I’ve been called many things: NetSec Architect, Senior Manager, Sr Client Solution Architect, Commander of the Architectures, and Demystifier of Complexities … and other colorful metaphors. ;-)I prefer "Teacher" or "Diagnostic Change Agent." Teacher is obvious, I share lessons learned working with hundreds of clients helping them diagnose problems, find opportunities, and achieve business outcomes.But what’s a “Diagnostic Change Agent?” It is someone who can challenge "that's just how we do things." It is a person who can clarify vision, align goals, identify gaps in tooling, fix legacy processes, and address siloed thinking. Experience across hundreds of clients helps us together find the "Unknown-Unknowns" and the "We didn't know that was even possible."What motivates me? I’m terrified a client will end up on CNN during my watch. It has happened a few times, and they haunt me. Most were security-related, one was availability related. In each case, I was unable to effectively communicate a risk that directly led to failure. They left a lasting impression. When working with clients, I have been known to become overly animated or passionate, but please know that it comes from a fear of having clients fail on my watch.What’s my superpower? Asking better questions and active listening like a martial art. When looking for an IT security and operations partner, choose someone who asks questions, listens, understands and acknowledges your uniquenesses, capabilities, constraints, personal and business objectives. You know your business better than any consultant. If a prospective partner is “pitching tech,” consider moving forward without them until their technical solution seems indicated.IQ and EQ. In any technology adoption or transformation, I think we would agree a high technical Intelligence Quotient is critical. But is Emotional Quotient is equally important? In a complex digital transformation, I might suggest EQ is how we manage individual and organizational fear of change. Once we have our fears managed, we can listen to our team IQ. Ultimately, listening, understanding, and addressing cross-organizational human concerns is paramount. Digital transformation is a personal journey, and success requires helping people manage their fears and create a risk-managed path to substantive business and personal success. I strive to balance IQ, EQ, the capacity to change, velocity, and the correct order of operations with a touch of humanity.If this is interesting, reach out, and let’s achieve a substantive business outcome.