Unfortunately, saying thank you seems to be an after thought more and more. So at least once a month, I will take a few minutes to publicly appreciate someone that has had an impact on me.
This round: Kent McDonald
I met Kent many years ago at an Agile conference. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure to interact and work with Kent frequently.
I’m going to narrow this appreciation to the interaction specific to my role as Agile2017 Conference Chair. Kent is the product owner for the submission system. I expected to be working occasionally with him to update the system, resolve issues, etc. What I didn’t expect (but really should have) was how helpful he would be on almost a daily basis.
He helps respond to generic messages that are sent to the program team (this helps me not feel overwhelmed by the volume). He helps highlight what might be coming up in terms of issues/conflicts (this helps me get prepared and not feel like I screwed up). He almost instantly responds to any question that I send his way, even when they have nothing to do with his role as product owner.
Yes, the value of the work he is contributing deserves appreciation all by itself. Yet, the going above and beyond what anyone expects is great respected. Most importantly, I feel extremely supported by Kent and there are not enough words to say thank you.
You rock Kent!
Picture from LinkedIn
