, sustainable growth.

I’ll define Spirals of Destruction as incidents born from negative actions and decisions. Consider how a single incident of poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, erode trust, and create conflicts. Left unresolved, they spiral into decreased morale, reduced productivity, and ultimately the failure to execute.

Conversely, Leaders create Spirals of Construction that emerge from positive, proactive actions. They foster an environment of open communication built on trust and collaboration. To get the best out of our teams, this foundation allows us to tackle challenges collectively and transform our obstacles into opportunities for growth. When we set in motion this cycle of improvement, it propels us forward and reinforces our confidence and capability, encouraging our team to deliver big for their stakeholders.

Over time I’ve learned that whether you chose to lead, or leadership chose you, we made the deliberate decision to stay in the role. The weight of the role increases (sometimes exponentially) with your increased responsibilities. At Platinum we talk about this job not being one for bystanders – because one of two things are likely to happen: 1. Opportunity keeps driving by or 2. You get run over! Good leaders execute on the idea that our role is not merely a title; it is a commitment that requires thoughtfulness, anticipation, constant preparation, and decisive action. Our colleagues rely on us to get the job right because our actions resonate beyond our immediate teams, influencing the lives of many. Therefore, we must lead with integrity, empathy, and understand that our decisions shape the future of those we serve.

Yup, it’s full contact… and a lot. We have an advantage though; we can see the signals of the Spiral of Destruction as it builds. Unlike natural disasters, we can usually do something about it before major impact and there is no point of no return. This privilege we have is special and we need to use it to build resilience within ourselves and our teams:

· Honing our skills through personal development and preparation.

· Being inclusive in our decision-making, especially when it affects others.

For my last point—we need to increase the operations tempo and transparency in our communications. I am reminded (and in some cases, still learning) that the systems we implement reinforce the necessary discipline to execute business at a high-level. Even with the tolerances set, we thoughtfully insert the human component and negotiate with ourselves on why something is not as much a problem as it seems even though we know the situation likely calls for action. Fight this urge—drizzles, turn into downpours, which turn into hurricanes and tornadoes. Not confronting the issue limits the level of constructiveness you can apply to right a situation.

Conversely, don’t forget to reward the goodness openly and specifically. This is an essential element of having your colleagues reduce the tolerance for non-performance. For those situations that are not performance related, remember the longer you take to act, the more limited your opportunities to succeed will be. Be clear, open, and honest on your ‘why’.

Making a difference requires you to be different. Create those Spirals of Construction and build a legacy of resilience, innovation, and success that withstands the test of time. Stay motivated.

Dueling Spirals of Conflict

Be Like Anna. Stop Running Another Lap… and Attack!

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 19:32:43 GMT

Last week I ran the annual GW Parkway Classic. It’s one of my favorite races in town because 1. For the first 6.5 miles or so, it’s all downhill and 2. It’s a scenic Point-To-Point race where you make progress towards a destination without doubling back or having to run another lap. There are similarities that many have drawn on regarding endurance events and managing your career – “slow and steady…” (never been a fan), “greatness takes time… patience, perseverance and the willingness to endure…” (a little better), but the ones I will give you references the story of Anna Kiesenhofer, the 2020 (2021 because of COVID) Austrian Olympic Gold Medal cyclist.

The Reader’s Digest version is that Anna was one of the 67 women competing in the 137km road race. Although she was an experienced triathlete, she only had 11 professional races to her name and was not considered to be in contention for a medal. However, Anna had different plans – and they were all based on her preparation, planning and execution. On race day, she gave herself three options to attack the field – 1. Right at the beginning. 2. At 35km. 3 At 75km. It turns out, she decided to attack right away and quickly built up a sizable lead with four other riders, that when the favorites caught and passed those four riders who were losing pace, they were unaware someone was still ahead of the pack. Fast forward, Anna beat Annemiek Van Vleuten (104 victories to her name) by 75 seconds. I love her quotes: “…even if I’m not known… I’m strong and a good time triallist…” and “I split the distance into pieces… and “…think of people who inspire me”

In our professional careers we’ve all had a leader who told us we need to “run another lap…”. For various reasons their perspective ranged from depth of experience to time in the seat or it’s just not the right time for you, etc. Those moments were frustrating because the feedback was not particularly helpful, and the additional lap often felt like I was on a gerbil wheel because this loop rarely came with direction.

Leaders agitate for change from the status quo and believe that their contributions to an objective will result in positive change. For all of us, Anna is a representation this has to start from within—defining the quality and quantity of work to achieve your goals, working hard to unlock the excellence you possess, and knowing that you have prepared for your own race and not the one that others will define for you. Her story is fascinating to me, not just that she won an Olympic Road race, but she had a confidence that was backed up by her preparation and the humility to still find inspiration in others.

If we’re lucky, our careers will be like an endurance event. We are going to encounter moments where we're asked to "run another lap," facing setbacks that test our patience and resolve. Yet, like Anna, we can define our own race and embrace the journey with determination and resilience. Find the inspiration but remember, it is up to you to kick your own butt and push beyond any perceived limitations. Changemakers know that excellence can only be pursued with vigor, purpose, and integrity. Every step forward brings you and those you support, closer to your own victory. Attack… and bring home the Gold.

The Delicate Dance between Being Effective and Being Right

Mon, 06 May 2024 18:17:47 GMT

Last week, I accomplished a major feat. For the first time in over 10 years of trying, I finally solved The NY Times crossword puzzle without any outside help. Nope… not either of the notoriously hard weekend puzzles. Just the run-of-the-mill Monday version — the easiest one they publish weekly. Underwhelming you say… maybe. My kid was definitely nonplussed. I’m convinced though, one of you is cheering me on because I got every one of the answers right.

There’s something powerful about being right. In our professional lives, the more ‘good calls’ we make, the more people begin to count on us for information. The more answers we have, over time we become a source of truth, etc. It’s a position that in most cases has been earned. You’ve done the due diligence — are well-read on various subjects, studied differentiated problem sets, and delivered consequentially on major projects. It’s a big reason why you are in a place of influence today.

When that role evolves your responsibility to be a multiplier that leads others to deliver results, the complexities arise. Your job is to marshal a team (or teams) towards a common goal, and that almost never comes without conflict. And there’s this thing about being ‘right’ – which comes from a place associated with a personal or moral construct about as often as it is tied to a statement than can be (dis)proven as factual.

The truth is (this word seems so loaded given our topic) that we rarely have ownership on the facts – rather we have perspectives and hope to control the narrative based on our experience. As builders we want teammates who are bold and driven by morals that inform their behaviors and decision-making. We also need their consideration of multiple viewpoints to drive the effectiveness of the organization without feeling like they have compromised their ethics.

When the conflict gets to you, your team is now seeking to act on your direction when all you’ve been trying to do in your role is to figure out how to get them to act without your direction. In this moment, my submission here is that your job is not to solve for right—it’s to solve for consideration. Because time is never our friend and there is so much to do, we often try to get to the punchline too fast and gloss over the fact that the multiple points of view may all be right. We miss the opportunity to ‘Disassociate the Principle from the Person’ to understand not only the issues at hand, but the motivations driving the position. It’s our job to elevate motivations to not only understand, but to make sure their teammates do as well. Because to be effective, you need the next problem to be resolved without you.

