I've spent more than a decade building digital products, from being the first designer at a startup to leading global UX teams across multiple countries.

The work I'm most proud of isn't a product that launched or a feature that shipped. It's the people.

Many of the designers I managed have told me that working together changed how they think about leadership.

Some have said I became the benchmark they compare every future manager against.

That feedback stayed with me. It also made me realize that while there are countless books about management, very few prepare you for the everyday conversations that define great leadership.