I have been fortunate to have some great leaders along my path. They seemed to have genuinely cared about me and instilled in me a strong trust and loyalty to them. These leaders had empathy, they were good listeners and knew how to inspire a team with a clear vision. “Success is a team sport. … Read more
A mission statement is a written declaration of an organization’s core purpose. Properly crafted mission statements: serve as filters to separate what is important from what is not clearly state which markets will be served and how communicate a sense of intended direction to the entire organization A mission is different from a vision – … Read more
The Four Stages of Learning suggests that individuals are initially unaware of how little they know, or unconscious of their incompetence – we don’t know what we don’t know. As we recognize our incompetence, we consciously acquire knowledge (we know what we don’t know). When we are consciously using knowledge then we know what we … Read more
I have grown several UX departments from little or nothing to global highly efficient and effective teams. In every case, it was the same – we had to prove ourselves to the decision makers that we were worth investing in. We needed to get a “seat at the table” with the executives team that determined … Read more
As I have discuss the virtue of optimism, Rebecca Temsen, a blogger at Self Development Secrets, reached out to me and shared this post on happiness. Happiness is key to a creative and healthy life. Studies have shown that a more positive outlook results in better general health and fewer illnesses and that optimism cuts the … Read more
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill In today’s dynamic markets, teams must be curious, optimistic and thoughtful. Curious to explore new trends and new ideas. Optimistic to keep motivated and motivate others. And thoughtful to have empathy for the people that you … Read more
Over the years, this is the most consistent question I get asked is “How do you hire the right User Experience talent?” Here are my guidelines: Understand Your Vision and Strategy What is your organization’s vision and strategy and how does the experience you deliver to your customers support it? Your vision is probably to … Read more
In a recent New York Times article, What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team: New research reveals surprising truths about why some work groups thrive and others falter, Charles Duhigg shares that five years ago, Google — one of the most public proselytizers of how studying workers can transform productivity — … Read more
The first line of the Agile Manifesto is “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.” My interpretation – and my experience – of this, is that no matter how great your process and tools, it is people and their interactions that is the success of any organization. In his book, What the CEO Wants You … Read more
Jackson Hille is a Content Associate for FormSwift, a SaaS startup that focuses on providing customizable personal and legal templates to small businesses and nonprofits. He is a recent graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, having been awarded the 2013-14 Departmental Citation in American Studies. He came up with the idea for The Essential … Read more
“And one more thing…” is a phrase Steve Jobs famously used in making announcements of products towards the end of his presentations. Steve Jobs also said “We’re gambling on our vision, and we would rather do that than make ‘me too’ products. Let some other companies do that. For us, it’s always the next dream.” … Read more
From Leo Babauta Zen Habits blog post, A Guide to Practical Compassion, shares that: “To practice compassionate actions, you start with yourself. A lot of people see suffering in the world and feel bad about it, but they don’t know how to take action. The best way to take action is to take action with … Read more