Marcus Blankenship

Initiator
DISC Type : Di

Director of Engineering at Heroku

Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States

Overview

Marcus is the Director of Engineering at Heroku, leveraging extensive experience in platforms like AWS and languages such as Python and Golang. An Oregon Institute of Technology alumnus and OReilly author, he is known for being a knowledgeable, organized, and strategic thinker who excels at building high-performing software teams.

He is passionate about the human side of technology, focusing on leadership, team dynamics, and performance psychology. Marcus uses storytelling, often sharing his own failures, to teach and build rapport. He is a strong advocate for empathy and believes writing is one of the most critical skills in his career.

Unique fact: His personal mission is to change the world by giving every developer and technical manager a great place to work.

Personality Overview

Risk-Accepting

Confident

Conviction Driven

They respond well to objective pitches but also attach some value to relationships.  They don’t mind taking a stand if they believe in something. They measure a product on its merit but can be influenced by strong testimonials.

Topics They Care About

Engineering Leadership
He has over 15 years of experience coaching technical managers, runs his own consultancy, and has authored works for O'Reilly on the subject.
Team Dynamics
Focuses on building high-trust, productive teams using Relational Leadership and Human Dynamics approaches to unlock personal potential.
AI/ML Engineering
He has direct experience leading this function, having served as the Director of AI/ML Engineering at Heroku.

Media Appearances

Marcus has no verified media appearances

Work History

3-2025
Director of Engineering at Heroku
10-2023 - 3-2025
Director of AI/ML Engineering at Heroku
3-2023 - 10-2023
Director of Runtime/Compute (Interim) at Heroku
8-2016 - 1-2020
Author & Trainer at O'Reilly Media
12-2014 - 1-2020
Consultant, Author, Trainer at MarcusBlankenship.com

Education

9-2022 - 7-2025
Master of Science - MS from Oregon Institute of Technology
9-2020 - 12-2022
Bachelor's of Science from Oregon Institute of Technology

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 8 Location : Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director of Engineering at Heroku
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Insights For Selling To Marcus

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Refer to testimonials from well known people to highlight the value of your product
  • Clearly address the competitive aspects
  • Focus on the big picture and the strategic value of your product

DONT's

  • Don't be unorganized, be prepared for the pitch
  • Don’t be very informal even if they are being so themselves
  • Don’t keep repeating the same information, it could make them impatient

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Marcus is

  • Belief in the value of the product, relationship and a sense of accomplishment matter the most.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Marcus

  • They are not shy of saying no if they do not develop trust in your product.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Marcus move?

  • If they develop confidence in your product and you, then they can make fast decisions.
  • Can Marcus take some risk or not?

  • If necessary, they have the ability to take risky decisions.

You And Marcus

Personality Compatibility


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