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Michael Hedgpeth |
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Michael Hedgpeth |
My name is Michael Hedgpeth, I work as a Software Architect at NCR in the DFW area. I work to bring technical and business stakeholders together to form a common platform for success. I do this primarily in three ways: (1) through a deep and regular commitment to learning, (2) by motivating others around me to have the courage to do what they know must be done for success, and (3) by consistently aligning a solid strategy with the reality of every day.
I post an average of a post a week
My top 5 most visited posts are:
- My Advice for Chef in Large Corporations where I talk about how to cut through the BS and get some results if you're working with Chef.
- Technology > Partnership, about how the success of my relationship with Chef isn't so much about their great technology (which it is great) but it's more about how we have been able to partner together.
- chef-vault Tutorial where I bring you up to speed on the latest with chef-vault, a secrets management system with Chef
- Kanban Standup Meetings: A Way Out of Standup Hell?, about how to make a standup meeting more meaningful
- Planned Thinking the start of my Getting Things Done series, where I talk about the importance of thinking before you do
In addition to the ones above, some of my personal favorites are:
- Life is Art, on how one's approach to life should be well considered
- Failure Masquerading as Success, where I talk about real success and counterfeit success
- Orchestration Maturity Model with Chef where I outline the various phases one can go through with orchestrating a Chef run
- Test Kitchen: Required, not Optional one of the things I wish I could have taken back from my first year with Chef is my underutilization of Test Kitchen.
- Speaking I'm very proud of speaking in the community and have included links on this page so you can watch a talk or two that I've done.
Another option for reading through the blog is to start at the beginning and follow the post navigation at the end of the post all the way to the present. I've done this with a few blogs and have had a wonderful time getting a brain dump from a single writer. I'd be honored if you read along with me in this way as well.
I grew up in Arlington, TX with three brothers in an LDS home. My parents and community taught me the value of hard work, education, and community. We never had a lot of money, but my mom and dad always instilled in me the value of making a difference and leaving a legacy. The values they instilled in me live on in me and are a constant source of guidance for me.
After high school I stayed local and graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems. I graduated four weeks before 9/11 and got a job as a Java programmer at a small workers compensation case management firm just five days before 9/11.
If you remember those times, during my sophomore year in 1999 everyone was going to be rich, during my junior year in 2000 everyone was going to be employed, and during my senior year in 2001 everyone was going to end up cooking hamburgers. It was a crazy job market but I bought the best suit a credit card could buy and was fortunate to have people believe in me.
Two and a half years later I ended up at Radiant Systems (later NCR) and have been there the past twelve years. The people I have worked with over the last twelve have changed my life for the better in so many ways.
My wife Annie is my secret to success. She's creative, hard working, and beautiful. She has recently gotten a technology job and so our partnership in life is deeper and more exciting than it's ever been.
I have three boys and yes that's crazy. It's kind of strange how they just latch onto every one of my behaviors, even the bad ones. But they do and we are all growing through it. Just the other day we were taking a picture and the boys weren't smiling. So I said, "Say poop" and we had the perfect picture. Poop seems to be the magic word for funny when you're a boy.
I'm seeking a life of meaning. I want to grow to be the best person I can be. Part of that journey must be shared with others. I hope to find like-minded people who can help others find their way to a life that meets their goals on a deep and meaningful level. I hope you will join me.
You can contact me or by following me on twitter.
This is my personal blog. The views I express here do not necessarily represent those of my employer, NCR.