Team Culture
David Leech, Associate Director of Tech Recruiting, Wayfair
“Tom was Director of the Enterprise Design org and helped grow it from a team of about 5 people to over 50 in about a year. He is a great leader and builder of large-scale organizations and helped create a vision for Wayfair's Enterprise UX Org.”
Building an Outstanding Team Culture
Psychological Safety
I’m a communication junkie and thrive on knowing how each member of my team is doing - really doing. It is not enough to be a good listener, you must also provide a safe place for people to voice their concerns and challenges.
Strong leadership sits on the shoulders of good intel. If you hire the right people, and create a psychologically safe environment, the intel you receive will be accurate, timely, and allow you to make the decisions necessary to move forward successfully.
Support & Empowerment
Simply put, once you hire the right people, empower them to do the job.
No one should ever feel like they are standing alone. Good leaders stand up for their team in public and coach the team in private.
I anticipate every member of my team, from the newest to the most experienced, to demonstrate leadership within their area of responsibility. I also want them to be confident that I will be in their corner when they put their expertise and conviction on the line.
Transparency
Transparency equates to trust. If you're unwilling to demonstrate transparency, or even show vulnerability within your team, you risk creating an environment of wariness and uncertainty.
Product designers on all levels are brilliant critical thinkers who can smell a “spun” message a mile away.
Lack of transparency will only insult the intelligence of those on your team and corrode their trust in leadership - your leadership and everyone above you. Rebuilding trust is an uphill battle that may never be won again.