People continue to use new (and old) technology in innovative ways. And technology keeps changing the way humans behave – the way we organize, communicate, make decisions, and get things done. New strategies are constantly emerging for how we organize and conduct business at all levels.
The People & Technology blog is a place to share time-tested and new ideas about how to help get the most out of people and technology – in terms of community, leadership, marketing, productivity, and more. I hope you find some of the ideas here thought-provoking and contribute to the conversation.
Tom Catalini
My career is all about working with emerging technology – as a consultant, entrepreneur, teacher and executive. You can find my full bio on LinkedIn.
I’m also an Adjunct Professor at Bentley University where I teach a graduate course on eMarketing, and the President of Boston SIM, a great professional organization for IT executives, where I’m active in the Boston CIO Roundtable and many of the other programs.
My Style
Myers-Briggs classifies me as an INTJ, which means I live in the world of ideas and strategic planning. I focus a lot of energy on observing the world, and generating ideas and possibilities. I’m driven to synthesize concepts into solid plans of action.
Shaping My Worldview
I’m from Central Massachusetts and spent some early years of my professional career in Washington, D.C., before settling permanently in the Boston area. One of the few Computer Information Systems majors at Bentley University (just a college at the time), I was also in the first freshman class that was required to have a laptop computer for coursework. This fit well with my study of computers in high school and hobbyist experience on the old Vic-20 and the Compuserve network.
Even though I actually programmed a payment tracking system (complete with light-pen interface!) for my paper route, I’m not a super techie at heart. I’ve really always been fascinated with the human factors that make or break technology projects (or any project, really). Nearly 10 years in consulting taught me the importance of understanding and organizing efforts around a solid business case, the crucial need to communicate clearly and continually throughout any project, and much of the secret sauce of motivating project teams and anyone and everyone who interfaces with their work process or work product.
Riding out the dot-com boom and bust at the turn of the century put me deep inside a hyper-fast, cutting-edge, virtually unlimited resources environment. Working at such extremes always reveals simple and profound truths. These lessons carried forward into my executive years, where I’ve continued to explore, learn, and refine (and sometimes abandon) old lessons while always searching for new insights and experiences.
Now sitting in a senior leadership position at a prominent nonprofit cultural institution, I’m immersed in an environment with very different viewpoints and measures for success than the more traditional business world – a great opportunity to develop a more nuanced understanding and skill-set in leading, motivating, and managing. This, along with a leadership role in my professional organization and the sharp contrast of educating students early in their careers or new to the workforce, is invigorating.
I Speak and Coach
I’ve worked a number of events as a featured speaker or panelist on topics of technology strategy, management, marketing and social media. And I coach executives on the same topics. I enjoy these activities very much, so if you’re interested please contact me via the form below.
Photo credit: Peter Wood