Sometimes you can’t solve the unsolvable—but your failure as a leader will be if you didn’t try to create an environment where the right discussions take place and people can be effective and respected despite their differences. Often the team is looking for you to execute on their behalf everything they have seen or heard about you-- and that's when it matters. Doing this consistently and doing it well are the moments that earn you credibility and build the trust needed for your team to perform at a high level.

Consideration drives Effectiveness… and besides, being right really only counts in Crossword Puzzles. ��

Courtesy: NY Times - Monday 4/15/2024

From Chaos to Connection: Managing Talent

Mon, 06 May 2024 18:15:22 GMT

For anyone who has had the excitement of starting a company (or to a lesser extent, an organization) from scratch – you can appreciate it when I say, “That SH… stuff is HARD” (PG-rated blog + my mom reads this). You are always trying to be one step ahead, or at a minimum, keep alignment with the pace of the business. It is akin to running in a dark tunnel towards the bright light ahead of you and hoping that it’s not a train! Joking aside, you were nominated (by self, or otherwise) to do something different and meaningful on the basis that you have the mastery and self-awareness to make this project successful. This theory of mastery can best be explained as Unconscious Competence (UC) where you operate from a position of intuition and skillfully execute tasks you consider to be second nature.

On this journey from ‘Chaos to Connected’ you figure things out, implement processes, and intuitively put people in positions to scale the operation. Because the pace is usually frenetic, the decisions you make are based on trust, common sense, and notably experience. Getting closer to ‘Connected’ requires leaders to evaluate the quality of how they manage their time. I’ll posit that your biggest effect on the sustainability of the business at this point will be how you manage Talent. In the earlier iterations of growth, we find ourselves putting folks in roles 1. For which we haven’t prepared them, or worse 2. We don't invest in them to achieve the technical maturity to perform at a high level in the role. As a result-- we find ourselves blaming it on our friend Laurence J. Peter and his principle .

To minimize this occurrence, the first thing I’ll suggest is that we Slow Down and remember that Objects in Mirror are Closer than they appear. We all have Blind Spots, but they get bigger the faster we go. Managing Talent is a leadership responsibility that can often be defined as either creating multipliers or making mistakes. In either case, the results fall on us.

When Expertise is required – Hire The Expert. It’s incredibly hard to unwind this decision when you don’t, and costly to augment the individual with resources need to provide the compliant level of output you desire. Experts by definition are few in number and harder to find. Compound that with business needs, the pressure to relent and go with ‘Good Enough’ when you cannot find the ideal person will weigh heavily on you to act. Don’t.

Build Your Talent Reserve – Most experienced P&L center Operators know the Finance folks will eventually knock on your proverbial door and politely ask (demand) for more [Cash, EBIT, Revenue, etc.] before the Quarter closes. As such, we prepare for this inevitability by building a Management Reserve.

Leaders should consider putting this behavior in practice for acquiring and managing Talent. Growing Revenue is hard work, but I'd submit that finding Talent is harder. How many times have we come across someone who is just great-- clearly self-motivated, very accomplished, and has displayed learning agility to excel, but... you don't have a role or budget for them in your current business model. You’re left with a decision on which is the better approach to ‘sub-optimization’ e.g. How less worse off can I be? Let that sink in for a second.

Quantifiably invest in ‘Connected’ – Even though the pace was fast, you decided to put those leaders in place. What strengths did you identify and how does that align with the priorities of the business? Is your organization continually aligning strengths with opportunities to improve organizational performance? Define Good – At Platinum, our operational metrics are based on Program Performance, People Operations, and Customer Experience.

I picked this topic because last week our team held our first company-wide Program Management Leader Summit. Many of the folks in that room were already in formal leader roles and are currently performing at high levels. Others were high potentials and will soon assume their own portfolio responsibilities. I was heartened by their enthusiasm and willingness to embrace the challenges that will help us sustain our progress. We doubled down on our commitment to support the discipline, as well as each individual. Going back to my earlier points on leadership placement – I can’t say that we always got #1 right, but I can promise you we won’t let #2 happen. And as we get closer to exiting the tunnel… looks like it just might be sunshine.

From Chaos to Connection: Managing Talent

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 18:30:40 GMT

When Joy Goes Missing… Find your Flow!

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 18:12:35 GMT

Last week while traveling, I was assaulted by the worst case of allergies (yes, for melodramatic effect)! With hopes of alleviating some of the sinus pressure, after checking into my hotel I headed down to the Men’s area and encountered the attendant – we’ll call him Ralph, who got me squared away. In a span of two minutes, he provided me with everything I needed and proceeded to give me a quick tour. When he was done, I had to ask him, “Did anyone call you to share that I was coming down here?” He replied, “No Sir, and even though we close at 6:00pm don’t worry about rushing—I’ll hang around a little longer if you need the time.” I assured him that I wouldn’t ruin his weekend and would be done before then. There were a few things that stood out to me about Ralph. He was incredibly helpful, and nice. He knew his craft and it was obvious that he had been doing it for a long time. What was more obvious was that Ralph was joyful about what he was doing and how well he was doing it.

Before I left the next day, I found Ralph to tell him how much I appreciated his attentiveness and professionalism, and how he unknowingly helped me get on a path to feeling better. When I asked him where the energy and passion come from and how he keeps it up, he simply shared “Look, I have jeans that are older than you and learned a long time ago that I really get joy out of helping others along their journey. I pay attention to how people enter the area and quickly figure out what things they need to make their experience better. It makes me happy to serve—and I’ve got the perfect job for that.”

Wow.

I thanked him again and went on my way, but not without thinking about how tough it can be to keep that passion going so long while maintaining a high-quality work ethic. This notion is supported by my wholly unqualified research reflective of when I catch up with colleagues and ask the simple question of how things are going. Responses range from, “I’m grinding” to “There’s so much going on, but I’m fighting through it”, and somberly “I’m so tired and am having a hard time keeping up.”

------------

I’ll get wonky on you in a second—but I’ll submit that what Ralph did was he Found His Flow. He focused on his well-being, happiness, and positivity so he can flourish and live a satisfying life. We often get caught up in the journey without understanding the personal cost or impact is to our well-being until we are too deep in the mix (technical term). We often neglect asking the conscious questions until we are too far down the path.

Turns out there is pioneering science on this, led by the late Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian American psychologist who famously said, “The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.” Read about him here and here . Csikszentmihalyi, deemed the Father of Flow devoted his life to finding an answer to a simple question: What constitutes a happy life?

As leaders, we often carry a heavier burden to deliver results more than most. The pressures are real, and the work can be difficult. Ralph's example serves as our reminder to seek a core purpose in our endeavors so we can approach each day with enthusiasm, purpose, and JOY! Finding your Flow is about creating optimal experiences for you to perform your best, especially on the days consumed with navigating complexities of our professional journeys. Try it—you’ll be happier. Your family, Ralph, and your cardiologist will all thank you.

The Pursuit of Next

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 20:19:59 GMT

402,960...

What would you do if you were given over 400K of something you couldn't buy even if you wanted to? What kind of steward would you be with that gift? Would you save it, use it or give it away? Would you be able to recognize the opportunity before it’s too late?

Last week I celebrated my 46th birthday with a small group of close friends and family. It was a meaningful evening, that after winding down and having a few moments of reflection, left me pensive about how I spent those 402,960 hours of my life leading up to my day. More importantly I got to thinking that if I'm lucky enough, what am I going to do with the next 400,000 hours? Entering the chat is The Pursuit of Next...

