Tom Paul
Chief Operating Officer
As Pop Art's COO, Tom runs a tight ship. He pays close attention to the team that makes the ship go, as well as the processes and technology that aid them. Prior to joining Pop Art in 2000, Tom served in the US Army (Psychological Operations / Chinese Mandarin) and later worked in account services for the translation division at LanguageLink, where he managed client delivery for a variety of public- and private-sector clients such as the Health Care Authority of WA, Department of Social and Health Services of WA, and Intel. Tom graduated from Portland State University with a BA in Arts and Letters. He is also a graduate of the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey and Ft. Bragg’s Special Warfare School.
Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero.
Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future. — Horace
Education
BA in Arts and Letters from Portland State University
Community Involvement
- Association of Professional Design Firms (Co-President)
- Tech America: Oregon Council (Emerging Business Committee; Former Chair)
Other Interests
- Travel
- Playing Golf and Tennis
- Following the NBA, the NFL, WEC and UFC
- Movies
- The books of Iain M. Banks
- Death Metal
Favorite Movie
Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Recommended Books
Networks
Posts by Tom Paul
Are you training or just working out?
Having a goal creates focus, in athletic training just as in life and work. The desire to achieve a goal is a powerful motivator. To achieve it you will have to create a plan and break through your past achievements to reach a new level of performance. The people in the gym who are training are easy to spot. They are working hard, taking detailed training notes so they can compare what they did today with what they did last week. They are clearly dedicated to achieving something they have in mind through a full effort in the here and now.
Learn from the Theory of Constraints to Increase Throughput
The Theory of Constraints tells us that there are not tens or hundreds of constraints that limit throughput in any system (be it a factory or a marketing firm), but there is always at least one, and usually only a few. Only by increasing flow through the constraint(s) can overall throughput be increased.
Practice Constructive Conflict = Have a Better Life
Throughout life each of us develops a personal repertoire of responses to conflict. These responses don’t get much of our attention because we develop them over a lifetime and ultimately we take them for granted, much like our emotional responses. But just as we feel various emotions on a daily basis, we also encounter conflicts in all areas of our lives each and every day.
Be Creative and Collaborative with “Yes, and…”
Accepting an offer is usually accompanied by adding a new offer, often building on the earlier one. This is a process improvisers refer to as "Yes, And..." and is considered the cornerstone of improvisational technique. Every new piece of information added helps the improvisers to refine their characters and progress the action of the scene
APDF Exchange 2010 Exceeds All Expectations
Just got back from APDF’s 2010 Exchange in New York City. What an event! Exchange offers design firm leaders a unique opportunity to “Share. Learn. Connect.” Now that I can reflect back on the event, all I can say is that three out of three ain’t bad. We stayed at the Hudson right off Columbus Circle, next to Central Park. I [...]
Help yourself by managing up
If you have ever felt at odds with your manager or like you just are not reading from the same page, you might consider developing the skill of “managing up.”
What can we learn from Marine Officers? Here’s one thing.
Know yourself, know your people, know your job. Although I wasn’t in the Marines (Army), I’m familiar with this maxim they teach their officers. But it isn’t just applicable to Marine Core officers. It can make any individual more effective within any people-driven organization. 1. Know Yourself Self-awareness is as valuable as it is rare (in abundance, at least). [...]
Authentic Leadership
I recently helped put on a talk for the AeA Emerging Business Committee. It was entitled Authentic Leadership and it was presented by the leadership consultant Gordon Whitehead. His practice is Captus5 and he writes extensively on the subject of leadership. Good leadership is what drives organizations. Leadership is first and foremost about people. More specifically, it’s about influencing people to [...]
On Thought Leadership
The term “thought leadership” is de rigeur, so fashionable that one can find it with increasing frequency in mission statements, taglines and core value summaries. Yet, can it be said that this term is being used honestly? The term “thought leader” was first coined in 1994 by Joel Kurtzman, editor-in-chief of the magazine, Strategy & Business. Initially, [...]
