Having the Dedication to Lead an API Effort Forward Within a Large Enterprise Organization

I work with a lot of folks who work in large enterprise organizations, institutions, and government agencies who are moving the API conversation forward within their groups. I’m all too familiar with what it takes to move forward the API conversation within large, well-established enterprise organizations. However, I am the first to admit that while I have a deep understanding of what it involves, I do not have the fortitude to actually lead an effort for the sustained amount of time it takes to actually make change. I just do not have the patience and the personality for it, and I’m eternally grateful for those that do.

There are regular streams of emails in my inbox from people embedded within enterprise organizations looking for guidance, counseling, and assistance in moving forward the API conversation at their organizations. I am happy to provide assistance in an advisory capacity and consult with groups to help them develop their strategies. A significant portion of my income comes from conducting 1-3 day workshops within the enterprise and helping teams work through what they need to. There is one thing I cannot contribute to any of these teams, which is the dedication and perseverance it will need to actually make it happen.

It takes a huge amount of organization knowledge to move things forward at a large organization. You have to know who the decision makers are and who the gatekeepers are for all of the important resources — this is knowledge you have to acquire by being embedded and working within an organization for a very long time. You just can’t walk in the door and be able to make sense of things within days or even weeks. You have to be able to work around schedules and personalities — getting to know people and truly begin to understand their motivations and willingness to contribute or whether they’ll actually decide to work against you. The culture of any enterprise organization will be the most important area of concern for you as you craft and evolve your API strategy.

I often wish I had the fortitude to work in a sustained capacity within a large organization. I’ve tried. It just doesn’t fit my view of the world. However, I am super thankful for those of you who are. I’m super happy to help you in your journey. I’m happy to help you think through what you are experiencing as part of my storytelling — just email me your questions, thoughts, and concerns. I’m happy to anonymize as I work through my responses on my blog, about 60% of the stories you read here are the anonymized result of emails I receive from y’all. I’m happy to vent for you and use you as my muse. I’m also happy to help out in a more dedicated capacity and provide my consulting assistance to your organization — it is what I do and how I pay the bills. Let me know how I can help.