My Ethos

It's important to have an ethos, some core principles that drive who you are. It's also important to make them short and pithy for those that have short attention spans.

• Dreaming for the future and building for today.

  Vision for a cake and strategy for a slice, preparing for it to sit nicely next to the other slices but iterating faster where things need to change shape. Don't wait for the future but understand how to get there.

• Assuming positive intent and thinking people first.

  I try to assume positive intent and optimism even if it's often contrasted with dry Britishness about a situation. You'll never go wrong optimising for happy, knowledgeable and productive people, they build the best products. Asking questions and listening is an art form.

• Success is the impact not the preparation for it.

  Endless meetings or workshops to create understanding and debate direction are often valuable but we also need to start acting, getting things in front of customers, learning and making progress. A strategy without the first strategic gain isn't success.

• Art sits on a foundation of science.

  That magical feeling user experience that is full of personality and creative solutions was built on a foundation of method, research, understanding and iteration. The tiniest details sometimes weigh the most.

• Make good trouble.

  Change comes about from championing, advocating and leading the charge. See something, say something.

• Develop your curiosity into everything.

  Creativity is a muscle built by exercising curiosity. Be interested in everything, understand how things work, why things happen and pull on every string.

• Check yourself before you wreck yourself.

  Self-awareness is the most valuable trait and having a lack of it is extremely dangerous. Understanding how you're perceived by others helps you evolve that to how you want to be seen. Others' perception of you shouldn't be linked to your happiness but it is something that can help you be successful.