The Pursuit of Next is as much about intention as it is intensity. Passion and focus towards your goals matter, but those concepts are unmatched when compared to making deliberate decisions and consistently sticking to a rhythm of execution. In life, my missed opportunities, and consequently lessons learned, have been mostly due to making uneven commitments and finding a way to redefine what was ‘good’ or ‘complete’. We can simply translate this as “it got hard, and I gave up.”

This missive isn’t meant to be one about living with regret (I don’t, and neither should you), but it is a reminder of our power to be change agents. The busyness of life has a way of engulfing us to where we get caught up in the moment rather than embracing opportunities to create moments. Time is the unrecoverable equalizing asset for which we all get the same amount – 24 daily hours – and we get to choose how we spend it.

So what’s the plan, Jermon?

It starts with (re)defining your core purpose and what you value. Be ready to articulate what truly matters to you and those you want to impact.
Dream Big but close the deal. Building the bridge from idea to reality is a substantial exercise that requires thoughtfulness, respect and execution.
Embrace Imperfection. The assignment is to live on purpose, not to live perfectly. Know the difference and embrace the former.
Create Room by prioritizing your energy and creating boundaries so you can be present and mindful for the decisions you need to make.
Take Action . I’ll use a Teddy Roosevelt quote here: “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. ”

Let’s remember that The Pursuit of Next is never about reaching a final destination, but rather the journey itself and the purposeful actions we take. Your next 400,000 hours are not just a measure of time, but a canvas of possibility. Fill that canvas with bold strokes of intentionality , with colors of passion and perseverance. How will you use those hours? Counting the passing days or making the days count?

The Pursuit of Next is calling.

How To Quickly and Securely Develop AI/ML Enhanced Data Intelligence

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 19:13:06 GMT

The explosive popularity of ChatGPT and similar Conversational AI services has piqued interest in generative AI and, in particular, large language models (LLMs). Generative AI broadly refers to any AI system that generates content as a primary function and LLMs are a form of generative AI that uses machine learning to train on text and natural language data to generate high-quality novel content. LLMs work in a number of ways including converting text (aka tokens) into numerical embeddings, deciphering contextual relationships between tokens using multiple layers of neural networks, and generating text based on learned patterns.

In today's data-driven world improving access to information insights in a secure, efficient way is a common goal. Until recently, using a chat-like interface relied on rule-based systems, keyword matching, and custom dialogue trees to understand and interpret user inquiries. Advancements in natural language processing (NLP) and advanced machine learning (ML) improved services but technical expertise, model development, training resources, and access to large data sources tempered progress.

Advancements in computational power as well as improvements to dialogue management and access to platforms like Azure Open AI Service and Microsoft Copilot have significantly impacted the time and effort needed to implement an intelligent, conversational AI interface.

Recent accelerators of AI/ML adoption

Natural Language Processing :

Deep Learning architecture development like transformers (the T in GPT) and recurrent neural networks (RNNs) advanced NLP tasks like machine translation, text summarization, sentiment analysis and ChatGPT-like question answering. The results are significant increases in the quality and fluency of those services and the ability for LLMs to capture complex sentence structures, contextual understanding, and other nuances.

Computational Advances :

Cloud Service Providers have invested heavily in high-performance computing including Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and AI accelerators like Tensor Processing Units (TPUs). Availability to scalable, high-powered compute resources has made training large models more accessible. This advancement has been so critical to model development, it explains why such a large part of Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar investment in Open AI is provided in Azure computational resources.

Barriers to Entry :

Instead of building complex AI models from scratch, pre-trained models reduce the technical expertise and resources needed to implement AI/ML solutions, including LLMs. In an accredited cloud platform, development time, risks, and resources needed to quickly develop and maintain AI/ML capabilities are all reduced. Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) streamline AI-powered development and track and measure performance metrics.

An agile, iterative proof of concept hosted in a scalable cloud infrastructure gives enterprises an ability to benchmark cost/value and develop operational plans.

Platinum Technologies (PT78) AI-Powered Data Intelligence Capability

The PT78 Data Intelligence Service ( DISe ) showcases our integration of multiple AI/ML features in our cloud environment, Microsoft Azure for Government. Retrieving information using natural language queries and prompts simplifies access to data, reduces the resources needed to build and maintain Business Intelligence functionality, and provides a platform to continue AI/ML adoption in a controlled, phased manner. Our experience improving User/Customer Experience (UX/CX) combined with PT78 Human Centered Design (HCD) principles comprise our Human-AI Centered Design practice. We used that framework to conduct Persona Development Workshops and develop User Stories that framed DISe.

Using Azure’s Open AI Service, a dedicated Azure (separate from Open AI) cloud hosted and managed LLM (GPT), we integrate with Azure Platform services to deliver a comprehensive data intelligence service. Azure Open AI Service combines artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and machine learning to understand, generate, and interact with human-like text. Using the GPT architecture, models are pre-trained on large and diverse data sources and can be fine-tuned on specific tasks or domains, like understanding industry-specific language or extracting text from images and documents.

DISe utilizes Azure AI Search for data retrieval and simplifies data ingestion, transformation, indexing, and multilingual translation. We use a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) design pattern using Azure Open AI GPT models and a natural language interface that is customizable (chat agents, web browsers) that we currently have embedded in an internal PT78 Microsoft Teams channel. DISe is trained against private data sources in Azure Blob storage or in SharePoint folders. Users can customize persona settings for personalized interactions and DISe provides an explainable thought process as well as links and previews to referenceable citations.

Combined with modern data transformation and orchestration pipelines supporting structured and unstructured content, input encoding, complex attention mechanisms, tokenization and contextual language pre-processing, users can type their query in natural language and get back accurate, contextual answers.

Additional DISe Features

Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG):

Dynamically select GPT Models (3.5 or 4) to use Vector Hybrid Search that retrieves documents that are contextually relevant for precise answers.

Vector Search: Discovering semantically similar content beyond keywords.
Keyword Search: Finds documents containing specific keywords.

Using RAG, DISe can give new information in a simple prompt, and the model uses this to make better decisions or provide answers. RAG eliminates the complex and expensive process of fine-tuning the model each time new data is added.

Prompt Engineering:

The prompt structure is designed to be compatible with current and future GPT models and uses a combination of Built-in Chain of Thought (COT) and Few-Shot Prompting. COT prompts the LLM to follow a set of instructions, explain its reasoning, and enhances the reliability of responses. Few-Shot Prompting provides a set of training examples as part of the prompt to give additional context to the model.

Document Pre-Processing:

Token limitations will impact large documents, PDFs and other complex file types so are pre-processed using Document Analysis Models available in Azure. A transformation pipeline then converts unstructured data into JSON format ready for embedding. This custom document chunking, and metadata generation is exposed to the RAG pattern which makes the Conversational AI more accurate and efficient.

Text-Based Image Retrieval:

RAG pattern searches can also find images through a similar process. When an image is uploaded, data processing pipelines extract captions and metadata of images and store them in the search index. Natural language queries initiate the retrieval pipeline using the Azure Computer Vision API and extracts image captions leading you to the image through a citation link.

