Leadership Approach

Leadership Approach

Whether I’m planning events to bring together the UX community in Orlando, guiding direct reports toward professional growth, or driving design strategy for cross-functional product teams, my approach is the same. I empower those around me to take ownership, providing clear, actionable feedback, and fostering a culture of curiosity that connects dots and inspires great work.

❤️ Human-Centered

While I believe every individual contributor has their own superpowers, exceptional products come from exceptional teams. I seek to understand each team member individually, getting to know their strengths, growth areas, and career aspirations. This enables me to support them effectively while aligning their goals with business objectives.

🙌 Trust & Autonomy

I hire and coach talented people to solve tough problems, not implement prescribed solutions. My role is to provide clear direction and expected outcomes, then give my team the space to apply their expertise. Helping unblock, inspire, and connect is how I best serve my team members.

🎯 Impact Over Output

Design artifacts and deliverables are only valuable when they drive meaningful change. I focus my team on the “why” behind our work—measuring success through feature adoption, business metrics, and user satisfaction rather than volume of output. Understanding the impact we’re trying to achieve enables us to negotiate more discovery to de-risk an unclear problem or make the case for expanding the scope of an MVP development plan.

🤝 Cross-Functional Collabs

Quality product experiences emerge from strong cross-functional collaboration. I foster relationships with product and engineering leaders, ensuring design has a seat at the strategic table while building bridges between disciplines. My teams regularly share insights from Fullstory or ongoing generative user interviews with our partners. This alignment creates shared understanding and makes every discipline an advocacte for UX quality.

How I Manage Teams

I lead through enablement rather than enforcement, building bridges rather than wielding authority. My teams consistently deliver exceptional design work because they’re empowered, aligned, and focused on what truly matters—creating experiences that delight users while driving business success.

What directs can expect from me:

  • Weekly 1:1s focused on your priorities, challenges, and well-being. How can I support you this week?
  • Monthly career/goal check-ins to ensure your work aligns with your long-term career trajectory
  • Transparent, timely feedback with no surprises at reviews
  • Celebration of and credit to you for wins and milestones
  • Support for your career development, wherever that leads

What I ask in return:

  • Embrace curiosity and continuous learning
  • Explore multiple directions before settling on solutions
  • Seek to understand and have empathy for stakeholders, just as you would for the users we’re building for
  • Provide candid feedback, especially when you disagree
  • Hold yourself accountable for delivering impactful outcomes

Leadership Journal Entries

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