I spent 11 years working my way up the support leadership career path from frontline support to Director. I want to walk you through what really happened at each step—and what I wish someone had told me before I got promoted. (Spoiler: I learned most of it the hard way.) TRANSITION 1: Plugin Support Agent…
I’ll admit it: I’ve always had a soft spot for those old ‘set it & forget it’ infomercials. Everything looks so simple and effortless, doesn’t it? And sure, that mindset works for a lot of things. But when it comes to support teams, it’s a whole different story. Support operations isn’t just about building systems…
The Comment That Stopped Me Cold The first time someone called me ‘sweet’ just because I checked in on them at work, I realized the bar for leadership is basically on the floor. Honestly, I think that might have been the first time anyone has ever called me sweet—at work or anywhere else. I was…
Why Dogs Are Better Teachers Than Most Leadership Books I know, I know—this sounds a little ridiculous. But as someone who’s literally outnumbered by dogs in my own home, I can’t help but notice how much they’ve taught me. Honestly, it makes more sense than you’d think. I’ve learned more about leadership from my dogs…
The Shortcut We All Take I’ll be honest, hiring is tough. It eats up your time and energy. Most of the time, you’re juggling tight deadlines and budgets, and somehow, everyone expects you to nail it on the first try. So, naturally, we look for any shortcut we can find. Titles are usually the first…
I had a moment today. I was outside with my dogs when I saw Siouxsie playing with something. She was picking up little chunks of something (pieces of sticks) and tossing them in the air for herself to chase. This reminded me of our family dog, Kona. Kona used to stand on her back…
Or: Why Titles Are Bad at Describing Actual Work I’ve been on the job hunt lately, which means I’ve read more job descriptions than any human should. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed, it’s that recruiters and hiring folks really, really love their neat little job titles. But real life? It’s way messier than any…
People started calling me a leader long before I ever saw myself that way. There’s a lot of pressure that comes with that word, and nobody really warns you about it. Opting Out Wasn’t an Option Growing up, my family was always super involved in church, so it’s probably no surprise I somehow ended up…
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” ~ Mary Oliver On July 1st of this year, I was laid off. We had recently been acquired, and with the transition and restructuring, my position was eliminated. I let myself mope for a few days, catch my breath,…
Good documentation, SOPs, and knowledge bases are a must. They make life easier for you and your team. But if documentation fixed everything, we wouldn’t even be talking about this right now. But here’s the thing: the hardest part of support work isn’t something you can write down. It’s all about soft skills. Even with…
You’ve built a structured interview process.You’ve balanced your gut with your scorecard.You’ve made the offer. Now what? Hiring the right person is huge, but it’s really just the beginning. What you do next decides if that great choice turns into a confident, successful teammate, or if everyone ends up stuck in a slow, painful ramp-up….
When the Scorecard Says “Yes” but Your Gut Hesitates You’ve finished up all your interviews, scored them, and even talked things over with your interview partner. But then you hit a wall. The numbers are pointing one way, but your gut is waving a big red flag. Welcome to the classic gut vs. scorecard moment…
Why Structure Beats Gut Feeling Hiring can take forever, and it can eat up a lot of your time—and your team’s time, too. Sure, you rely on your gut and experience, but having a structured interview process to back that up makes a huge difference. If you want to build a strong team without losing…
I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want next in my career—not just the title, not just the salary band, but the actual work. The stuff that makes me light up. The stuff I can’t not do. The stuff people always end up coming to me for, whether it’s technically my job or not….
I’ve been lucky enough to work for and learn from some really great companies over the years. But out of all of them, iThemes stands out as my favorite. Cory Miller, our founder, is a big fan of mottos. My favorite one from my time at iThemes—and one I’ve tried to carry with me ever…
These days, it feels like everyone knows someone who’s been laid off. If you’ve ever worked with a great team, as I have, you probably want to help your teammates land on their feet when they’re let go. One of the best ways to help is by writing a Letter of Recommendation (LOR). But let’s…
Every support team has that one rockstar. You know the one. They can answer any question, fix any problem, and somehow have the whole playbook memorized. But what happens when they go on vacation? Or, even scarier, decide to quit? If all that know-how is stuck in just one or two people’s heads, you’re in…
When I interview candidates for my support teams, I always ask about their career goals. Support is often a launchpad into the tech world, and it can be tough to know that some team members will eventually move on. Still, I believe it’s best to help them grow and keep them within the company. …
Coaching is awesome for helping people one-on-one. But if everyone’s working off different info or just guessing what’s actually happening, it all falls apart. Here’s the thing about the Annual Review: it tells you what went wrong, but only after a whole year has passed. By then, it’s way too late to fix anything. If…
The annual review is a part of just about every company. But how useful are they really? Ultimately, the annual review is a post-mortem, not a roadmap. When you don’t frequently communicate with your employees, burnout and turnover increase. Feedback should be frequent, and every employee should have a clear idea of their role…