Conclusion

Customer Interactions, Proposal Content, Industry Events and News Headlines almost always have some mention of AI/ML. Our team of experienced professionals focus on implementing value-driven, controlled use cases that enable AI/ML adoption through iterative improvements and learning. We look forward to demonstrating our DISe capability, answering questions, or presenting Market Research based on our Lessons Learned implementing different AI services.

Steven Oh

Director | Innovation & Technology

Platinum Technologies

Building up your Average

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 20:34:08 GMT

Last week my wife had to travel… which (shout out to the spouses and significant others) meant that Dad and Son had to fend for ourselves. After making a reasonable attempt at constructing a mustard turkey sandwich with no cheese for lunch and fussing with a semi-nutritious breakfast, my son and I ended up on a topic with him questioning why it was so wrong with being average?

Being the dad I am—I was somewhat offended at his choice of words and tried to explain to him why settling was a bad idea and that he’s ‘better than average’.

Later that afternoon on the way to pick him up from school, I realized the error in my approach and that the focus should have probably been 1. Average isn’t necessarily bad and 2. I should have probed a little bit more on what he thought Average meant to him. 3. As a parent, then assess whether he thought Average = Mediocre; and then respond with feedback. I went too far, too fast. The truth is Average is a purely situational term which is driven by context and generally reflective of a comparison of people, objects, or circumstances.

Those who have spent any appreciable time with me know that I have a mild obsession with building and supporting the next generation of leaders. I encourage others to dedicate a portion of their time to reflect on how to continuously improve and do better for others, and then take what they learn and implement the lessons from that knowledge. The question we are usually trying to answer, is “What can we do to operate at a higher level?” Translated for my 10-year-old son… How do we build up our Average? I emphasize ‘build’ here for a few reasons and offer a simple approach that you can apply.

It starts with taking every opportunity to spend time with people who either solve hard problems on a daily basis, are building things of great significance, or those who have the heavy responsibility for making consequential decisions as a regular part of their day. Most of us only have that charge in special circumstances – stress, panic, or related abnormal situation that requires intense focus. In each case, we hope that we have made the best decision with the information we have. However, regularly interacting with those who have great responsibility teaches us how to make higher quality decisions, faster. We become better advisers, teachers, and importantly – put ourselves in a better position to help others.

Connecting with those that professionally live in areas outside of our spheres of comfort and ‘do hard often’ unlocks another gear for us. I would argue that these experiences provide you with a better chance (on average, of course ��) of manifesting the art of the possible when we expose ourselves to different people and cultures. Leaders seek these opportunities – we don’t sit by the phone and wait for it to ring… we pick up the receiver (or scroll our contacts list these days) to make the call. This month we celebrated, among many things, the contributions our nation’s Presidents, the richness of Black History and the accomplishments of engineers and technologists. Going into March we are privileged to pay homage to the vital roles of women in American history. Great leaders also embrace that diversity is a fact, and being inclusive is a game-changing behavior. * Honoring those legacies, learning from our past, and spending time with those that have been influenced by their teachings are part of the 1% improvements that can make us better every day. Simple math: (1.00)^365 = 1; (1.01)^365 = 37. Lean in and be a multiplier.

So how did the conversation end with my son? Over a milkshake (mom still wasn’t home), of course. We struck a deal—I agreed that average doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but he promised me that he will try to get just a little bit better every day.

*I tried, but couldn’t find who first quoted a version of this statement

De-Mystifying Big Data

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 19:33:00 GMT

Understanding how to use and leverage big data has become a critical success factor for most enterprises. Data has seen exponential growth recently with industry analysts estimating global data volumes will reach approximately 180 zettabytes (1 zettabyte = 1 billion terabytes) by 2025 with nearly 80-90% of that being unstructured data (more on that below). This article will explore the distinction between structured and unstructured data and highlight how PT78 uses tools like Power BI and Microsoft Purview to help mine valuable insights for our customers in a secure, efficient way.

So, what is the difference between Structured and Unstructured Data and why should that matter to you? Let’s start with identifying characteristics of each and understanding why such a large percentage of information is unstructured.

Structured Data

Structured data refers to any data that can be easily organized, stored, and retrieved in a fixed format. It is typically managed in databases or spreadsheets, where the data is tabulated or arranged in a way that is easy to understand and manipulate. Examples are a customer relationship management (CRM) system, spreadsheets, accounting/invoicing system, human resource information systems (HRIS), and can help in search engine optimization (SEO), data interoperability using common data schemas.

Unstructured Data

Unstructured data is data that doesn’t have a predefined format or organization, making it harder to collect, process, and analyze. This includes documents, emails, text, images, videos, social media posts, etc. Some seemingly structured content like surveys, healthcare data, and content in collaboration software would fall in this category with increasing complexity and lack of organization. It’s not a huge surprise that today’s distributed, remote workforce using mobile enabled devices are generating more and more unstructured content. The trick lies in integrating these disparately formatted data sources with existing enterprise information to form a single, comprehensive source of truth.

Robotic process automation (RPA) or optical character recognition (OCR) improved access but cloud-based AI/ML services that provide sophisticated analysis capabilities using advanced technologies like natural language processing (NLP) and pre-built machine learning algorithms truly deliver business intelligence securely and affordably.

Harnessing Big Data with Tools and Strategies

Data Visualization, Sharing and Governance

PT78 implemented a data governance and information transparency capability for our data-centric customer by researching and implementing the latest tools, processes and strategies while establishing a feedback loop with their end-users. Our team then deployed a multi-step governance process that included performance management/tuning, taxonomy development, external data interface development and project management. This also included establishing and hosting a collaborative working group to assist the successful transformation of our customers processes and culture.

We implemented Power BI, a tool for aggregating, analyzing, visualizing, and sharing data. The interface allows users to create reports and dashboards without deep technical skills. Power BI's strength lies in its ability to connect to a wide range of data sources, including both structured and unstructured data, enabling users to derive insights from diverse datasets.

To maintain data oversight and allow Power BI to access the relevant data, PT78 implemented Microsoft Purview, a unified data governance service that helps organizations manage and govern their data across on-premises, multi-cloud, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. It provides a comprehensive set of capabilities to discover, classify, protect, and govern sensitive data across an enterprise's landscape.

Additionally, to maximize our application modernization work delivered using Power Platform, a low-code application development platform, PT78 migrated legacy data to Dataverse, a secure, data-as a-service connector-based service in Azure that provides tables, columns, rows, and pre-defined relationships.

This combination of data aggregation and governance provided:

Simplified data analysis and interpretation.
Shared insights across the organization through easy-to-understand dashboards and reports.
Provided informed decisions based on real-time data analytics.
Took advantage of Microsoft platform adjacency to use Data and Cloud Services, AI/ML, and security capabilities to quickly deliver targeted business intelligence.
Additional visibility into the customers data estate.
Provide DLP and oversight over AI Applications.
Automated data governance and compliance processes.
Protected sensitive information from unauthorized access and leaks.
Provided records management, retention, and validation.

What’s Coming Next

In addition to the significant changes to data types and volume, advancements in AI/ML and large language models (LLMs) can be leveraged to simplify user interactions. Using natural language interfaces to power Conversational AI queries takes advantage of the enterprise search capabilities and natural language processing (NLP) algorithms allows any end user to search using regular conversational language.

