Sabbatical Reflections: Week 10 - One Chapter, Two Mentors, and a Clearer Vision

This week reinforced something I’ve been sitting with lately: doing fewer things well creates the most leverage.

Creating Actionable Impact

I drafted Chapter 1 of my upcoming Leverage Maps book that turns systems thinking concepts into tools engineering leaders can actually use. I also improved my custom GPT’s system-diagram capabilities because making complexity visual is half the battle in driving adoption.

Career Strategy

I’m continuing my search with focus on aerospace and blockchain, which are industries where technical innovation meets long-term impact. I’m exploring software engineering, technical lead, and engineering manager roles that blend deep technical expertise with organizational leadership.

Mentorship & Reflection

On a trip to Dallas, I caught up with friends. I also sought guidance from two mentors and shared a nice meal with them. Their outside perspective reminded me that focus is what compounds over the long run.

Vision & Content

Interestingly, watching Caleb Hammer’s financial audits on YouTube sparked clarity about my own long-term vision: building Iron Temple Ranch to help young men find direction. His growing impact on the financial lives of thousands of people made me consider YouTube as a platform to reach mid-to-senior engineers and emerging leaders navigating burnout, ambiguity, and organizational dysfunction.

Right now, the narrowing of my job search is helping me be more concrete about next steps, and seeing the book start to come together is exciting.