Why Humans in Systems?

*First email that was sent to people who want to hear more about this.

So many of you signed up to hear more about Humans in Systems. Some are familiar faces, some I’ve met briefly, and many I’m excited to get to know. Seeing this much interest in what I’m building means a lot. Thank you. I want to share more about Humans in Systems —why I started it and what drives this work. I’d also love to hear from you, so I’m asking a few questions to start a conversation.

The Why

I started Humans in Systems because I care about the people behind technology. While I’m the one who is coaching/mentoring, and consulting, I didn’t want this to be just about me. I wanted a name that reflects what matters most: how we, as people, shape and interact with the systems we build.

And if we work together, I want us to be excited about our shared goal:

Re-centering technology around the people who power it.

We’re not separate from these systems; we’re part of them. How we communicate, collaborate, and make decisions impacts their success just as much as the technical solutions we implement. Incident response is a great example of this. It’s never just about fixing a system, but about how teams work together under pressure, how information flows, and how decisions are made. Trust, communication, and shared understanding are just as critical as technical solutions.

This human focus has always driven my work. Over the past few months, I’ve reflected on what I love most about my career. As an SRE, I’ve always loved empowering others to build systems they’re proud of. As a manager, I found fulfillment in helping my team grow, supporting their promotions, and ultimately leading an SRE team that genuinely cared about the success of others.

That’s what I want to continue, helping individuals and teams not just function within the systems, but do meaningful, fulfilling work.

We are capable of this, and we deserve it.