From Demos to Coach: Navigating the Leap from Solution Consultant to Manager
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting

From Demos to Coach: Navigating the Leap from Solution Consultant to Manager

For most of my career, I had no ambition to become a manager. I genuinely enjoyed being a Solutions Consultant, working directly with customers and getting the immediate feedback that comes from solving real problems, running demos and shaping technical sales cycles. But after the better part of two decades in technical pre-sales and solutions engineering, the learning curve started to flatten. It felt a bit like playing a computer game you still love, but one where you have explored most of the map and new challenges increasingly look familiar. Moving into management changed that. It felt less like leaving Solutions Consulting behind and more like unlocking the next level of the same game. In this article, I share what I learned moving from individual contributor to Manager and Senior Manager, including coaching instead of fixing, developing people, working across Sales and Product, using metrics well, and building teams that can succeed without depending on you for every answer.
Four Leadership Books That Changed How I Lead
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting

Four Leadership Books That Changed How I Lead

I have read quite a few leadership books over the years. Some were useful in the moment and then quietly disappeared from memory. Others stayed with me because an idea from a chapter would suddenly reappear months later in a conversation with someone on my team, during a difficult decision, or when I caught myself stepping in to solve a problem that probably should not have become mine in the first place. Those are the books I value most. Not because I agree with every page, but because they changed something in the way I actually lead. I am generally…
Making My Scanner Actually Smart: From Touchscreen Menu Hell to One Button, AI and Email
Posted inOnline & Digital Smart Home

Making My Scanner Actually Smart: From Touchscreen Menu Hell to One Button, AI and Email

I turned a frustrating multi-step printer workflow into a one-button smart home automation. Using Home Assistant, HACS eSCL scanning, a smart plug, Zigbee buttons, SMTP and OpenAI, documents are scanned automatically, intelligently named and sent by email or saved to Paperless. This post shows how the setup works and why it saves so much time.
Flying to Mexico While Caring About the Climate
Posted inGeneral

Flying to Mexico While Caring About the Climate

Can you care about climate change and still take a long-haul flight? As our family prepares to travel to Mexico, I reflect on the uncomfortable contradiction between protecting the climate and wanting to experience the world together. We reduce our carbon footprint through solar energy, an electric car and more conscious consumption, but none of this makes flying harmless. This article explores personal responsibility, carbon offsetting, climate-conscious travel and why imperfect choices should encourage honest discussion rather than immediate accusations of hypocrisy.
Build Microwave Doors, Not Warning Signs: What Solutions Consulting Leaders Can Learn from Blame, Process and Formula One
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting Motorsport

Build Microwave Doors, Not Warning Signs: What Solutions Consulting Leaders Can Learn from Blame, Process and Formula One

Great leadership is not about finding someone to blame when processes fail. It is about designing better systems. This article explores what Solutions Consulting leaders can learn from no-blame culture, Formula One, and the simple brilliance of a microwave door: build processes that make the right action easier, reduce repeated reminders, and turn mistakes into learning.
Notifications in Home Assistant, But Smarter: The Script Pattern You’ll Wish You Used Earlier
Posted inSmart Home

Notifications in Home Assistant, But Smarter: The Script Pattern You’ll Wish You Used Earlier

Tired of copy-pasting notify.mobile_app_* actions across dozens of Home Assistant automations? In this post I’ll show a simple, scalable notification pattern that saves time now and frustration later: one reusable script per person (phone, work phone, tablet, whatever) plus group scripts for things like “the whole family”. You’ll learn how to pass message, title, and optional metadata cleanly, why the data object must always be a dictionary (and how to avoid the dreaded “Got None” error), and how this approach makes device changes painless because you only update notifications in one place. If you’ve ever replaced a phone and had half your alerts break, this setup will feel like a small superpower.
5 High-Performance Morning Habits for SaaS Solutions Consultants
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting

5 High-Performance Morning Habits for SaaS Solutions Consultants

In the fast-paced world of SaaS pre-sales, the way you start your morning can set the tone for the entire day. Consistent morning routines act as an anchor, providing structure and focus before the outside world’s demands take over. In fact, a Harvard Business Review study found 92% of highly productive people follow consistent morning habits. The benefits go beyond just getting more done – a reliable routine can boost mental clarity, reduce stress, and even improve technical excellence by making time for learning. In short, strong mornings build momentum for the rest of your day. Win the morning, win…
Out with the Old: A Fresh Coat of Paint for the Blog
Posted inGeneral Online & Digital

Out with the Old: A Fresh Coat of Paint for the Blog

Looking for inspiration to refresh your own blog — or just curious what a digital “spring clean” looks like? After switching to English content over the past two years, my blog just got its biggest makeover yet. I’ve revamped the entire layout with a modern, responsive WordPress theme, simplified categories, and a cleaner user interface. It’s not just a visual update — it’s a usability upgrade. The results are already showing: visitor numbers in 2025 have surged past last year’s total, and we’re only in August. This post takes you behind the scenes of the redesign, shares what’s driving the growth, and hints at what’s next. Curious how a few smart changes can reignite both motivation and readership? Click through to read the full story and maybe even spark your own refresh.
Burnout to Breakthrough: Resilience Strategies for IT Professionals
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting General

Burnout to Breakthrough: Resilience Strategies for IT Professionals

Resilience Strategies for IT Professionals is a practical, science-backed guide for knowledge workers facing chronic stress and emotional exhaustion. Written with a blend of personal insight and professional experience, the post explores how to recognize early warning signs of burnout—like fatigue, cynicism, and reduced effectiveness—before they take a lasting toll. Drawing on real-life examples from the tech industry, it offers proven strategies such as time-blocking for rest, setting boundaries, practicing mindfulness, and seeking mentorship or therapy. The article is especially relevant for IT professionals navigating high-pressure environments, long hours, and demanding clients. The author shares personal reflections from a near-burnout experience during the LastPass security incident and underscores the value of taking intentional breaks—like a two-week unplugged holiday—as key to recovery. This post is essential reading for developers, sysadmins, engineers, and anyone working in tech who wants to sustain performance without sacrificing well-being. With an encouraging tone and actionable advice, it helps readers shift from burnout toward a more balanced, motivated, and healthy professional life.