Using this approach, we developed the PT78 Data Intelligence Service (DISe) that showcases the integration of multiple AI/ML features in our Cloud environment, Microsoft Azure Gov. This includes a separately hosted LLM foundational model called the Azure Open AI Service and leverages Azure AI Search for data retrieval. DISe uses a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) design pattern with Azure GPT models that provides a natural language interface that we have embedded in an internal PT78 Microsoft Teams channel. Optional interfaces include Virtual Agents, web browsers, or developing a custom Conversational AI using the Microsoft Bot Framework.

Azure AI Search simplifies data ingestion, transformation, indexing, and multilingual translation. Chat interface users can customize settings like temperature and persona for personalized interactions and features like explainable thought processes, referenceable citations, and direct content for verification are available.

Azure OpenAI combines artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and machine learning to comprehend, generate, and interact with human-like text. Using the GPT architecture, models are pre-trained on large and diverse data sources and then fine-tuned on specific tasks or domains, like understanding industry-specific language or extracting text from images/documents.

We combine a data transformation and integration layer that automates the data orchestration pipeline for structured and unstructured data, speeding up access to data insights by leveraging pre-built machine learning models that deliver advanced capabilities that previously required specialized software, hardware, and data science subject matter experts.

DISe provides:

· Lexical analysis using the Standard Lucerne Analyzer

· Data chunking and Vectorization

· Hybrid (Vector and Keyword) and Embedded Vector Search

· Fuzzy search

· Secure Azure Open AI GPT language model integrations

· Enables the use of GPT without training or fine-tuning the foundational model(s)

· Tailoring the content of the Conversational AI by combining pre-trained knowledge with your data source

Conclusion

The explosion of data in recent years has underscored the importance of effective data management and analysis. Understanding the difference between structured and unstructured data and leveraging powerful analytical tools like Power BI and Microsoft Purview can accelerate access to critical insights and help demystifying big data. These tools not only help in managing and governing massive amounts of data but also play a pivotal role in extracting actionable insights that can drive mission goals and innovation.

Integrating a conversational AI capability improves access to data, reduces the resources needed to provide information to the end-user, and provides an intelligent interface that supports a conversation-like insight experience.

Dennis Taylor

Sr. Business Analyst/Alliances

Platinum Technologies

Winning with Optimism

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 19:52:53 GMT

Have you ever met a Problem Finder? You know – the Picasso with a knack for always finding problems and elegantly describing them as exquisite works of art. Like a canvas, they frame the issue with the best hardwoods and protect the textures of the “unsolvables” with museum-grade glass so they can place their masterpiece on display for us to admire, opine and critique – just like the Guernica .

My silliness aside, most of us have encountered or promoted some version of these behaviors – but how do we overcome them? Welcome to ProblemFinders Anonymous (silliness, not yet done).

As leaders we are expected to be positive agents of change, inspiration, and influence. Said differently, good leaders create organizational movement towards their goals and objectives, and the great ones deliver on those objectives most of the time. We recognize that 1. This is rarely a solo endeavor and 2. Multiplying your effectiveness is a key determinant to creating sustained results.

Aside from the usual entry criteria (personal mastery, intellectual curiosity, consistent execution, etc.), you must lead with Hard Won Optimism . It is a term I use often, and one which I credit my old boss – Paul Dabbar , the former Undersecretary of Science at the Department of Energy – for sharing with me. While the most recent ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) Winter’ of the late 1990’s began to thaw shortly after the turn of the century, under Mr. Dabbar’s leadership, the Department achieved Bicameral and Bipartisan support for year-over-year increased investment in AI and Quantum technologies prior to the behemoth of commercial investments in the 2020’s. In real terms, from FY2017 – FY2020 the Office of Science’s budget increased nearly 30%. With that consequential funding, our National Labs have led the investigation in basic and applied research to power industrial innovations that have contributed to our nation’s leadership in the development of frontier technologies. These kinds of results just don’t happen in a vacuum. It takes willpower, effort, and support from others to enable a leader’s success. Importantly, it starts with your responsible decision to commit to a cause and create sustained advocacy for the results.

From these examples I submit to you that for leaders, Hard Won Optimism is a critical element in breaking the Status Quo and converting your ‘Finders’ into ‘Solvers’. Your successful execution of this principle begins with passionately leading from the front and continuously reinforcing the agreed-upon objectives in terms that everyone understands. Building upon that momentum, create the environment that forces individuals to focus 20% of the discussion on the problem and the other 80% on alternatives that get the team to ‘yes’. Recognizing that to achieve hard objectives can come at a cost, leaders own the responsibility for evaluating at what point the costs outweigh the goals of the objective(s) and should adjust accordingly. Drive these behaviors all the way down to the lowest level. Reinforce. Repeat.

This is an important part of building your organizational culture. Encountering challenges will create a necessary anxiety derived from our Autonomic Nervous System, which at their best, bring caution… at their worst, bring paralysis or fear. Even though as leaders we think differently, doing “Nothing’ or saying ‘No’ in these situations is the natural response. So, as you evolve the expectations of your team, remember “Hard Won” does not equal “Hopeless” – but it does remind us of the Energy (pun intended, and silliness now done) it takes to unlock a new level of thoughtfulness and empower the next generation of Problem Solvers.

Customer Experience: Digital Modernization at the International Trade Administration

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 15:47:24 GMT

Introduction

Platinum Technologies’ customer the International Trade Administration (ITA) is successfully transforming and modernizing its online presence to better serve and digitally engage with the U.S business community while advancing its mission to promote United States exports around the world.

As one of the agencies within the United States Department of Commerce, ITA supports commercial diplomacy through its efforts to “strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. industry, promote trade and investment, and ensure fair trade through trade laws and agreements.”

ITA’s portal, www.trade.gov , serves as the official online gateway for the agency to deliver information and services to its customers. The site augments, supports and complements the work of its 2,200 employees in the United States and across the world by providing assistance, guidance, and tools to aid U.S. businesses exporting their products and services.

The agency is committed to delivering world-class customer-focused digital experiences through www.trade.gov , social media channels and email communications. ITA has welcomed the opportunity to improve the digital customer journey and update its online presence to align with directives detailed in the “21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act” (21st Century IDEA).

Meaningful Digital Modernization and Transformation

Guided by the 21st Century IDEA and “M-23-22, Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience” policy framework developed by the Office of Management and Budget, Platinum Technologies has partnered with ITA to accelerate the transformation of www.trade.gov into a platform that is customer-focused, user-friendly, trustworthy, informative, engaging, and useful.

Our team is developing digital strategies and guidance for development operations, customer and user experience, digital outreach and marketing, web and data analytics, data governance, content development frameworks and standards, Content Management System (CMS) operations & maintenance, and project management.

The meaningful digital transformation underway at ITA for www.trade.gov is attributable to several factors including:

Implementing Agile Product Development and Delivery
Leveraging Cloud-based Managed Solutions
Designing and Developing Human-Centered Design Experiences
Deriving Actionable Insights from Data and Analytics
Maintaining and Supporting CMS Operations

Implementing Agile Product Development and Delivery

Employing agile project management, our cross-functional digital services team supports ITA’s user-centered design initiatives focused on delivering improved digital customer experiences. Platinum Technologies’ technical contributors skilled in DevOps, Content Management Systems, User Interface/User Design, Human-Centered Design (HCD), Digital Experience, Data and Analytics, User Testing, Content Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Digital Strategy collaborate closely with ITA stakeholders to iteratively develop and continuously deliver integrated digital products and services to modernize the www.trade.gov platform.

