Hi! I'm Susan McIntosh
I've been working in the IT industry for over 20 years, first as a developer, then as an agile coach, and manager, leading teams and helping organizations build collaborative, high-performing cultures. I also have a background in education and linguistics, and know how important it is to communicate well, not just with the words we use, but the feelings and emotions we convey.
When I started leading others, I quickly learned that it's even more important to pay attention to the ways my words affect others, to ensure that I was building trust within my team, as well as with my peers and leaders.
No matter what role I’ve played, I always seek to help companies maximize their most important asset – their people.
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People over Processes
The first value listed in the Agile Manifesto is “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools” – I think of this as people over processes.
While processes can help a team deliver efficiently, if the process doesn’t truly work for the team, it only adds stress, frustration, and complexity. Are the documents you’re creating actually being read? Is anyone really getting something from the twenty required custom fields in your project management tool?
That’s why I emphasize a people-focused process management focus. The best processes are developed, enhanced, and adjusted to work with the people who use them.
Are the processes you have in place providing some kind of value to your team?
Why a hummingbird?
I named her Ruby, even though she’s a broad-tailed hummingbird, not a ruby-throated hummingbird, and she’s not as colorful as her male counterpart. But she is nimble and adaptable, and is amazingly dedicated. Ruby built a nest in our locust tree, and we watched her tend to the eggs and then the chicks. She stuck it out through horrible storms, and she defended her nest and chicks against any and all potential intruders (squirrels didn’t venture up the tree for weeks after her chicks fledged).
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She has provided some great examples to me as I waded through the journey of starting my own business. I hope I can be as good an example of agility, persistence, and focus to others as she has been to me.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Chex Fox, Data Adviser & Owner, Fox Consulting
Susan is an Agile leader, dedicated to following the correct process and coaching organizations through the transformation. Her passion to mentor teams and initiative to solve complex problems is unrivaled in the project management space. She truly cares about the success of organizations, teams and people individually, and leads with the "do it right the first time" approach.
Harry Brumleve, Software Enginneering Leader
Susan is the engine that powers our team. Her dedication to our success, to increasing our esprit de corps, and helping us grow as individuals has enabled us to overcome any obstacle which we have faced ... she has been a steady rock on which we have been able to achieve excellence. Her knowledge of agile and lean processes, the ins-and-outs of human nature, and motivational techniques kept our team focused and on track during times of change and disruption. Simply put: she is awesome. :-)