My approach
Over the course of my career of working with people, organizing projects and bringing creative ideas to life, these are the consistent threads in my approach and lessons I learned along the way.
Here’s how I approach working in Design Operations.
Empathy is the
magic ingredient
Planning skills are essential for project managers—that's a given. But that's just one side of the coin. When paired with empathy, it’s creates more impact, more meaning, and less stress.
Because, as much as I am managing logistics, I am foremost collaborating with people. (I even wrote an article about it!)
Structure is essential for creativity to flourish
A blank page or plan is intimidating. Add some structure or boundaries and suddenly creative minds begin to think about possible solutions.
As both a project manager and a creative, I've seen how important it is to have enough structure to start experimenting and playing—even if we pivot along the way.
Plus, it helps people stay in creative mode without constantly switching to worry about schedules.
Be intentional
Nothing's worse than random stuff thrown together with no meaning just because someone thinks it looks cool. Good design, good plans, good everything is about being intentional.
As a leader and project manager, this means making deliberate decisions and creating thoughtful communication that aligns with the team's values and goals.
Credit: Matt Cutler
Clarity is kindness
I'm inherently conflict averse. As a kid, I tried to declare world peace when playing Risk. While being a peacekeeper can be helpful, it can create a bad habit of sweeping things under the carpet. Spoiler alert: this never ends well as a project manager. Issues come back to haunt you and ultimately erode trust.
Saying the hard stuff directly and with empathy (see Tenet #1) is a form of kindness. You know you're on the same team and can trust someone who tells you when there's spinach in your teeth, gives important feedback, or alerts you when things are going sideways.
Credit: Risto Lähdesmäki
Custom communication connects
Not everyone has the same communication style. While I have my preferences, it's crucial to learn how to speak the language of your team. For example: one stakeholder worked better with frequent and brief check-in calls. Another preferred daily recap emails. Both approaches were correct because they were tailored to their individual styles.
Communication flexibility helps me connect with others, create meaningful interactions, and ultimately foster a more rewarding working environment.
As Charles Duhigg writes in "Super Communicators": "Effective communication requires recognizing what kind of conversation is occurring, and then matching each other."
