One of the most fulfilling things for me is reconnecting with someone I managed 5, 10 or even 20+ years ago, and hearing all about their life and career since then, and their appreciation for the time we worked together.

I’ve been designing with and leading high-performing creative teams for over 25 years. Getting my start on the Wild Wild West Coast of California, I designed for Oakley, Infinity Surfboards and still run my own solo design studio doing work for a range of clients. For the last almost 14 years I have also led a rowdy bunch of world-class designers at Trek Bikes as their Creative Director.

I believe that the first ingredient to any successful team, creative or otherwise, is the people. You want the absolute perfect “creative genius to epic person ratio” for every designer on your team. Not everyone will have the same strengths and weaknesses, both in talent and personality, but together they will fit together as a complete puzzle.

Using tools that bridge the design and business worlds we assess our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, but we also dive deeper into the individual’s motivations, aspirations and what makes them unique. We want to get the most out of each individual for the benefit of the team, but we also want to give the most we can to each individual to help them grow, remain fulfilled and to give them a vision of their potential and future.

With the help of the strong team I oversee, I have been labeled a Level 5 Leader, I have high scores in 360 peer reviews and my team’s Great Place to Work scores have always been some of the highest in the company. I take great pride that the average tenure on my team is 12.5 years, something unheard of in the design and creative worlds.

If you would like to chat more about how we can get your creative team, or you as an individual, to be operating at the highest level possible, reach out to me, now!