Feedback matters, but a thumbs-up from your network is a gentle reminder of the value you bring. Sure, there’s always debate about the best practices, tech, and work styles that boost performance. Still, ultimately, it’s all about teaming up, sharing experiences, chasing goals, and making a difference together.
I greatly appreciate the people I have worked with, shared conversations and experiences, and those who helped me shape my career and values. I hope that I have given them something of value in return.
Phil Clark is an exceptional technical leader who deeply understands what it takes to achieve success. His ability to think outside the box and challenge conventional thinking sets him apart from others in his field. Through his website, Phil shares his insights and knowledge with others, providing a platform for people to learn and grow.
I have had the privilege of working with Phil, and I can confidently say that he is a master at what he does, and his enthusiasm in this field is unparalleled. He has an innate ability to connect with people and help them see things differently. His aptitude and commitment have been instrumental in achieving our organization’s goals, and his coaching and mentoring have been instrumental in helping countless others achieve theirs.
Phil’s dedication to those he collaborates with or helps is unwavering. He consistently goes above and beyond to provide exceptional service. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience and is always willing to learn from others, share his insights and expertise, helping others succeed. If you want someone to help you unlock your full potential and achieve your goals or compare experiences, I highly recommend Phil Clark and RethinkYourUnderstanding.com.
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Bob Langan
Retired Enterprise Executive and Senior Vice PresidentPhil saw something in me and took a chance when nobody else would. Phil gave me my first software engineering job out of college.
Not only did he coach and mentor me early in my career, but he supported me at every major inflection point — when I joined GoDaddy as an early engineer and had to build my first team, when I helped open Amazon’s software development office in Arizona and had to figure out how to navigate a large organization, when I left to start my own company Zenter that was funded by Y Combinator, when Zenter was acquired by Google and turned into Google Slides, and when I left Google to start my next company Humu and raised $100m to make work better for people.
At every major point in my career, Phil has been there — coaching, guiding, re-framing, helping, and supporting me at every step in my career. I can honestly say I would not have achieved all that I have without Phil.
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Wayne Crosby
Visiting Group Partner at Y Combinator, Co-Founder of Humu, Co-Founder of Zenter (Google Slides), ex-GooglePhil is a standout professional whose dedication to the principles of lean, DevOps, value stream management, and agility sets him apart in the industry. What strikes me most about Phil is his commitment to learning in public, a testament to his open and collaborative nature.
Phil’s understanding of good practices doesn’t get in the way of his recognition that each organization is unique, with its path and pace of development. As an advocate for generative culture, Phil understands the critical role of nurturing and enabling human talent in every organization. His belief in empowering individuals and teams resonates deeply with me.
In my interactions with Phil, I have come to admire and value him not just as a professional acquaintance but as a collaborator and colleague. His blend of in-depth knowledge, open-mindedness, and commitment to positive cultural practices makes him a go-to advisor for cultural and technical change efforts.
Phil is not just a remarkable professional but also an inspiring individual. His open contributions to the field are invaluable, and his approach to professional growth and organizational development is exemplary and inspiring. I’m grateful for the intersection of our learning journeys, and I look forward to learning with him as we each navigate business performance improvement.
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Steve Pereira
Owner, Visible Flow Consulting | Value Stream Management | Author – Flow EngineeringI only recently met Phil, and we had the opportunity to meet in person over lunch. The meeting was one of the best I had.
Later that week, I had a couple of difficult discussions, and because I recalled what I had learned from him, the meetings went very well. I remembered his words on mindset, so I kept asking questions, telling myself that maybe there was a better answer, and just making sure we were aligned on the challenges. The meetings went so much better; it was collaborative, and we found alignment, which allowed us to move forward to a solution.
I appreciate that we have read similar books like Accelerate and shared other book recommendations. His brand and services will make a significant difference in developing much-needed skills missing, especially in the technical teams.
