What are the key milestones on your path to leadership?
Since being a junior in high school I knew what I wanted to do: Be an art historian and bring art to communities that didn’t have exposure. After studying art history in college, I moved to NYC where I interviewed at multiple galleries and to work with artists, but I couldn’t live off the salary. So I found myself working at a technology company, as their only customer service representative. While there I learned a ton about hardware and software development and how to think about customer needs and how to be a people manager. Working at the start-up taught me about the importance of a customer-first perspective.
After leaving the tech startup I found myself working at one of the top design agencies of the dot com days. At Razorfish, I built on my knowledge of hardware and software development and grew my knowledge of online experience design. I moved up through the organization working in project management and program management, focusing on how we scoped work, built relationships with clients, and figuring out what kinds of talent and resources we need to deliver innovative work. Back in the day, the work we were doing was cutting edge and at the forefront from what our new digital normal could be. Working during the dotcom boom taught me that the only constant is change, so be ready to adapt.
After the dotcom bubble burst, I found myself in marketing and advertising. I learned a lot during this five-year stretch and also realized that I truly missed working in the design innovation space. That’s how I found myself at frog design, leading program management and general operations for the NY studio. It was amazing to work on big challenges and help organizations truly transform. Here I learned about the importance of service and ecosystem design, how experience is connected to all touchpoints and doesn’t necessarily start and end with digital. My big takeaway from this time is to always think about people and their collective experience; a human-centred, connected experience mindset is key.
After a nice tenure at frog design, I went to Fjord - the design and innovation arm of Accenture Interactive. I spent close to seven years there expanding my skills and taking on lots of different roles. I led North American operations. I led the internal learning organization, bringing design thinking, design doing and design culture to Accenture and our clients. I was the chief of staff to the CEO and lead global strategic operations. In my last role there, I led the Fjord New York studio. About a year and a half ago, I came to Capital One where I'm the VP of Design for Commercial and Small Business. I think it’s been during these last several years that I have grown the most. My takeaway up to now is that everything is connected. You can’t run an effective business without people, you won’t have great outcomes if your people don’t believe in your mission and that they have a purpose and belong. And that what makes each of us important to the work we do is our collective life experience and our unique point of view. It's been a really interesting and remarkable journey for far!
What are the key challenges you have faced as a leader?
Before getting to where I am now, I really struggled to fit into the world of consulting. I’ve always known what I need in an environment or culture to be able to be myself. Overall, I’ve had success in finding places that aligned with that. But there have been challenging moments where I didn’t feel accepted because of who I was; moments my gender, title, or appearance mattered more than what I had to say. Those were challenging times for me.
At this point, in my journey and where I am in my career, I feel blessed to have been able to work through feelings of inadequacy or trying to fit in and really own who I am. I am more comfortable and confident in sharing my point of view, listening with empathy and compassion and being curious about the people I work with. It’s critical for me to stay true to myself, to bring my authentic self to everything I do.. I’ve kept persevering and employing a growth mindset to stay authentic and curious and focused on what matters…
But it is definitely not easy for women in the world.. Some of the times that I've been most successful is when I've had really strong allies both - women and men - who can advocate for me and back me up in the room. Also, having strong mentors who can give you guidance as well as some tough love when you need it. Without that support and sponsorship, it would have been so much more challenging for me to have succeeded.
Describe your leadership style / what are your core values as a leader?
I am a servant leader. What that means to me is that my success is my team’s success, their success is more important than my own. At this point in my career, I'm not chasing a big title or a pile of money. The most important thing for me right now is solving interesting problems while empowering teams to reach their goals and full potential. When someone else is succeeding, it makes me feel great.
I would also say that I try to be authentic, vulnerable, and transparent in the way I lead. I understand the balance of when to listen and when to be direct and set expectations. I do everything that I can to lead by example and establish a clear vision for the team. After taking the Gallup Strengths Finder, I learned that my number one strength is empathy. It’s what helps me be a good “dot connector” and create bridges to bring people together. My empathetic perspective informs everything that I do, from understanding who my partners are, what drives them, to what my users' unmet needs are. It helps me ask the right questions – what do teams need in order to feel successful? What does the business need in order to be successful? I work on bridging those things together by having a complete understanding of the ecosystem that I'm in and being passionately committed to continuous learning.
What advice do you have for women who are trying to establish themselves as leaders?
Always know who you are. Be your authentic self. There is a place for everyone where they can express themselves and show their creativity. Don't try to conform to something that doesn't feel right just because you think you need that title or money. In the end, that doesn't actually feed your soul the way being your full, authentic self does. Find those mentors. Look for those people who can support you and push you.
The next piece of advice is to find your allies. Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you are going into a meeting and know you have to present and you feel nervous, don't be afraid to ask someone in that meeting to have your back. As a leader, I’m always thinking about the importance of supporting others, especially women and particularly women who are just coming into their careers and are going to be faced with so many challenges. Building a support system, a group of allies and advocates is vitally important.
Lastly, be humble, we all have to admit that there are just some things we don’t know. Being a leader doesn’t mean you are the expert in the room, but it does mean you are committed to bringing those experts into the room so that you can learn from them.
What’s your advice for leaders in times of uncertainty?
In these unprecedented times, it’s important as leaders to focus on the people, our teams, employees, customers, neighbors, friends and family. Reach out and make a meaningful connection, let your teams and partners know how you’re feeling. It’s pretty likely they are feeling the stress too. Be a support for your teams, let them know you’re there to listen and that we’re all in this together. The best thing we can do is, keep lines of communication open and share often, even if you don’t have a clear answer.
Could you talk to us about the shift from being an individual contributor to being a leader, was there a particular moment you can recall feeling that shift happen?
I still have those moments. The challenge for me was letting go of the responsibility and delegating work to other people. It wasn't because I didn't trust that they could do it as well as me. It was more that I didn’t want to burden anyone. I was always concerned about what they might already have on their plates. I had to remind myself that these people are my team, they are here to help and support me, as much as I am here to help and support them. I don't have to write every single page of the deck. I don't have to present every single slide. I don't have to do every single spreadsheet. Accepting that I have help was a very big transition for me. Accepting that I don’t have to do it all and that I need to ask for help. Accepting that setting a clear expectation, a meaningful vision, or strategy while enabling my teams to take it forward, is one of my main roles - not doing all the things.
