The UnConventional Strategist is a conversational business strategy built around the idea that strategic thinking comes from experience, curiosity, judgment, and action. Why was this an important book for you to write? 

This is the book I wish someone had handed me early in my career. Maybe I could have avoided a few mistakes—or at least made different ones. I wrote it with a servant leader’s mindset, hoping to mentor not just the handful of people I’ve worked with directly over the years, but anyone looking for practical guidance on becoming a better strategist, product manager, innovator, or wanting to manage their life with intention and goals in mind. One of the greatest compliments I’ve received is when people tell me, “This book sounds just like you.” They can hear my voice in their heads as they read it, and that’s exactly what I wanted.

Was there a particular moment in your career when you realized strategy was less about having all the answers and more about making better decisions with uncertainty?

There wasn’t one dramatic moment—it was a pattern that repeated itself over my career. The more responsibility I was given, the less complete the information became. I realized that the people who were successful weren’t the ones who waited until they had all the answers. They were the ones who could make good decisions with imperfect information, adjust when new facts emerged, and keep moving forward. That’s really what strategy is. It’s not certainty—it’s judgment under uncertainty. It’s trusting that gut instinct but balancing it with experience.

How can professionals learn to listen for what customers, colleagues, or competitors are not saying?

Most people spend their time listening to answers. Strategists listen to gaps. They pay attention to what’s avoided, what keeps coming up indirectly, what people hesitate to say, or where actions don’t match words. Sometimes the biggest opportunity isn’t hidden in what someone tells you—it’s hidden in what they assume, ignore, or can’t quite articulate.

What is one strategic habit you believe every professional should develop? 

Become relentlessly curious. Have an insatiable appetitive for knowledge. Look beyond what’s obvious. Every successful person I’ve known asks better questions than everyone else. They don’t assume they already know the answer. They stay curious about customers, competitors, technology, and even their own assumptions. Curiosity compounds over time, and eventually it becomes judgment. Trust your gut but temper it with experience.

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