Everett Harper - Move to the Edge, Declare it Center

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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data is Available:

ISBN 9781119849889 (Hardcover)

ISBN 9781119849902 (ePDF)

ISBN 9781119849896 (ePub)

COVER DESIGN: PAUL MCCARTHY

To Jacqueline Harper – I'm here because you keep stepping into the unknown with curiosity, enthusiasm and purpose. You embody the spirit of Move to the Edge, Declare It Center, and I'm grateful to have you as a model .

To Steve Broback and Jason Preston, you invited me on stage to present the earliest glimmer of this work in 2017 at the Dent the Future Conference, and I appreciate your generosity and curiosity. Cris Beasely for making the connection. Shout‐out to Dave Whorton, Maria Hilton, and the Tugboat Conference for helping me get pragmatic in 2021.

To the many people who read early drafts of this book and provided great feedback: Ben Hecht, Roberta Katz, Morgan Webb, Daria Walls Torres, Ken Lynch, Erin Worsham, Shannon Arvizu, Molly Tapias, Cheryl Contee, Jenifer Fuqua, Kurt Foeller, Sarah Israel, Ed Batista, Matt Hammer, Melinda Byerly, Kristin Smith, Neil Cohen, and especially Muema Loembe.

To the connectors – my imaginal cells sharing their insights, contacts, and enthusiasm: Adam Grant, Mitaly Chakraborty, Margaret Greenberg, Jareau Wade, Leslie Mallman, Lili Root, Monica Guzman, Nicole Jarbo, Judy Wade, Tim Brown, Cris Beasely, Carlee Gomes, Laura Delizonna, Prof. Damon Phillips, Ellen Leanse, Deb Cohan, Leigh Morgan, Damon Brown, and Ellen McGirt. Flowers for the irrepressible Shaherose Charania – without you, none of this would be possible. Special shout‐out to Monica Byrne – you've been inspiring me for 30 years, from side‐eye to the Anti‐Resume.

To the leaders who agreed to share their experiences for this book: Jana, Danielle, Nate Mook, Jen Pahlka, Abdul Smith. You brought this book to life.

To the readers of late drafts, so much appreciation for your sharp eyes, and occasionally sharp tongues, in order to make this book better: Caroline Lambert, Andre Natta, Stewart Ugelow, Tiffani Ashley Bell, Kelly Werner, and especially Jen Tress for your consistent insight on writing. Special shout‐out to Anthony Grant, for your insightful imagery that gives readers memorable visual guideposts to follow.

To the Trussels – past and present employees of Truss – whose insight, creativity, and desire to make a positive impact in the world propels so many of the methods and processes in this book. I hope I've represented you well.

To my fellow Dukie, Laura Yorke, for your enthusiasm and laser‐sharp viewpoints. You don't suffer fools, and I feel fortunate to make the cut.

To Christina Harbridge, mentor and friend. Am I your favorite yet?

To Mark Ferlatte and Jennifer Leech. How did we do this Truss thing, anyway? Writing this book was an amazing review of all that we've done together, and I'm deeply thankful for your integrity, talent, trust, taste in bourbon, and especially your commitment to values. It's hard to believe those values we wrote together as a tiny startup still hold a company of 130 people together.

To Mei Mei Fox – we met over foie gras cotton candy, bonded over favorite yoga teachers, and have witnessed each other's triumphs and losses. You've been a guide for life, and now for this book. Namaste, girlll.

To Michele Turner, your divine inkwell guided my words when I needed them most.

To Julie Mikuta, for your fierce dedication to justice, and for being an amazing partner in sustaining a vision for a coparenting family. Next book?

To Damiana, I can't wait for you to blow this book out of the water – you are capable of that and more. Amo muito, querida.

To Abby, I couldn't have gotten more fortunate to write a book while being trapped during a pandemic in a house with the best “hype man,” teenage whisperer, English teacher editor, and unequivocal supporter. Your spirit and intelligence echo in these pages.

Everett is the CEO and co‐founder of Truss, a human‐centered software development company, named as an Inc 5000 fastest‐growing private company in 2020 and 2021. He has led a purpose‐driven, impactful, innovative company that's been remote‐first since 2011, salary‐transparent since 2017, and a diverse workforce that far exceeds standards for technology companies.

He is a rare combination: a Black entrepreneur, with biomedical and electrical engineering degrees from Duke, an MBA and M.Ed. from Stanford, Silicon Valley startup pedigree, and management consulting at Bain. He has leveraged those experiences into a long track record for solving complex problems with social impact for millions of people, from helping fix Healthcare.gov, community development finance at Self‐Help, to fighting global poverty as a board member of CARE.

Everett has a history of firsts: first in his family to college and the first to win a soccer NCAA National Championship for Duke University. He was inducted into the North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame in 2019.

Everett's distinctive voice and unique history make him a sought‐after speaker on DEI, technology startups, leadership, remote/hybrid work, and social entrepreneurship. He has been featured at conferences such as Dent, Tugboat, TechStars, and Velocity, and on podcasts like the Commonwealth Club and AfroTech. He has written for Forbes, Thrive Global, and TechCrunch . Move to the Edge, Declare It Center is his first book.

Everett grew up a small‐town kid in New York's Hudson Valley. He currently lives in Oakland, California, making limoncello when life hands him lemons.

I was reading a post by Ellen McGirt, 1 senior editor at Fortune magazine, called, “Why Employers Need to Talk about Shootings of Black People,” 2 after 24 hours of drifting in waves of despair about the murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Her article highlighted the need for employers to go beyond the idea of inclusion to the more resonant emotion of compassion. She argued that when two Black men are killed by police, one at a traffic stop in front of his four‐year‐old daughter, employers must recognize that their employees, like much of the rest of the country, are likely to be deeply affected. I nodded my head with her clear, fierce, call to employers to go beyond their comfort zone.

And then I realized: “ I'm the employer.”

I'm the CEO of Truss, a highly diverse, remote‐first software development company. My cofounders and I worked hard to make our company inclusive, using “radical candor” 3 to address issues that many companies avoid. But news of these murders required more of me. First, as a Black man, I felt unmoored and vulnerable. There is no sign on my car nor a logo on my jacket that reads, “Don't shoot, I'm a CEO.” At the same time, part of my job as a CEO is to set a foundation so our employees can continue to do great work. My silence would be turning away from that responsibility. I needed to write a speech that acknowledged that while I'm a leader … I'm also a target.