Steve 'Buzz' Pearce
Executive Design Leader
Design Leader
I'm here to help connect our design vision and company strategy to your work. I will strive to provide direction, clarity & remove obstacles so that we can stay focused on the few things that really matter. I’m accountable for our Design vision and ensure we set the highest standard of execution, so that we’re all proud of what we ship.
People Leader
I’m here to listen to all your observations, your feedback, and your requests for help. My job is to align the ways that you hope to grow personally, with the needs of the business. I want to champion and celebrate the great work that you do. I will create safe spaces for open critiquing that foster lasting, caring relationships - and have a good laugh with each other!
Product Leader
I will collaborate on the long term strategy with leadership, so that we accomplish our company objectives. Great design doesn't get shipped in isolation, so - along with you all - we will ensure we have great relationships with our partners in product, engineering, customer care, sales, marketing and across the company, so we build products people truly love.
We all love reliable people. Nothing else matters if we don’t all take personal care and diligence in all we do. If we say we’re going to do something, let’s hold each other accountable to it to the best of our ability. You all have my sincere permission to call me out to my face if I don’t role model this.
We've all been hired because we can get on with things ourselves and have the agency to get it done - none of us want to be micro-managed, so please be proactive in communicating. I expect us each to manage our own energy and life, we’re all unique and need different things at different times. I'm here to support this. I believe in giving you the autonomy to get your job done well. This means I expect you to own your timelines within your teams and be accountable for hitting those timelines. I expect you to ship work you believe in — work that is high quality, high impact, that makes things better for the customers. Getting there means being vulnerable: sharing work early and often, listening to each other and embracing feedback, and sharing feedback with each other openly.
It's chaos if we're not all aligned. In order to get myself or our work aligned to the objectives of the business, or if our high standards aren't being met, we must point out to each other when things aren’t aligned and quickly act to course correct. This might be individually or in teams and groups. I will ensure we all stay aligned, which means greater autonomy.
I love this word! It means, no matter what we do, we all do it with joy and cheerful readiness, even when we have to say ‘not now’ so that we can stay focused. It will make each day a lot more fun and that joy will shine through in our work.
In addition, we win or lose as a team, so we’re each responsible for contributing to the broader Design team and external community. This can range from portfolio reviews, interviewing candidates, creating tools and systems for other designers to use, or helping create resources for the builders and speaking at public events and lecturing at universities.
How I like our chats
Our time is precious and finite. I like to make the most of our time together. I want to know what makes you tick and how to set you up for success. I am frequently context-switching and often don’t have enough visibility to see the nuances of your day-to-day, so I depend a lot on our chats to understand what you need and how I can help.
Integrity
I really value knowing that conversations are confidential by default, this builds trust. I feel distant when I don’t know where I stand with you, and you'll likely feel the same!
I'm naturally very open about myself, and love it when you are too, but I understand this can take time for people to open up. There's no rush.
Laughter
It’s good for the soul. I love being around people in real life and enjoying a good belly laugh - and will often find the funny side with most things. Let’s take the work seriously, but not be afraid to poke fun at ourselves from time to time.
Let's celebrate each other’s wins regularly, let’s count our blessings too, we all have so much to be thankful for!
Precise
I like it when you are precise with me, whether you need me to just listen to your mind wander or vent, or you need help with creative exploration or a specific decision needs to be made. This helps me understand whether to be the trainer, coach, mentor, or decision maker.
If you've put time in my calendar, please have a clear topic, agenda, whether its face to face or zoom, thanks.
Kind, true, nessessary?
If something difficult or delicate comes up, be kind and talk to the person first - if the feedback or challenge comes from a kind supportive heart, you have nothing to worry about, you're doing the right thing. (I will walk away from unnecessary gossip where people are trashing someone's character, if you won't say it to someone's face, don't say it.)