Leveraging Cloud-based Managed Solutions

Our solutions architects and DevOps team advised and supported the migration of ITA’s Drupal CMS platform to Acquia, a digital experience cloud-based management solution. Acquia offers a robust set of management tools for data and content, quality assurance testing, automated testing, and legacy code updates. The move significantly improved the delivery of consistent, reliable, and stable sessions across www.trade.gov.

Fusion Approach to Human-Centered Website Experiences

The Human-centered Design (HCD) team approached the portal project with a key focus on delivering a user-friendly, intuitive, and productive journey for site visitors that aligns with ITA’s strategic Customer Experience objectives and the OMB’s framework guidance for the 21st Century IDEA. Our experts engaged in user research, problem framing, persona development, information architecting, UX/UI wireframing, and collaborated on design and usability testing with the analytics team and the ITA stakeholders.

The final outputs are implemented by the DevOps team for development, testing and deployment into a production environment. The developers work closely with the Change Management team to ensure ITA stakeholders are trained to embrace the updates. Using this Fusion Team approach, adoption rate for implementation and enhancements remains high. The team incorporates user feedback to iterate and continuously improve on the employee and customer experience for the stakeholders who directly engage with content production for www.trade.gov.

Deriving Actionable Insights from Data and Analytics

Platinum Technologies’ data and analytics team offers analysis and reporting to stakeholders to help them make informed decisions that support ITA’s mission and agency priority goals and that are in alignment with the “21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act.”

The team uses a range of analytics processes and tools to deliver useful and actionable reports that inform strategic and tactical guidance in support of ITA’s objective to deliver an exceptional digital-first customer experience. These processes include:

Digital audits and assessments
Performance analysis
Content marketing and Search Engine Optimization analysis
Customer Experience journey and behavior flow analysis and,
User testing

Maintaining and Supporting CMS Operations

Delivering customer support to ITA’s content producers – who’ve written, edited, and published the content for the nearly 12,000 pages residing on www.trade.gov – is an ongoing effort balancing the needs of rolling out new designs while maintaining components of the older design.

The CMS Change Management team offers monthly training workshops for ITA stakeholders to communicate website updates, share digital experience expertise to improve content development and

Conclusion

The International Trade Administration is well-positioned to meet its goals to deliver an exceptional digital-first experience for their flagship website www.trade.gov that puts the customer at the center of each digital journey and meets the requirements mandated in the “21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act.” Platinum Technologies is proud to lend our expertise to support their Digital Transformation priorities.

Carmen Natschke

Digital Strategist – Data & Analytics

The Privilege of Permission

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 16:29:35 GMT

A few weekends ago, Nick Dunlap stunned the golf world by becoming the 1st amateur to win a professional tournament since Phil Mickelson accomplished that feat in 1991. At age 20, he is also the youngest amateur to win on the PGA tour since 1910. The evening before his victory, Nick fielded questions from an on-air reporter on how he felt, what a victory would mean, etc. In his response he used a term, "Pressure is a Privilege..." and went on to give a thoughtful response. The quote stuck with me, so I looked it up and found that "Pressure is a privilege. It only comes to those who earn it." is credited to former world #1 tennis player, Billie Jean King (BJK).

Even though I find merit in this statement, it is a fascinating assertion that is worthy of debate for another time. The word 'privilege' is not commonly used in the English language (only 30 occurrences per million words) but is one that most of us can readily define, and remarkably -- has many divergent meanings depending on its context. For today, I'll stick with BJK's definition with a slight twist... recognizing the Privilege of Permission.

Most of my career, I have been on the delivery side of technology to the Federal Government. Over that time, I have observed that regardless of whether the client is commercial or in the Public sector, we operate in a permission-based environment where your individual or team’s performance determines whether you are given permission to increase the scope and value of your services offered. Conversely, I believe the opposite is true, your scope will be consequently reduced—sometimes to zero if you don’t perform.

As leaders, I would submit that this idea is magnified as we have a 360-degree stakeholder community that often has conflicting priorities. We can be lured into solving the problem that lies in front of us for expediency, inadvertently creating a cycle of compliance vs. executing with an operational rigor that sets the conditions for disciplined execution over a period of time. With little room to scale, your permission to do more has little chance of happening. Since you’re fighting for compliance – any misstep is magnified because now you aren’t doing the bare minimum… and it just goes downhill from there. Paraphrasing from Jim Collins, we have to make a conscious choice to be Great and reinforce a mindset for resilience with a willingness to reassess our strategies and try something different.

So what does that conscious choice look like? The magic formula lies within a recent drink that I concocted. The ingredients are:

Equal parts of ‘the passion of Steve Jobs’ and the ‘curiosity of Thomas Edison’
A double shot of ‘Peter Drucker’s view on aligning actions with objectives’
Topped of with the ‘empathy of Satya Nadella to drive innovation’

Kidding aside, my message this week begins with the end in mind, which is creating environments where your stakeholders are comfortable making a bet on you (or your organization) and ultimately giving you permission to take the right risks that will make their lives better. Before you seek that permission, ask yourself – would I trust ‘me’ to make that choice and why should they? If you are fortunate for that decision-maker to say yes – accept and be grateful for the privilege , then execute with deliberation, passion, and speed. Scaling these behaviors across an organization is one of the greatest challenges we have and requires aspiration and action. This doesn’t happen overnight, but if you institutionalize the necessary behaviors across your customer value stream – your ideas, translated to actions, will have far more meaningful impact.

Challenge Accepted. Thanks Nick and BJK.

Improving Citizen Experience (CX) and Demystifying Information Architecture: The Backbone of User Experience

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 15:08:26 GMT

Understanding Information Architecture

In the digital landscape we navigate daily, an often-underestimated hero silently shapes our online interactions - Information Architecture (IA). Understanding what information architecture is lays the groundwork for intuitive, efficient, and user-friendly digital products. In this article, we will explore what Information Architecture is and how it benefits product owners, user experience teams, and development teams.

What is Information Architecture?

Information Architecture, often called IA for short, is the process and output of organizing and structuring information within a digital interface. It serves as a blueprint for content, features, and functionality, ensuring that users can effortlessly find what they're looking for.

When it comes to digital products, IA is akin to the blueprint for a building – it provides a foundation upon which the entire structure is built.

Information Architecture aims to answer the following questions:

Where is the information located?
How is it organized and categorized?
What labels or names are used to describe it?
How do users navigate from one piece of information to another?

In product design, IA is the navigational compass that ensures users don't feel lost in a labyrinth of data and features, fostering a seamless and satisfying user experience.

In product development, IA is the map with which your development team navigates as they build the stories and epics that make up your digital product.

The Role of IA in Crafting A Great User Experience

Now that we have given an overview of Information Architecture, let's delve into why it's so important as an early-stage step in product development, especially how it pertains to the user experience (UX).

1. Enhancing Findability and Usability In the digital realm, time is of the essence – seconds and even half-seconds’ matter. Users crave instant gratification, and if they can't quickly find what they're looking for, they will move on. Effective IA structures content in a logical and user-friendly manner, making it easy for users to locate information and complete tasks. This, in turn, reduces frustration and fosters a positive user experience.

2. Simplifying Complex Systems In today's information-rich digital environments, products often contain a complex web of interconnected features and content. IA simplifies this complexity by breaking it down into digestible components. Users don't need to understand the entire system; they only need to understand how to navigate through it, and this is achieved through effective IA.