AI is transforming the future of support—especially in technical and customer-facing roles. Traditional support models are linear (more customers = more agents = higher cost) and hit a wall when complex issues pile up. Using AI can help mitigate the need to hire more agents. However, it’s important to remember that AI is a tool…
I was laid off a couple of months ago, which means I’ve been spending all my time focusing on finding a new job, including a lot of time writing, rewriting, and refining my resume. As part of this process, I utilize AI, such as grammar checkers and writing suggestions, to enhance clarity and provide a…
When putting together an excellent technical support team, it’s tempting to focus on candidates’ technical abilities. While those skills are crucial, there’s so much more to consider. Beyond technical expertise, you want team members who can truly connect with customers, simplify complex ideas into digestible chunks, and genuinely care about what clients need. Imagine having…
I had a little police interaction last night that I’d like to share. However, I need to start with a little backstory before getting into the events of last night. I am originally from Texas, and, despite not having lived there since my childhood, I still consider myself a Texan. I’m also a fan of…
My nephew Braden tested for his purple belt today! I am so proud of him! He has gone from a white belt to a purple belt in less than a year. So far, he has gone through the white, yellow, orange and blue belts. Today he earned his purple belt. I haven’t been able to…
I don’t know what it is, but Bowie isn’t happy unless he’s got a toy or 10. When I rescued Bowie, he’d been out on the streets for who knows how long before being put in a kill shelter. So maybe it’s that he knows he’s in a safe place and finally has access to…
I have to admit. This one is a little odd. I mentioned in a previous post that my mom was a nut bar. And, even though Mom passed away in January 2018, she continues to make me do crazy things. She always said she wanted to be cremated when she died, a request I was…
I’m pretty sure it’s been at least a decade since I’ve been to the beach. Until yesterday, that is! I’ve been in Orlando, Florida, all week for a team retreat with TEC. And was awesome! But who goes to Florida and doesn’t go to the beach? Not me, that’s for sure! So when I booked…
I adopted a new kitten today! I’ve named him Billy, after Billy Idol, since I had to follow my singer/songwriter pet name theme. I saw him online and went to the shelter out in Yukon to meet him this morning. He totally ignored me the entire time I was there. But he played with the…
Well, it’s been a couple months now since I first got Bowie and the boy is really thriving!
Well, I’ve done it again! I found another puppy to rescue and bring into my home!
This year, I got to go to NOLA for Mardi Gras! And if I thought St. Patty’s Day was crazy/fun, Mardi Gras was 10 times better.
Yesterday, I adopted two new babies, Iggy Pup and India.
The iThemes Exchange team, which I’m a part of, met up in Chicago this week for some discussion on the future of Exchange but also for some time just to spend together as a team.
Well, it’s finally happened! I found a house, I made and offer and I signed all the final papers today! It’s all mine!
This was my first ever trip to Louisianna! I was so excited to go. I went with the Ulmers, who have family (Mike’s dad, step-mom and brother) that lives right off of one of the parade routes. It was such a blast!
We tend to play almost as much as we work at my job. The recent trend has been Quadcopters.
Last night, I took Mom to her first concert ever. We drove up to Tulsa with Mike and Sarah to see Garth Brooks.
Tonight I went to my friend’s Birthday/Book Release party. I intentionally got there late hoping someone else I knew from work would be there. #Fail
I was doing some grocery shopping for my mom last night. And as soon as I got out of the car to go into the store, my flip-flop broke.
Note: My mom is a caring, intelligent, wonderful woman, whom I am lucky to call a friend and love with all of my heart. That, however, is not the subject of this particular post. My mom is a complete and utter nut bar! Let me start by explaining a little something about Mom that will be…
I’ve heard Metallica on “Classic Rock” radio stations twice recently. Now I feel old…
I was scrolling through my Twitter feed today, when I came across this tweet: Has the @WSJ been hacked by @TheOnion ? are they really telling women to concentrate on marriage instead of career? http://t.co/G6SPIXMcX1 — Christian Heilmann (@codepo8) February 14, 2014 I was intrigued, to say the least, and had to read it for…
Note: I originally had a point to this post, but, somewhere along the line, I forgot what it was and it was just too cathartic to stop writing.
The corner lot near our office had goats on it and we were told they were fainting goats! So we (the entire iThemes office) decided to go give them a scare. It took numerous attempts, but Chris Jean finally took one down!
Critics often criticize Tolkien for the lack of women in his novels. While, admittedly, there are not very many prominent women in his works, Tolkien does create his women in powerful and influential roles.
The writings of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien have often been studied and compared, quite possibly because of the friendship the authors shared. The friendship between Lewis and Tolkien began when they were both Oxford dons. Tolkien began a club among the literary faculty to read and study Icelandic and Norse literature. After about three…
The role of women in literature, as in life, is continually shifting. Many women of the nineteenth century, tired to “embrace the dominant middle-class Cult of True Womanhood by constructing a poetic voice that is pious, pure, submissive, and concerned with the domestic sphere” (Cane, 151). However, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a…
The Chaucer Pilgrim uses the General Prologue to set the scene for his reader, starting by telling the reader of the season and setting. He begins by telling his readers of Zephirus blowing in the spring, new life growing in the fields and the birds singing in the trees. He continues on telling how the…