The organisation is designed, not something that forms around whoever happens to be there. Sixteen designers hired, forty inherited, three disciplines set up from scratch. What gets built changes with the company and its stage. The leadership style behind it stays the same.
Org design
Founding, scaling and steering through a change of direction each need something different built. Which stage a company is in is usually obvious. Observing the specific team takes time, and developing the org systematically from there is where the bulk of the work goes.
Starship
No practice to inherit
Established the product design practice from nothing for an autonomous-robot delivery service. I led both design and product, with a team of three designers. Built end-to-end design practices with the team: the work aligned behind the product vision, and design reviews kept the quality bar up. The team then grew to include a Marketplace Manager who became its operations counterpart, funnelling operational needs straight into it.
Wolt
A team, but no org around it
Turned a team into an organisation. Twelve people newly split out of a blended brand and product team, no management layer, taken to twenty-eight with sixteen hired. Set up UX Research, UX Writing, and Localisation as disciplines. Drafted all roles, defined levels, promoted managers internally, built the hiring process and the career framework.
Taxfix
A company changing what it was
Led an org of forty, managers included, through the company's shift from a once-a-year tax app to a multi-product subscription platform. Created cross-cutting Staff and Principal roles so senior designers could work on the vision rather than one mission at a time, which is what got leadership behind the direction design was setting. Later brought the org from forty to eighteen as the company moved onto a sustainable growth path, without delivery stopping.
Leadership style
My principles on effective leadership have grown over the years. Working in efficient organisations has drilled into me the importance of staying close to the work that matters, and being able to go from strategy to ground truth and back when that's needed. I'm transparent about these principles towards my team, so they always know what to expect from me.
Autonomy with follow-through
I give a lot of space and expect a lot of ownership back.
Always through the manager
An idea for someone's team goes via their manager, even when the idea is mine.
Specialists twice over
I hire and promote people who are strong at design leadership and at management.
Weekly progress, early escalation
I track progress every week and ask for blockers the moment they appear.
I lead craft myself
On the work that decides the year I skip a level and give design feedback directly, with the manager in the loop.
Close in when work struggles
I go deep into a project that is in trouble, troubleshoot it hands on, then take distance again once it is moving.