How I Lead
I'm a hands-on leader who prioritizes joy. I set the vision, hold the craft bar, and stay in the work: sketching, writing, giving design feedback, sitting in the messy middle with my team. I've built design and research functions from zero more than once, so I know how to make something out of ambiguity and bring people along while I do it.
Here's what that means to me:
I build the thing that isn't there yet
Give me an amorphous mandate and a team that doesn't have a shape yet, and I'm happy. At Favor I was the second design hire and built the design and research function from scratch. At Indeed I built End-to-End Experiences, an internal design consultancy that took on the cross-org problems nobody owned. I love messy problems and undefined spaces.
"She took on a team of high-performing UX talent with an ambitious and highly-visible objective, helped to grow the team further, listened to a wide range of stakeholders, and wrangled the focus for the team going forward. She did this with grace, openness, and good humor." - Becca G., UX Manager, Indeed
I make conversations happen
Half of strategy is getting the right people in a room and keeping the conversation honest. I push for the stakeholder interviews, the workshops, the hard alignment conversations. I can keep a conversation focused on what really matters.
"Meg makes people talk. She has pushed for stakeholder interviews, discussions, and workshops, which has unblocked cross-leadership conversations and unlocked value in articulating our vision. She has a keen ability to defuse or redirect if conversations get heated." - Robert R., Sr. Project Manager, Indeed
I lead from inside the work
I shape the problem, then I'm in it with the team: writing briefs, running the workshop, growing designers, sketching next to everyone else.
"She's both a program manager and design director who shapes problems so a wide range of contributors are all working toward a common goal with clarity and momentum. She's giving design feedback, growing designers, and even writing and sketching alongside us. Simply put: she's everywhere and we're all better for it." - Laura S., Lead Designer, Indeed.
I take care of people
I've led through layoffs, reorgs, and scope changes that could have gutted a team's morale. I hold space, answer the questions, and keep the work moving without pretending everything is fine. Culture is a design problem, and I treat it like one.
"Meg, thanks for continuing to be the heartbeat of this team. You have created a culture that oozes with intentionality, strategic chops, and honesty."
Laura C., Lead UX Researcher, Indeed
"Meg is The Actual Best™. Cannot stress this enough. The best. Perfect manager. Wonderful human. S-tier. Wizard Class. A++++ would be managed by again." - Ryan G., Principal Product Designer, Favor
Build the thing, do the work, bring the people. But above all, have fun doing it.
Fun is core to how I create an environment where people feel comfortable being candid. I build silly, gif-heavy teams so that when we sit down and get serious about the critique, everyone knows it's us versus the work, never us vs. each other.
