ABOUT ANDY KORTZ

Andy Kortz is currently the Chief Technology Officer at Integra Testing, where he leads technology transformation and drives operational efficiency in aggressive growth organizations. Andy also is a co-lead for the ELC Local Chapter initiative in Chicago. With over 20 years of experience in enterprise architecture and software development, Andy has consistently delivered innovative solutions while reducing IT expenses and improving application value. Drawing on his expertise in cloud technologies, data solutions, and integrations, Andy focuses on fostering a culture of continuous learning, building and empowering high-performing teams, and delivering customer-centric solutions in fast-paced environments.

ABOUT JAMES TYACK

James is an engineering manager with a passion for people, technology, and learning. He's built and led distributed, diverse teams of engineers across locations and timezones for 10 years. James believes strongly in the value of diversity and championing a sense of belonging for everyone, from day 1. He's well versed in growth strategy, chaos engineering, major incident response, and blameless practice, and culture grounded by trust and psychological safety. He leads the Growth Acquisition team at Coursera where he's proud to be part of an organization that's transforming lives through learning. Previously, James enjoyed building and leading the Growth and Integrations engineering teams at PagerDuty.

ABOUT JOHN ROSS

John Ross is the Director of Infrastructure and Cloud at KUBRA, expertly navigating IT infrastructure and cloud solutions. Based in Toronto, John's career showcases a diverse range of experiences from large corporations to dynamic startups. He has a knack for aligning technology with business objectives, building robust teams, and managing platform migrations to the cloud. With experience in leading industry names like Ingram Micro and Symantec, as well as in the telecommunications sector, John combines strategic insight with a personable approach. His passion for sailing mirrors his love for innovation and precision in professional pursuits.

SHOW NOTES:

Scaling communication practices in parallel with scaling your org with Andy Kortz (1:18)
Tools for bridging communication gaps between groups & building trust (2:49)
Use humor strategically to break tension / build trust (5:16)
Andy’s introduction to ELC Chicago & the best parts of that community (8:57)
Engineering challenges / conversations from ELC Chicago (10:24)
What engineering leaders can learn from the best online courses - making a “Day One” commitment with James Tyack (12:28)
Frameworks for putting the “Day One” commitment into practice (14:49)
What making a “Day One” commitment looks like @ Coursera (17:59)
Why the commitment needs to be made explicit (19:25)
Practical exercises to encourage innovation & foster creativity (21:06)
Strategies for getting hands-on with your learning (23:10)
James’s experience with ELC South Bay & connecting with leaders in a specific space (25:05)
How to make the most out of attending your first ELC event (26:27)
How to level up your teams through servant leadership with John Ross (27:52)
Realizing you’re the bottleneck & tips for stepping back / increasing team trust (30:49)
John’s experience with ELC Toronto & what ELC means to him (33:12)

LINKS AND RESOURCES

Check out all of our local chapters & get involved here: elc.community/home/clubs

This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team:

Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host

Jerry Li - Co-Host

Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/

Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/

Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/

Building Trust: Strategic humor, bridging communication gaps & enabling your team to do more #205

The Engineering Leadership Podcast