Sean Curtis graduated from Villanova University in 1998 and has since worked in leadership roles at several technology companies focusing on digital media and streaming. He discusses the importance of never stopping learning, inventing and simplifying processes, raising the bar, serving customers, delivering through ambiguity, earning trust, thinking like an owner, and finding work-life balance. Curtis shares lessons learned from leading teams and encourages the audience to find fulfilling careers and maintain professional networks.

1. Leadership in Practice
Sean Curtis, BCPE ’98
October 4, 2018

2. Intro / Fun Facts
• Graduated 1998. Met my wife, Kristine, at the Courts over a
mimosa. We have 4 kids (Ryan, Ava, Brandon, Niall) and live
in Rockville Centre, NY
• Was age 21 when I was a Freshman(!)
• Lived in St. Mary’s, Delurey Hall, and the Courts
• Worked at Kelly’s (1997-1998)
• Learned Java starting in 1996 (Algorithms & Data Structures)
• Senior Design Project was a Self-Setting Clock (we won!)

3. My Journey since VU
1998
Sapient
2000
Kargo
2001
Major
League
Baseball
2007
Sling
2009
Echostar
Sling.TV
2014
Major
League
Baseball
2016
BAMTech
2018
Disney
2012
Amazon
digital media subscriptions
mobile(!!)
placeshifting/
timeshifting
digital advertising
with AI/ML
digital distribution
“cord cutting”
Innovation >>

4. Mission Statement
To have an open dialogue about leadership, why it
is so important in today’s workforce, and discuss some
of the traits that I’ve seen in some of the best leaders I’ve
worked with during my career.
Be EXCITED about your future!!

5. Leadership in Practice

6. Never Stop Learning
Approach your job with craftsmanship
Never stop growing and learning about new
tools and techniques
Never become stale

7. Invent and Simplify
Refactor
Consolidate
Leverage New Methodologies
Connect Disparate Concepts to Drive Innovation

8. Always Raise The Bar
Leaders recognize and prioritize opportunities
to improve the overall ecosystem
Demand Excellence
Be an Agent for Change

9. Relentlessly Serve Your Customer
“Customer” means anyone consuming what you produce
Could mean external customer, or perhaps a software
engineer on a different team (UX <-> API)
Find reliable ways to measure sentiment, use those data
to prioritize, rinse, repeat

10. Deliver Through Ambiguity
Leaders break large, “blocking” items down into
smaller, solvable problems in order to make progress
Tenacity as a predictor of success
Stay Unblocked!

11. Leaders are Right, A Lot
Demonstrate Excellent Judgement
Develop Good Instincts through Experience
Sometimes its what you DONT Choose to Say
see: Earns Trust of Others

12. Expect To Lead
Organizations need leaders that anticipate and seize
the opportunity to deliver when faced with adversity
High degree of engagement during challenging times

13. Earns & Keeps Trust of Others
Vocally Self Critical
Uses metrics and research to make decisions
(vs emotion / political capital)
Be transparent and clear without bias or self interest
Avoid “weasel” terms (“customers like feature x…”)

14. Win as a Team
Big scale problems are almost always a function of
team collaboration
No one person makes it all work
If Customer UX fails, we all fail
(also see: Lose as a Team)

15. Think like an Owner
Never say: “That’s not my job”
Holistic Ownership: Store Clerk vs Store Owner

16. Parting Thoughts
• This is Day One!
• We NEED more diversity in engineering!!
• Try to find a job you love.
• The Engineering community a (very) small world. Never burn
unnecessary bridges.
• In my career, I’ve never sought out a specific title. My opinion:
Titles find Leaders
• Try to find a work/life balance. Admittedly skewed in your post-
university years

17. My “the Shot” Story

18. References
• Amazon Leadership Principles - http://
whartonmagazine.com/blogs/learn-from-
amazons-leadership-principles/