My name is Geoff Mazeroff.
Something I believe all humans seek is the flow state, also known as being “in the zone.” I’ve found that the following activities put me in that state: working with a team (friends or coworkers), doing meaningful work, and enriching myself through hobbies/learning/experiences. The purpose of this blog is for me to share my interests with a broader audience.
Phrases that resonate with my values:
- Make order out of chaos.
- Leave the camp better than you found it.
- If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.
- Solve the problem you actually have.
Related to those values, here are my top five strengths:
- Discipline — my world is best described by the order I create
- Harmony — I seek areas of agreement
- Responsibility — I take ownership of what I say I’ll do
- Connectedness — I believe that almost every event has a reason
- Analytical — I search for reasons and causes
On the enneagram assessment, I’m a Type 9 (Adaptive Peacemaker) with Wing 1 (Negotiator). I’m diplomatic and attuned to the ideas of others, often as a facilitator or mediator in groups. I form the glue between people with my friendly, grounding, and stable demeanor.
Helping others brings me a great deal of fulfillment. Some of my most gratifying experiences involve helping people learn something new and motivating people to achieve their goals. Some examples include coaching coworkers and peers and giving conference talks on professional skills. I also take pride in helping people do aspects of work that don’t play to their strengths, but do play to mine.
Here are some roles I find myself playing on a regular basis:
- Ambassador — representing an individual or team to others
- Clerk — keeping track of things
- Coach — reminding people they can achieve with the right effort
- Custodian — avoiding the tragedy of the commons by doing upkeep
- Librarian — being the go-to person for knowledge (or where to find it)
- Mentor — giving others a path while letting them traverse it themselves
Finding the kernel of things has always fascinated me, which is why I try to learn about things that transcend any one area, company, or group. For example, I’ve found myself gravitating towards understanding processes (e.g., lean manufacturing) rather than the specific tools, technologies, or industries that implement and use those processes.
Although the breadth of my exposure to differing groups and companies is not vast, it seems that most problems stem from issues related to communication, collaboration, and well-managed expectations. I value short feedback cycles paired with open, respectful communication. Investing in improving your communication skills — regardless of job title, career path, or seniority — is often a wise choice.
The pace of technology and software is breathtaking, yet I retain a healthy curiosity of how things work. I’ve always loved taking things apart to see their inner workings, and trying to replicate things via mimicry. The frustrating thing is that I find the “engineer hat” difficult to remove when trying to simply enjoy something like a video game or when using a new gadget.
Credentials
I have a BS in computer science and a BA in music from Furman University; additionally, I hold an MS degree in computer science, and was (read: abandoned) all-but-dissertation for my PhD for computer science from The University of Tennessee (Knoxville). I’m also certified in CompTIA Security+.
I hold advanced group fitness instructor certifications for two Les Mills International programs: RPM (stationary bike) and BODYJAM (dance cardio). As a fitness instructor, I’m also certified in Basic Life Support and AFAA Program Group Exercise. Although I started teaching group fitness in 2013, COVID-19 has given me space to reflect whether I want to continue this pursuit.
Current Employment
I’m the software engineering manager for RegScale, a company that aims to free organizations from (digital) paper when it comes to being continuously compliant. Everyone agrees compliance helps keep organizations healthy and data safeguarded, but the process of doing so if often paper-based and audit-timeline driven. RegScale’s platform aims to automate as much of that process as possible, thus “shifting left” on compliance, much as DevOps shifted operations left. I lead a team of nine R&D engineers and am helping to standardize processes as we scale, such that we can deliver quality code and delight our customers. It’s been rewarding to get closer to the tech/code that makes this possible.
Previous Employment
Previously I was the Agile Coaching Director and later the Process Improvement Director for Lirio, a company that applies the psychology of human behavior and the power of advanced machine learning to help drive individuals toward positive behavior change at scale. In this role I helped functional groups, teams, individuals, and by extension the organization, continually grow and improve. I adapted my approach based on context, scale, and complexity, with a focus on continuous improvement to help define, maintain, measure, and evolve system processes at the team-of-teams level. My journey of continuous improvement served as a foundation that complemented my interpersonal skills, teaching abilities, and capacity to inspire and motivate.
My Goals
- To be mindful of those around me (e.g., active listening, learning styles, backgrounds)
- To be around people that build me up and allow me to feel good
- To be engaged in activities with people, not just around people
- To have healthy relationships with friends and family
- To have a healthy level of self-esteem and trust
- To learn about culture, communication, and leadership
- To be an active part of my team at work so that we can create and ship awesome software
- To stay active in effectively coaching RPM
- To have a healthy relationship with my community where I can give my time/talent in ways meaningful to both parties
- To share things that I’ve learned and been inspired by
- To be (and stay) healthy
- To have a safety net
Things I Do
Usually at any point in time, I’ve got a toe in one or more of these waters:
- Learning about process (e.g., Agile, DevOps)
- Learning about leadership and communication
- Learning Danish
- Playing video games with several friend groups
- Picking up litter around my home and office
- Building scale models
Check out my digital bookshelf.
Disclaimer
The views expressed on this site are purely my own and not reflective of any organization with which I am affiliated.