AS A PEOPLE LEADER
↘︎ RESPONSIBILITES
In parallel to being a design lead, I had the privilege of being the people leader for up to 4 other members of the wider LSEG design team at any one time.
Typical responsibilities included
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Quarterly reviews
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Regular 1 to 1s
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End of year bonus and pay reviews
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Recruitment
People leader feedback
↘︎ APPROACH
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Being genuine and honest, but always considerate and respectful
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Listen
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Promote confidence in speaking out
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Nobody can help fix a problem, if they are unaware of it
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Provide a private and safe space for open and honest dialogue
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Promote the benefits of placing people into roles, where they will thrive
Fair to say, i have either been witness to, or played an active part in many team structures being tried and tested.
None more so, than my time transitioning from Thomson Reuters to refinitiv to LSEG.
"I've seen many execs, design leaders and stakeholders come and go. But in their own way, each and everyone has made changes based upon good intention."
↘︎ PROVIDING SUPPORT
Since my childhood, I've always been told, I have a great deal of empathy. It actually took years for me to truly appreciate the benefits.
For me, it appears in the form of having a genuine intention to support and help others. Wether it be, helping to provide demonstrably, high value products. Or helping a colleague or team member progress in their career. It is truly a privilege and honour, to see others grow. Not only in their careers, but also personally.
Having spent my early years as an extreme introvert. I always believe in building a persons confidence - rather than knocking them down. Although i believe in honest feedback. It must be communicated in a constructive and sensitive manor. Always considering the individual personality.
Anything else is simply destructive, and serves little, to no purpose.
There are certainly times of sensitivity
Moments where we need to be highly sensitive to the business needs, legality and tone of voice.
As a husband, parent and grandparent, I've become well aware of the contexts of time, place and how to choose your battles.
↘︎ It's the opinion of those around us, that tell the real story.
Yooch, Colleague
"Simply put, Mike is an invaluable asset to Refinitiv and its Product Design Team.
His wealth of knowledge from 30+ years of experience in the design industry, (from media and advertising to UX and interaction design) is abundantly clear for everyone to see.
He has led design teams in the past and has led many design projects whilst working with him at Thomson Reuters and Refinitiv.
Mike also has great deal of experience and insight into how to optimise the Design team to work more effectively and with the Product Management and Proposition Teams.
He is an extremely effective communicator when it comes to presenting complex problems and ideas. He articulates the problems, challenges and potential solutions and their pros and cons in a manner where non-design or technical stakeholders can understand.
He thinks about design problems from all perspectives and holistically taking into account of the overall business and product strategy along with all the moving parts.
Mike’s design outputs are stellar, every use case and edge case considered and explored, considerations to the design solution applied to the finest detail.
Mike is someone I would always rely upon for peer reviews of my work and he is well-liked and respected within the team.
He is an indispensable member of the design team and wholeheartedly recommend him for any team or project lead role without hesitation."
Robert, Team Member
"I had the pleasure of working under Mike, and I can confidently say that his exceptional ability to blend creativity with strategic thinking consistently drove our design team towards innovative solutions perfectly aligned with our business goals.
Mike's leadership style is both empowering and inclusive. He creates an open environment where each team member feels valued and inspired to contribute their best ideas. His ability to identify individual strengths and foster a collaborative culture significantly boosted our morale and productivity.
More so, he is always able to anticipate challenges and address them head-on with a positive attitude, turning potential obstacles into opportunities, which is always truly inspiring.
Mike would be an invaluable asset to any team, thanks to his expertise, leadership, interpersonal skills, and passion for design, and I wholeheartedly recommend him to any organization seeking a talented and dedicated design leader."