How it all started

The Vacuum Cleaner Philosophy: How Breaking Things Taught Me Leadership 🚀

You know how it starts — you're 11-years old, home alone with a list of chores and the promise of pocket money dangling like a carrot. Vacuum the house before Mom and Dad get home. Simple enough, except for one tiny problem: the vacuum doesn't work.

And not in the "it's not performing optimally" kind of way. In the "this thing won't even turn on" kind of way.

Mom's been eyeing a new one anyway, so what's a resourceful kid to do? If you're anything like me, you think: "Forget it, let's break this thing open and see what makes it tick."

So there I am, screwdriver in hand, vacuum guts scattered across the living room floor like some weird mechanical autopsy. And wouldn't you know it — I actually found the problem! I fixed the contraption, put it back together, and finished my chores. My parents still got their new vacuum eventually, but they also got to keep some cash in their pockets that week. And me? I got a few extra dollars and something way more valuable: the intoxicating rush of solving a problem everyone else had given up on.

That moment — covered in dust, triumphant over household appliances — was the beginning of my obsession with figuring things out. It's the same energy I bring to everything now: uncovering solutions when others see only problems, calming anxiety when everyone's freaking out, building bridges when people are determined to burn them, and creating alignment when stakeholders are pointing in seventeen different directions.

See, when there's a vacuum of leadership (pun absolutely intended), I naturally fill it. Sometimes because someone asks me to, but usually because somebody has to. Vision missing? Communication a disaster? Transparency nonexistent? Empathy in short supply? I'm your person — a force multiplier when teams need it most.

I can help you nail down that elusive product-market fit, strategically tackle new markets without everyone losing their minds, get alignment on projects that have been stuck in purgatory for months, improve communication when everyone's talking but nobody's listening, and mentor others to do the same.

The funny thing? Direct reports love working for me. Other executives enjoy working alongside me. They tell me I'm "easy to work with” — which sounds boring as heck but is actually a superpower that too many people overlook.

So here's the question: Does your organization need a senior product leader who isn't afraid to break open problems and put them back together better than before? Got a specific project that's circling the drain? Let's talk.

Because sometimes, the best qualification isn't found on a resume—it's found in an 11-year-old's fearless approach to a broken vacuum cleaner.