A New Conversation About Topics in Consulting

realized that it's the year 2023 and I've been working in the GIS And Environmental Consulting industry for over 20 years. In that time, I've worked for government and private employers. I've worked with tribal government, large and small firms, and non-profits. I ran my own small consulting firm, managed offices for other firms, and earned an MBA. As an instructor, I have used my experience to mentor new students in Environmental Science, so perhaps my experience might be helpful to early-career environmental scientists and environmental consultants. This post is the first in a series about leadership - particularly in consulting

The Value of Listening

Few companies I've worked with trained us how to effectively interact with staff and clients - activities that are essential parts of a consulting practice. Years after starting out as consultant, I learned that I had been using my meetings with clients (or perspective clients) to talk much more than listen. Reflecting on this changed my perspective on client and staff meetings.

Wisdom Wednesday: Trust

If you look at different articles describing the characteristics of good managers and leaders, many list confidence as a common attribute. If you look at different articles describing the characteristics of good managers and leaders, many list confidence as a common attribute. For example, in the Indeed.com article, 15 Qualities of a Good Manager You Should Look for, the author states that,” a confident manager trusts not only in their own skills and abilities but also in those of their team.this battle between the mouse jigglers that fake activity and the tattle ware used to find bad actors struck me as a kind of cold war scenario of escalating technology designed to thwart one opponent in what should be a partnership between and employer and employee It signified a sad lack of confidence (or trust) between managers and their remote employees.

Leadership Trait Tuesday: Shared Responsibility

In this post, I'll continue my discussion on leadership traits by discussing a trait I’m calling “Shared Responsibility”. I will illustrate what this means to me with two examples (bad and good) from my personal experience:

New Updates to the California Rare Plant Inventory: version 9.5

After leaving Rincon Consultants in 2022, I continued to collaborate with the California Native Plant Society (CNPS)along with two colleagues, Andrew Walter of The Jones Payne Group, and Mark Naftzger of Studio Simple, to update the the CNPS Online Inventory of Rare Plants, that we later renamed the Rare Plant Inventory. In January, 2023, CNPS to announced a series of new features and updates to California’s online inventory of rare plants. The Rare Plant Inventory (RPI) is a widely-used resource guiding rare plant protection, conservation planning, land acquisition, and management in California. The updated 9.5 version of the RPI added a suite of powerful new search capabilities and more

Reflections on Tanzania

It’s late morning in October. Hours earlier we descended from the fog shrouded ridge of the Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania. We’re driving along the grassy plain of the crater floor. In the distance we spot something.

CNPS Online Inventory of Rare Plants v9.0

For the past year, while working for Rincon Consultants, I have been working with two colleagues, Andrew Walter of The Jones Payne Group, and Mark Naftzger of Studio Simple, to develop the latest version of the California Native Plant Society's Online Inventory of Rare Plants.

Northern Serengeti Day 4 Added

I'm getting faster. This time it only took 6 days to post the newest installment of our trip to Tanzania. The page for day 4 has been added. It's our last day in the Northern Serengeti.

Northern Serengeti Day 3 Added

Day 3 of our Tanzania safari in the Northern Serengeti

Northern Serengeti Day 2 Added

Another installment our journey in the Northern, Serengeti recounting the day we witnessed wildebeest crossing the Mara River.