So, I am a designer. Sort of… If I really had to explain what I do, I’d say I help people make things. My interests and specialties mostly lay in parts of design which are traditionally not considered to be a part of Design.
I’ve always considered “making it work whatever happens” the primary responsibility of any designer. This is why my focus was never limited to creative production, and I always sought out ways outside of what is traditionally considered design to increase the chance of success for the projects I’ve been a part of.
At one point in my career I’ve turned a corner and realized that I should shift focus from improving my own design skills, towards enabling others to work better with each other.
I have always been obsessed with cultivating creative cultures, and creating workplaces which attract amazing people.
These days I am doing business development at Superawesome—a digital product design agency I originally founded back in 2007—but it's the first 10 years of my tenure there which has enabled me to work hands-on with a huge number of people both as an individual contributor, as well as a leader.
I am using this experience to continue to help people and organizations to understand design as an asset, and to be able to work with design professionals smoothly.
In terms of design leadership style, I consider myself to be a supporting agent to the organization I am helping. I can help managers and individual contributors make decisions, work through problems, or avoid them altogether, but I do not decide for them.