Start building better user experiences today by mastering the art of Information Architecture with Platinum Technolgies! Explore the tools and techniques to empower your digital designs with a solid foundation that ensures users can effortlessly navigate and engage with your products.

A simple example of an IA diagram. These can be very large and complex, but can serve as a guide at every

step of the product.

3. Supporting Personalization : It is common for digital products to provide a personalized experience. IA plays a critical role in this by allowing users to access and configure content and features that are most relevant to them. It's through IA that a news website can recommend articles, or a streaming service can suggest movies based on your previous choices. How well this succeeds is often dependent on the information being organized in a way that is simple to look at and understand, from a product developer or designer’s perspective.

4. Saving Time and Resources: In product development, mistakes can be costly – both in terms of time and money. IA acts as a guide for designers and developers, reducing the risk of building features that users won't find valuable. By addressing usability and content organization early in the design process, IA helps prevent costly redesigns later on.

Creating Effective Information Architecture

Now that you understand the importance of Information Architecture, let's explore how to create and implement it effectively. Let’s look at some of the tools and techniques commonly used in IA.

Tools for Information Architecture:

Designers and UX professionals use various tools to create Information Architecture. Some popular ones include:

1. Pen and Paper : Even today in our world of phones and other portable screens, the simplest tools can still prove the most effective. Sketching out your IA by hand allows for quick ideation and brainstorming.

A simple piece of paper can be used and passed around a room to come up with IA and facilitate group ideation.

2. Whiteboards: Collaborative whiteboard sessions can be a powerful way to diagram IA with team members. You can use digital whiteboarding tools for remote collaboration.

In an in-person setting, a whiteboard on the wall is often used to diagram an experience and discover where

and when the backend interacts with the frontend.

3. Digital Diagramming Software: Specialized software like Miro, Microsoft Visio, or draw.io allows for creating detailed IA diagrams. These tools offer templates and shapes for common IA elements.

A example of a board on

4. User Flow and Wireframing Software: Tools like Figma, Adobe XD, and Sketch can be used to create user flows, wireframes, and prototypes. These prototypes will inherently incorporate IA, often being used as the map for the screens. This is where we flesh out the simple boxes and shapes into actual screens.

Application like Figma are often used to not only design screens, but also conduct IA work and ideation sessions.

The Idea Behind Diagramming:

IA diagrams serve as visual representations of your information structure. They typically include components like sitemaps, user flows, and content hierarchies. Here's a brief overview of each:

Sitemaps: Sitemaps are a map of your website or app's structure. They illustrate the hierarchy of pages and sections. They show how they are interconnected.
User Flows: A user flow depicts the paths users take to achieve specific tasks within your digital product. It is a map of the step-by-step journey users must follow.
Content Hierarchies : Content hierarchies display how information is categorized and structured. This helps you understand how different pieces of content relate to one another.

By employing the right tools and diagramming techniques, you can develop IA that serves as the foundation for a user-centric and well-structured digital product.

Doug McLaughlin

UI/UX Designer

Building the Factory

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 16:36:25 GMT

In my last note, I mentioned how Platinum is building the Next Generation Leadership Factory. What does that really mean?

For some (including me), the idea of what makes a leader is a vacillating concept that is hard to define until you actually see its implementation in action accompanied with a corresponding result. That ‘aha’ moment sets the baseline, and as we observe more behaviors (how people treat others, what’s their style for processing information, etc.) and demonstrated outcomes, the concept gets refined, and the process repeats enough until one day your brain tells you ‘OK, I got it’… and then you know.

My personal views on this topic were shaped during the early part of my career at Lockheed Martin . In 2006, the company introduced Full Spectrum Leadership (FSL) as the way forward that would reshape the culture of the organization. Based on five Imperatives, FSL was incorporated into just about everything that required a corporate decision including: hiring processes, annual performance reviews, talent management and leader selection.

At Platinum, our enlightened view borrows from these and other principles to seek out the multipliers who are going to make people better and move the business forward. We don’t own the talent, however—we just aim to be responsible stewards for the season(s) they are in our care. Our goal is to create the behaviors necessary to entrust individuals with responsibility to make reasoned decisions, quickly and with impact.

For us it starts with Talent Acquisition. Our team spends approximately 10% of their time identifying potential candidates for which we have no job requisition. My leadership team will then meet with those individuals to learn more about their technical background and to see if they are cultural fit. Our strike rate is about 1 in 5 (it used to be 1 in 10, so we’re improving). We maintain the relationships so that we can move quickly on opportunities where there is a match.

For those who join us, our core focus is to build an individual’s technical capacity through classroom/online training and to introduce complex situations early and often. Within the first month, we establish their authorities and hold sessions to discuss the impact of their business decisions. It’s a safe space—one in which they can learn and grow. Outcomes we’ve observed are that people assimilate more easily to making consequential decisions since we’ve prepared them to do so. We focus on making new mistakes and learning from the old ones, while developing a cadence of discussion focused on growth and opportunity, not just status.

Some of my industry colleagues give me flak about the deliberation and investment required for us to just have a chance at success – “ Sounds good in theory Jermon, but our clients need people now and your approach isn’t cheap. How can you afford to operate in that model? ” My response is, “How can you afford not to?” Among many benefits, the more obvious ones are:

Deeper Talent Ecosystem – Rather than recruit, we can align talent to opportunities
Increased Retention – We’re 2x better than industry average
Purpose-driven Employment – Our employees find meaning in the work they perform
Satisfied Clients – Our mission partners can trust Platinum to consistently deliver to their high expectations

That brings me to the OG, James Crandall , Platinum’s Employee #1. James joined us as a part-time Web developer right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. I promised him the world – investment in his future, meaningful opportunities to grow and the chance to focus his energies on the technology weapons of choice. Not sure how much he believed me, but he took the job anyway, and I was excited to have my first employee.

James exhibited all the qualities we look for in a #TeamPlatinum member, with contributions that far exceeded my expectations. Fast forward 3+ years, and James, now a Senior Solutions Architect, has been responsible for building our low-code practice and has led major software development projects for our clients. More importantly, he’s now a husband and father to two beautiful girls. At Platinum, James has been a shining light for what we hope to accomplish – create dot-connecting multipliers that are inspired to act, help each other, and deliver results. In the next week, James will start a new role (ironically with LinkedIn ) and guess what… I couldn’t be happier for and prouder of him. He is going to impress his leadership and do exceedingly well for the organization. It is a bittersweet moment for me personally, but he will take the #PlatinumValues with him to his next gig and be a strong representation for what others can achieve.

As I noted earlier, we're stewards for a season. I would love to be able to keep everyone that we hire, but obviously that will never be the case. This fact doesn’t lessen the responsibility we have as leaders to provide the best opportunity for our teammates to thrive as employees and citizens. It’s the risk I’m willing to take to create a better community of leaders. Build the Factory.

See you in a couple weeks.

.::jb

Platinum Technologies: Our Culture, Our Values

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 22:01:37 GMT

Editors Note: There's always a 'why'. Mine is simply that I have something to share. Over the course of my career, I've learned much about what it means to put leadership into action and have developed perspectives that will hopefully be helpful to some. In recent years, I have created more space to be of service to others in whatever capacity my time allows. The combination of these two elements, along with not wanting to wait until the end of a long career are my driving forces of inspiration to share my foundational experiences in corporate leadership, and now as an organization builder. The thoughts and views here are my own and I hope you find them useful. Cheers!

