👋 I'm Ry, and I help companies grow through Operations, People & Growth.
I help companies make their operations more reliable and less dramatic. I’ve led as President twice and served as an Integrator three times, guiding service businesses through growth, change, and complexity. Along the way, I’ve helped companies earn spots on the Inc. Fastest Growing Companies list and be recognized as a Great Place to Work.
My specialty is stabilizing organizations during turbulence—digital transformation, rapid growth, M&A, or cultural renewal. I align strategy with structure, roles, and systems so companies can perform predictably. In short: more reliability and momentum, fewer fire drills and heroes.
Outside of work, I’m fascinated by human psychology and high performance, and I lose myself in documentaries and nonfiction. I love basketball, discovering new music, and experimenting with aperitiki cocktails.
Read my latest writing:
Ry McDonald - Medium
Borrow from the best operators:
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Running OrganizationsSee my operating principles, grab some book recommendations, and learn about my working style:
Personal Operating PrinciplesBooks That Have Shaped My WorkUser Manual
A self-published book on content marketing & creativity. The culmination of three years of studying content marketing and working with dozens of companies and on topics, ideas, and leveraging content as a competitive advantage.
Obility’s agency philosophy for personnel development. Developing team members is often an afterthought, something 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
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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 was extremely proud of.