LEADERSHIP
Programs & Duties I was responsible for
- Digital Wallet
- Kohl's Pay
- Kohl's Card Management
- In-store Mode
- Marketplace
- B2B Merchant Tools
- Self-checkout Lanes
- Account
- Cart & Checkout
- Processes
- Design Systems
- Software Procurement
- Prototype Training
- Recruitement
- People Management
- Process Evaluation
- Stragety & Project Facilitation
philosophy
As a design leader, I've learned that helping to bring out the best in a designer is the ultimate reward. When they succeed I succeed, when they fail, I'm here to help them turn that failure into a learning experience; every failure just means "I've learned something”.
I like to lead from behind. I trust the designers and team to produce what is necessary to solve customer problems. I’ll get involved if the team needs help, but ultimately you’ll find me working with my peers in product, engineering and business on strategy and goals of the product(s).
My design super power is: I thrive in ambiguity. It's where the opportunities can be found
The team created cardboard cutouts as an April fool’s joke on our VP, seen on the right. He didn’t understand why people worked at home, so this was our solution for him to think people were in their chairs.
culture
When building a team, I look at cultural fit as a big driver for selecting a candidate; obviously, if I think they have the chops to do the work.
We spend lots of time with our workmates and having a team that is unique, culturally diverse, and likes to have fun makes a huge difference in being able to keep designers around longer. I’ve also learned that having people you like to work with gets us through the tough times.
Work-life balance is vitally important for one's mental health and encourage my team to make sure they pay attention to it. As a leader it’s no longer about “me”, it’s about them.
I want an environment where people can bring their authentic selves to the table. When they don’t have to worry about being accepted for who they are, they can focus on what we’re trying to solve.
I attempt to meet my designers where they are to better understand them, so I know how to help them be successful.
Team demoing the Scan-n-scoot POD, a prototype device for Mobile Self-checkout work
trust
Building trust with your team and beyond, I feel is the number one thing I like to do, especially when new to an organization. When I first started at Kohl's in the CA office, we weren't allowed to talk to engineers even though they sat 20 feet away. You heard that correctly, but it wasn't the way to work successfully. I needed to build trust with my product partners first.
Over the course of my time there, I worked to build relationships with not just products, but with engineers and business. This allowed me to get things done. I had people I could rely upon and they could rely on me.
I assign designers to the right products to make them successful and trust they will work together with product and engineering to find the right outcomes for the problems they were placed there to solve.
As a leader I usually have a lot of other work to do, so give my designers the autonomy to do what’s necessary. If they have clear outcomes, I trust they will meet their goals, if not, they will pivot to do so.
I want the team to trust I’m there to have their backs and provide the right oversight without having them feel I’m making all the decisions. Micromanaging and “swoop and poop” is not my style.
candid conversations
I do believe in honest conversation as difficult as some can be. Whether it’s in a design review or touch base, anything except honesty feels like you’re sidestepping your role as a leader.
This is why I like to get to know the designers on more of an intimate level to understand what makes them tick. Once I do, conversations tend to be contextual to who they are as a person.
I also encourage honest feedback from my designers and hope they understand that no matter what is being talked about, I have their best interest at hand.
Lastly, I don’t believe any designer is an island even the more seasoned. Either through design reviews or other avenues, I encourage and expect designers to share and collaborate on their solutions. The strongest solutions are the ones that have been picked apart.
I expect senior designers to mentor more junior designers and everyone should contribute to the team. Designers should look for ways to continue their education, the internet has tons of videos and books. Book clubs are a great way to share ideas.
I want designers to share their own interests, not everything is about work. I thought it great when my team at Kohl’s would all go to lunch together almost every day, and they had one rule “no talking about work”.
RECOMMENDATIONS
“Brett and I collaborated on building multiple customer-facing facing products at Kohl’s for over 5+ years across payments, checkout, and in-store tools. Brett is always very thoughtful about how he approaches his work and is very open to new ideas and testing into a solution. Brainstorming sessions with Brett are very productive as he takes the time and effort to understand how design impacts engineering and most critically the end-to-end experience. Brett thinks about how the design could evolve and bakes that in, which ensures the customer is not presented with a brand-new design every time the feature/product evolves.I hope our paths cross in the future and I get to work with him again! ”
“I worked with Brett on building the Marketplace business at Kohl’s. I was a new member of the team and Brett was tremendously helpful during my onboarding process. He was extremely generous with his time, had a deep understanding of the business, and was committed to being a thought leader on how to drive the business forward. I always valued and appreciated Brett’s unique perspective on how best to tackle any given problem. I greatly enjoyed working with Brett and believe he would be an asset to any team.”
“I had the pleasure of working with Brett at Sears Holdings. Not only is he an excellent designer but he is a great teammate. He is able to work under tight deadlines and always produces great results. His knowledge not only of wire framing and architecture but of front-end development and user experience, in general, make him a fantastic asset to have in your company. He’s a super problem solver and also a really great guy which goes a long way these days! I wholeheartedly endorse and recommend him as a superb employee.”