Leadership
I've been fortunate to work for several exceptional leaders throughout my career. Each shaped the way I think about engineering, teamwork, and mentorship in different ways. My goal is to pay it forward and build an environment where engineers can do their best work, continue learning, and genuinely enjoy coming to work each day.
My leadership style is rooted in humility, empathy, and trust. I demonstrate it by helping others grow, removing obstacles, and celebrating great work.
The managers who had the greatest impact on my career all had one thing in common: they made me believe I could accomplish more than I thought possible. That's the kind of leader I strive to be.
Here is my tribute to them:
Andrew Crocker
AC modeled calm, thoughtful engineering leadership. He helped me see management as a way to support people, build trust, and create the conditions for great work. His ability to estimate work and deliver on time is inspiring.
Joe Roberts
Joe helped deepen my understanding of architecture and advanced engineering concepts. Our collaboration at Enel X showed me what is possible when frontend and backend engineers design systems together.
Bryan Dunn
Bryan showed me that high-performing teams do not need to be tense or joyless. His team worked hard, laughed often, and made me look forward to coming to work. He always put others before himself and is a pleasure to work for.
Marc Cajolet
Marc taught me to start with the “why,” refine the small interactions, and observe real users before assuming a design works. His encouragement shaped both my UX practice and the kind of manager I try to be.
Don Drury
When my position was impacted by a reorganization Don moved me into a role I felt unqualified for, but he saw something in me that I did not see, and was confident that I would succeed. He was right, I thrived, and grew so much from it.
Mike Vannoy
Mike trusted me with a business problem before I had the formal credentials to solve it. That opportunity led to my first enterprise web application and changed the direction of my career. I am forever grateful to him.
Moments That Shaped My Leadership
A talented engineer on my team always looked to others for direction before making design decisions. During one project, instead of providing mockups or prescribing every detail, I encouraged her to take ownership of the user experience and trust her instincts. I made it clear that I wasn't looking for a perfect answer — I wanted to see her ideas.
When she presented her design, I was genuinely impressed. She had solved problems thoughtfully, made smart UX decisions, and delivered something better than I expected. More importantly, I could see a shift in her confidence. From that point on, she approached future challenges with a new level of independence and self-assurance.
That experience reinforced something I still believe today: people often don't need someone to give them all the answers — they need someone to believe they're capable of finding them.
What I Learned:
Great leaders don't create followers. They create the confidence for others to lead.
One of the hardest lessons I learned as a manager was that avoiding difficult conversations doesn't help anyone.
An engineer on my team had become increasingly disengaged. It would have been easy to focus on missed expectations or growing frustration, but I believed there was a deeper issue. During our conversation, I asked what was really going on. It became clear that he wasn't happy in his role and no longer found the work fulfilling.
Instead of treating the conversation as a performance discussion, we talked about what he actually wanted from his career. I encouraged him to find a position where he could be excited about the work again, even if that meant leaving our team. A short time later, he accepted a role elsewhere that was a much better fit.
That experience changed how I think about leadership. Sometimes the kindest thing a leader can do is be honest. Difficult conversations aren't about criticism or confrontation — they're about helping people move forward, even when the best path isn't the one you expected.
What I Learned:
Leadership isn't about avoiding difficult conversations—it's about having them with honesty and compassion.
A large prospective customer requested an important product demonstration on extremely short notice. Delivering what they needed would require weeks of work compressed into just a few days.
When I shared the challenge with the team, I didn't have to convince anyone to help. Everyone immediately looked for ways they could contribute. Engineers volunteered to own features, designers refined the experience, and teammates stepped in wherever they were needed. People stayed late, collaborated closely, and solved problems together — not because anyone asked them to, but because they wanted us to succeed.
By the time the demonstration arrived, we had delivered far more than I thought was possible in such a short timeframe. The customer saw a polished experience, but what I remember most is what happened behind the scenes: a team of talented people united around a common goal and accomplished something extraordinary together.
That experience reminded me that great teams aren't built during a crisis — they reveal themselves during one. The trust, respect, and collaboration we had developed long before that project were what made that moment possible.
What I Learned:
The best leaders don't inspire people to work harder. They build teams that want to accomplish great things together.