Denise Cornell — What I’m Doing Now

(This is a now page. You can make one too.)

Updated September 10, 2025 from Austin, Texas

Behind the scenes at work.

My work in its simplest form…

  • Asking a better set of questions

  • Asking those questions at the right time (both sequentially and emotionally)

  • Asking them of people who are willing to answer

  • Then identifying the systems and infrastructure so that the answers actually take hold

  • At the heart of every engagement, the ultimate question we’re answering is, What business am I really in? or at the personal level, Where in this business should I really be spending my time and how? or at the operational level, What needs to be true for this business to work and how do we prioritize focus?

    • This is the true definition of Value Proposition

    • Building off of the work of Theodore Levitt and Clay Christensen

    • Astoundingly simple and astonishing hard to answer when you’re in the weeds with your heart and pride on the line

Who is more important than why or what. I’m way more interested in who I work with than the specifics of the scope of work. I gravitate towards:

  • curiosity, a willingness to embrace new ideas or new ways of thinking

  • people seeking answers instead of needing to be right (There’s freedom in being wrong.)

  • thoughtfulness, kindness

  • brave, crazy ideas that change the conversation (New and improved is for toothpaste.)

  • the Zero to One phase of company building where the right focus changes everything

Reading.

City of Thieves by David Benioff

Pattern Breakers by Mike Maples Jr.


Storytelling.

Wow, it’s been almost two years since I debuted my latest story, The Red Tractor. I’m so damn proud of this story — the writing of it, having lived it and performing it. It’s starting to feel like this story wants a bigger stage.

Personal.

Celebrating the one year anniversary of a two-day road trip across the desert from Vegas to Austin to bring Jax home to Texas. A dog wasn’t in my plans, but sometimes life delivers exactly what you need, and then waits for you to catch-up with the plan.