Fumbling Towards Legitimacy: A Senior Technology Strategist at Slack
James Sherrett shares his journey of becoming a Senior Technology Strategist at Slack, a role he describes as initially undefined and nebulous. He recounts how he took on the challenge of defining his new role, like with his previous positions at the company. Sherrett outlines the three primary responsibilities he eventually took on: executive briefing center engagements, investor and partner engagements, and innovation tours. Were there personal and professional hurdles? Some. Frequent travel and the need for self-sufficiency on the road. Sherrett's tries to capture the nuance of becoming 'the Slack man' though he never talked about it. He highlights the importance of presenting a coherent future vision, drawing from experiences and lessons in executive engagement. The episode concludes with a teaser on exploring these executive briefings and the balance between vision and reality.
00:00 Introduction: becoming a Senior Technology Strategist
01:19 Defining the role: challenges and opportunities
02:28 Establishing the hob: Executive Briefings and public speaking
03:11 A Portfolio of Activities
04:49 Embracing the Slack Man identity
06:38 Life on the road and time alone
09:40 Changing beliefs and behaviors
11:59 Selling the Future: lessons from Microsoft
13:36 Conclusion: Working on Slack vision for the future
