#PeopleFirst and the Art of Meaning
Here we are in 2025. Welcome. What got you here won’t get you to the next level. It’s time for evolution on your terms. Making conscious choices about your direction, personally or professionally, is my key to moving forward with intention rather than having the winds of industry blow me along. Keeping clarity of purpose is an effort but for me it's worth it.
Since the pandemic I’ve embraced a mode we call #PeopleFirst. It places a priority on relationships. In the business of technology we tend to focus on features and functions. That’s essential as a product manager but there’s more to be done. The active connection between people and their technology is of primary concern. What does the technology help people accomplish? Is it enhancing our relationships or helping us to discover new connections? This is the actual point of technology – to enhance connection, reveal knowledge and help us intentionally create the future.
Implementing a #PeopleFirst strategy means that you are deeply aware of the needs of your customers, workforce and industry. It means you have spent time listening to the lived experience of those you serve. You step forward to understand first and solve issues later. Given that the backlog of work always exceeds the time available it is the needs of your customers and workforce that will allow you to prioritize your efforts for the greatest impact. It's been my experience that focusing on delivering people-centric impact yields revenue and efficiency results but it also drastically changes the conversation and the nature of your relationships.
People are the great differentiator in your organization. The degree to which you invest in their wellbeing, skills and opportunities will determine your success. Operationalizing this idea is at the heart of a people first plan.
Our careers, industries and the technology we create can be meaningful when governed by being of service to these people. This is the art of meaning – making the intentional connection between the needs of customers and your workforce to the innovation we spend so much of our time focused on.
As AI capabilities flood the market we are faced with choices. Are we dazzled by these new capabilities or saddled with apprehension about the risks? I personally don’t believe this is the way to look at AI or any other capability we invent. How does this technology move our mission forward? How does it allow us to reduce the digital divide? How can we use technology to create opportunities, especially for those for whom opportunity has remained elusive.
In black and brown communities around the world the digital divide exists. It’s a fact not an idea. It takes people like you and I to bridge that divide. It takes investment, understanding and determination to use technology to lift others up. Hard work is the requirement to take advantage of opportunities as they arise. My entire career is a testament to this dynamic. Yes, I have gotten opportunities, but my hard work and dedication has taken them to the next level allowing me to provide for my family and do work that I adore.
This next year of AI innovation requires something different from us as leaders. I’m personally committed to the #PeopleFirst methodology and crafting the art of meaning into my daily work as a technologist. I'm focused on delivering value rather than solely on driving efficiency. Content production, delivering technology adoption and communities of scale are my chosen tools but my passion is empowering others to take charge of their individual journey. AI presents us with new opportunities for innovation and true transformation. We must first orient ourselves around a primary mission to ensure we are not swept up in the techno-babble that serves as product marketing today.
As we enter 2025, what is your mission? Who do you serve? What impact do you want to deliver for your career, your family or your community.
Now is the time we can think big, drive for fundamental change and empower those around us. We can build the skills we need and leverage these new capabilities to allow us to deliver positive change at a rapid rate and a grand scale. But first, we must intentionally understand who we serve and what choices are we making.
Let’s do that together. Comment below, join me on Bluesky, LinkedIn or at an upcoming event to continue the conversation.