Ry McDonald

👋 I'm Ry and I’m a seeker and lifelong learner. I help companies grow through Operations, People & Marketing.

Who I am

As an operator, I work to understand and respect people. I use leading indicators and simple practices to increase accountability. I build shared responsibility through teamwork, common goals, and shared wins. I increase predictability and reliability by driving continuous improvement.

I’m fascinated by human psychology and high performance. I’m excited about music, basketball, burritos, cocktails, and documentaries.

Borrow from the best operators:

Running Organizations

Read my operating principles, grab some book recommendations, and learn about my working style:

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Personal Operating Principles

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Books That Have Shaped My Work

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User Manual

My background

I've spent a dozen years reading, testing, selling, and teaching marketing while managing business operations, building culture, and developing people.

I’ve worked in tech companies (3) and at marketing agencies (3) at all levels, from hourly temp to President.

The consistent thread in my experience has been a deep appreciation for building knowledge, contributing to big projects, and helping people develop and grow.

Obility named a Great Place to Work

Obility was named a Great Place to Work in 2021. To have contributed to creating a culture that team members valued was an accomplishment I felt extremely proud of. I used to obsess over products and services. I felt that delivering quality was the most meaningful contribution I could make. At some point in my journey as a manager and leader, my mindset shifted. I came to believe that creating the conditions for others to succeed was more meaningful and fulfilling than micro-managing work outputs. I now believe that, over the long term, it also creates better products and services.

Team Member Development Cycle

I designed Obility’s philosophy for personnel development and re-designed the company’s development process. Developing team members is too often an after-thought, a thing that happens "after the work is done." Development is part of the work itself. Obility’s philosophy hinged on autonomy and personal accountability, along with the key pillars of feedback, coaching, and community support. Building "hooks," simple documentation, and reflection into the process closed the loop.

The Content Marketer’s Guide to Ideation

A self-published book on content marketing & creativity was the culmination of three years of studying content marketing and working with dozens of companies and team members on topics, ideas and using content as a competitive advantage.

Culture Development

One advantage that agencies have is the ease with which knowledge sharing and "communities of practice" can form, accelerating people's ability to learn and grow quickly. Taking that concept to its extreme, I focused Obility's culture on personal development. The 5-year flywheel for client results focused first on feedback and coaching. In 2021 and 2022 we chipped away at creating a feedback culture - using quarterly peer and 360 reviews and other feedback rituals in the day-to-day work. I personally trained and all new managers in coaching and mentoring skills. A management group dedicated to coaching, mentoring and training (in that order) their direct reports would help our people, and therefore our organization, realize its full potential.

Visualized Startup Content Strategy

Strategy is best kept simple and must be made clear. In a complex, matrixed organization with multiple stakeholders both inside and outside of Marketing (i.e. COO, Finance, Customer Experience), the need for simplicity was paramount. I sold a simple, effective content strategy using three pages of visuals. One page sold a “pillar” strategy, including multiple content types. Another presented the distribution channels to reach our customers and key audiences. The third explained the advertising model to maximize reach and prioritize customer acquisition.

How Ry Reads - A Presentation

“How Ry Reads” was a 90-minute presentation and slide deck I presented in 2022. It explains how I use reading to learn. It catalogs my personal journey is choosing what to read, rules for how to how to read, how to take notes, and how to use those notes for better work outcomes. Email me if you’d like a copy.

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Want to chat? Email me at ry@rymcdonald.me

Ry McDonald

Who I am

My background

🔆A few highlights

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A few highlights