I was dealing with a difficult leader. Erratic, dismissive, controlling, and careless with the well-being of others. This person had considerable power over me and others, and it felt unsafe for any of us to push back. And this is when I received multiple batches of advice from a
Lately, as I've been giving or forming new industry talks, continuing to coach folks, and interviewing at various orgs, I’ve been chatting with UX and Product Designers across the board: individual contributors, leads, heads of design. The whole gamut! There’s a pattern emerging. Common struggles I
A few years ago, I started building several small habits. I want to make things, you see, like fiction and games, but I don't have a lot of spare time. I'd heard that advice, "Just get started," so many times, but knew my real
It's 9:40 AM on Tuesday, the 20th of January, as I write this. I have a job interview in 20 minutes. Last night, I had the mother of all migraines keep me awake. I was sweating, had intense neck and temple pain, sensitive to light and the
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You join a big team meeting. It’s meant to be an inclusive place for the entire team to shine and their accomplishments to be brought into the open. And then someone starts cutting people off. You try to speak, and they take over, changing the narrative. What do you
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Recently, Elon Musk was approved for a $1 trillion compensation package at Tesla. I’d say “Let that sink in,” but I don’t think a number like 1 trillion can sink in. It’s not a dollar amount any of us can even imagine. It’s a number that
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Most teams frame ethics as a box to check or a feature to add. But ethics isn’t a feature... It’s embedded in how we approach every choice. Many times, I have been redesigning a user flow, and a teammate has asked: “Why does this matter?” It sounds simple,
My reading goal this year was 24 books. I read almost double that, which sounds impressive (even to me), until I remind myself that I was alternating between reading some very short Young Adult (YA) novels and other things. This is a practice I highly recommend if you're
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The best leaders I know aren’t the ones with all the answers. They’re the ones who know how to ask! I’ve spent the last several years coaching and maturing teams, and I’ve noticed something: leaders often communicate the same way regardless of who’s listening, their
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Preamble I have worked with several agencies, consulted independently for 20 years, and held full-time roles at numerous organizations, big and small, creating and executing business and product strategies that have led to success and meaningful growth. What makes a good strategy? A good strategy clearly defines what would
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First off, welcome to the new newsletter! I've migrated from Substack, for reasons you can read there. Today, an allegory... Pygmalion had an unusual name. It was one of the many things he felt judged for, and had begun to think people may be right about. As he
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We’ve all taken personality tests in some form or another. During my career, I’ve taken DiSC and Myers-Briggs more times than I can count, often multiple times within the same organization. Something I have prided myself on is that every time I take one of these tests,