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Yousef Awad
Owner and ceo, integrant incI’ve been very lucky to connect with Phil a couple of years ago and benefit from his vast experience in applying technology strategy to business. His contributions to the Value Stream Management Consortium and community, as both a member and a board director, are invaluable.
Phil combines a sharp understanding of the most complex problems with an innate situational awareness of human issues. He shows up and shares, is an active listener and participant, a life-long learner, and a great asset to any team or organization. His ability to cut through foggy thinking to what really matters—the outcomes, is a joy to experience.
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Helen Beal
Fractional CTO, Chair, Board Executive, NED, Strategic advisor, keynote speaker, writer, author, researcher, coachI have had the privilege of working with Phil, and I can confidently say that he is a master at what he does, and his enthusiasm in this field is unparalleled. He has an innate ability to connect with people and help them see things differently. His aptitude and commitment have been instrumental in achieving our organization’s goals, and his coaching and mentoring have been instrumental in helping countless others achieve theirs.
Phil has been an incredible professional and personal support for me, who is very generous with his time and deep knowledge of engineering best practices. He has helped me understand better and apply value streams and Team Topologies, allowing me to improve my team’s outcomes.
Phil remains a critical part of our engineering team realignment at Parchment Digitary and my go-to person for advice and counsel. I sincerely appreciate the generosity with which he shares his expertise and experiences – he makes me a better leader.
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Takis Diakoumis
CTO, Digitary platform, Parchment LLCI’ve enjoyed working with Phil for the past 9+ years, and he’s been an integral part of my professional success. Phil is an executive leader that’s in a class of his own. What I admire most about Phil is his natural, people-first philosophy that has driven our culture and ultimately led to the best technology team I’ve ever been part of. Great leaders are worth their weight in gold and few and far between. Phil has a complete package of technical skills and a wonderful personality and demeanor to match. He is always at the forefront of innovative thinking and thought leadership. Phil earns trust and respect through his actions, and I’ve only ever heard positive praise when talking about him.
As a UX leader, Phil has played a vital role in helping me carry out and define a vision ideally suited for our growing organization. His ability to see innovative solutions and pathways has enabled our user-centered design capability to thrive efficiently and consistently. His executive sponsorship in my work has been incredibly impactful, and his ability to work cross-functionally with technology, product, and every other team makes Phil unique. Our company’s design maturity and ability to lead in front-end development directly result from Phil’s understanding and support of technology, user experience, and building high-performing teams.
Phil is one of those influential leaders you have the pleasure of getting to know professionally but ultimately appreciate even more as a person. There is no doubt his impact on our organization goes far undervalued. Phil is a true treasure that I’m fortunate to have crossed paths with, and I will always be grateful for the wisdom he’s imparted to me.
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Ken Arendt
Principal Ux/ui designer, parchment llcI have witnessed Phil’s exceptional skills and unwavering commitment to excellence, which have inspired and challenged me throughout our professional careers together.
Phil is an exceptional technology leader with a visionary approach to software solutions. Phil’s unwavering commitment to excellence and people-first mentality make him stand out in the industry, and his remarkable talent for assembling outstanding teams and propelling engineering solutions is commendable. Still, it’s his unwavering people-first approach that truly sets him apart. As an empathetic leader, Phil deeply comprehends that cultivating high-performing teams goes hand-in-hand with nurturing and empowering individuals. I have and continue to learn from Phil’s people-first mentality.
With a remarkable track record of building high-performing teams and implementing strategies that accelerate software delivery, Phil’s leadership style creates a collaborative and empowering work environment. He continuously stays at the forefront of technology trends, adapting to remain competitive and inspiring those around him. Phil’s involvement in the Agile and DevOps communities fuels his passion for delivering outstanding solutions. His generosity in sharing experiences and knowledge propels the success of his peers and teams. Without a doubt, Phil Clark’s profound impact as a technology leader makes him a valuable asset to any organization, driving innovation and success.
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