In this issue, I share insight into our approach to creating anchoring principles of Culture and Values for Platinum.

Over the course of my 20+ year career, minus one year in Government, I have had the fortune of supporting our Defense and Federal Civilian customers in various leadership capacities, including my proudest professional responsibility as the steward for Platinum Technologies. As you can probably imagine, starting a company with a small (but tough) Fighting Force of One comes with its challenges, a few of which include getting potential employees, partners, and clients to buy in to the vision of why they should spend their time with or do business with me.

Whether it was reconnecting with former colleagues or making new introductions, many of the questions I’ve received over the past three years have become rather predictable – What do you do? Are you a product or services company? How many FTEs (Full Time Equivalents) do you have? Who do you know at ______ Agency?, etc. All valid questions— I find myself doing this as well and recognize that in our own way, we are all trying to manage the pace of the job with our other daily life responsibilities; it is an interesting paradigm, nonetheless, but the answers do not necessarily attribute what value you provide or the type of partner you can be.

As the company has scaled our growth, these and other related questions have become easier for me to answer. We have gained credibility across multiple customer spaces and achieved technical depth in many of the leading technologies that are critical to our customer priorities. However, the question I wish I received more is “Can you tell me more about how you align the Culture and Values of your company to deliver results?” I offer these answers to that unasked question.

Our Culture:

Our Vision is ambitious: To become the talent hub for technology-minded innovators that are motivated to solve hard problems, deliver complex solutions for our customers, and model citizenship for society.

And our Raison D'Etre, equally so: To be change agents that field technology, cyber and digital experiences to accelerate client outcomes. We measure value by the solutions we deliver, communities we affect, and the lives we change.

We are building the Next-Generation Leadership Factory where individuals are prepared to lead teams that support Public Sector and National Security missions. Technology enablement is our passion, and is therefore our vehicle of choice. We consciously seek out thoughtful people who are passionate about this industry, can prioritize their time and demonstrate a bias for action. Conversely, there are many things we can teach – but Effort is not one of them. These elements are not just entry criteria, they are infused in our cultural DNA.

Our Values:

At Platinum, we have an uncompromising “Employee First, Customer Always” view of how we go to market to deliver mission capability for our customers. Our teammates ascribe to a core set of truths:

How you treat people matters. Be Good and Do Good.
Prioritize being at your best (mentally, emotionally, and physically).
Use your Intellectual Curiosity to fuel your Technical Excellence
Delivery Matters, Honor your Commitments.

Given these facts, our leadership has a responsibility to create the conditions for their success. We invest early and often in tools and training so teammates can deepen their personal mastery and excel in their roles. We strive to create an environment where they can be proud of the work that they do, maximize their client impact, and feel accomplished that they are building new skills which will serve them now and in the future.

I'll spare the full details, but it has been quite the journey to arrive at these points of clarity. In the multinational companies where I previously worked, much of this was already established, and for the most part, it was on the individual to 'fit in' and execute. Our challenge at Platinum was to define which behaviors would accelerate our ability to deliver high quality outcomes while creating an enduring expectation of employee and customer value. We're still learning and making adjustments as appropriate, but are happy with the results of our applied rigor to date.

Why Platinum?

Another question I get asked is “Where did the name Platinum come from?” Well, starting the company was a big decision, and I needed the name to have meaning. On the Periodic Table of Elements – Element defined as a fundamental item that cannot be broken down into smaller pieces – you’ll see that Platinum (Atomic Symbol: Pt; Atomic Number: 78) is squarely in the middle. Although malleable and ductile, it is known as the most noble metal because of its remarkable resistance to corrosion and its ability to maintain its integrity at very high and cold temperatures. It is our culture and values that are the embodiment of our moniker, which aligns to the foundation of our success and will continue to be our guiding principles. That’s what we want to be at Platinum… responsive to our stakeholder community, trusted to deliver especially when things get hard, and most importantly, the center of integrity.

If you made it this far, thank you for indulging me. I'll be continuing this newsletter on a bi-weekly basis to share my perspectives on leadership and service with the hope there are takeaways for you and the communities in which you serve.

.::jb

#BePlatinum

An Agile first for ITA

Sun, 22 Jan 2023 17:51:18 GMT

Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) at the International Trade administration (within the Department of Commerce) whom among their many responsibilities, are responsible for refining United States commercial policy, promoting U.S. exports, and protecting U.S. commercial interests abroad. Much of their professional career is spent serving in various overseas diplomatic missions, rotating locations every 2 – 3 years. For the past 10 years, the iBid platform was used by the FSO community to submit their bid requests and the information used as a basis for the consideration of their future assignments.

iBid is the enterprise platform that serves many functions, including:

Repository for the current and past placements for all FSO worldwide
Accrued skills and experiences for FSOs (language, locations, professional backgrounds)
Bidding functionality to support the evaluation of placement opportunities during open Bid Rounds

Without iBid, there is no digital alternative that supports the FSO placement or provides historical context necessary to allow the office of the Director General of the United States to make the critical decisions that best protect U.S. commercial interests.

The Problem

Once a robust application, iBid was originally built on SharePoint 2013. The underlying data structure was supported by a combination of SharePoint Lists, Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel to store various elements of data. The platform had reached the end of life due to functional, data integrity, technical and security issues. Additionally, the User Experience was plagued with poor navigation, outdated usability standards, and an unstructured site map.

Application Administrators had limited visibility into the data, and often had to manually perform downloads from multiple tables to manipulate reports to provide necessary reporting information. This time-consuming process was highly manual and prone to user error. Other issues such as Out Of Cycle Bid Management and Candidate Evaluation were time consuming events that required individuals to perform workarounds due to the limited functionality of the system.

To keep pace with the changing needs of the organization, ITA needed to modernize iBid – with minimum disruption and zero data loss – over the course of nine months prior to the next scheduled Bid Round.

The Platinum Difference

With only nine months to delivery, our team held design-thinking sessions to prototype designs that reflected the desired customer experience. This multi-disciplinary team of UI/UX professionals, data engineers and solutions architects produced a user-centered solution and information architecture that supported the needs of the FSOs, HR professionals, and administration team of the Director General’s Office.

Punctuated by our approach to involving our various stakeholders each step of the way and providing credentialed experts, our team developed a cloud-based, low-code integrated solution powered by Microsoft’s Power Platform, Dataverse and PowerBI. We employed a Lean Agile approach based on SAFe methodologies to increase the velocity of our software releases over the course of the project.

By maintaining our customer focus and adherence to the principles of Agile, the Platinum Technologies team exceeded every technical metric. To ITA’s benefit, our team delivered a fully functional replacement for iBid within seven months in support of the OCIO organization. Users received the system they desired, the solution was delivered on a modernized platform while maintaining data integrity, and leaders now had insights to accelerate critical resource decisions to support American commercial policy.

Platinum Technologies is proud to support ITA’s mission with their first-ever successful Agile Software Development program, and to have set the standard for all future software deliveries at the bureau. We are your cloud-first solutions provider and welcome the opportunity to advance your mission priorities. For more information on our Low-Code, Cloud or Cybersecurity Solutions, contact us at operations@pt78.co .