About

You might of read the headline on the home page and thought that my focus is on capturing information or manipulating numbers. Yes, it is an element. However, it is only a supporting element. A vital one, but a support one none the less. What I want us to explore is how to leverage tools, and the insights gained to better connect and collaborate with other humans.

In particular, the incorporation of data and advanced analytics into business strategy.

Execution-Focused Idea Man. My name is Donald McMichael, and I have never been afraid of pushing myself. In fact, I thrive on it. Since my first year at Duke University’s Business School, I’ve been working on projects that require me to stretch my thinking beyond convention. It’s these critical-thinking and creative problem-solving skills that I love. In turn, this skill set has allowed me to help organizations fulfill their potential.

With a successful leadership track record (which includes a seven-year career at Showtime Networks as a Vice President and Director in corporate development roles), my real talents lie in developing neat, easily understood playbooks that allow one to reach their desired objective in a complex, uncertain environment. Cutting across both the finance and strategy functions, I’ve produced over $500 million of strategic initiatives both inside and outside of Fortune 500 companies such as AlliedSignal and Viacom.

Having completed over 10 Centuries (100-mile bicycle ride), I have a proven track record of accomplishing stretch goals. The reason I can maintain a can-do attitude in every aspect of my life is that I know that focusing on the right thing with the right assets pays off.

If you found me (and this page) from my Twitter profile, there’s a few things you might want to know about me:

• I’m on Twitter to meet interesting people, have intelligent conversations, and learn new things.
• My professional passions are around business model innovation, the analytics that supports it, and the intersection of the creative process and design thinking (Hybrid Thinking). In particular, how it applies to an evolving business entity.
• If you help me achieve these goals, I’ll follow you back.