Action leads to information.
When things are ambiguous, I move. The best designers balance speed with precision and optimise for outcomes, not analysis.
About
I build the teams behind products people love.
Notes on how I think, how I work, and the people I go home to.
Read the notes-
HozefaWeekendsMy family is my world. Weekends belong to my two sons: art projects, zoo trips and the odd aquarium.
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HozefaMornings
When I’m not chasing them, I’m chasing running goals. My recent half marathon was 2:15. Runners, let’s swap notes.
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HozefaEvenings
And always a book on the go. See the shelf
Fifteen years of building design teams, most recently with
Values
Four things I hold on to.
Be so good they can’t ignore you.
Excellence in every action. Do great work on what’s in front of you and the bigger opportunities follow.
Reliability.
The say:do ratio has to stay healthy. When words and actions match, people default to trust.
Low ego, high resilience.
In a hard moment, find what is within our control and act on it decisively.
Collaboration
How we’ll do our best work together.
I’m your partner in the problem, not a judge of the work. Involve me early.
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Default to jamming.
It’s better to solve than convince. We invite others into our work and join theirs.
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Candour.
Be painfully open and honest. Share more, more often, and expect a safe room from me.
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Through the product maze.
Understand the problem deeply. Analyse, articulate and back decisions with insight and testing.
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Lead bullets.
There is no silver bullet. Explore a wide range of options quickly and let what we learn choose.
Candour
Things to call out, and how I handle friction.
What you shouldn’t expect
3Passing the stress
I’ll be the umbrella. Accountability is a two-way street, and I stand up for good experience in a rational, reasonable way.
Structural ambiguity
You should know your role, your goals, and how your work contributes to the bigger picture.
Failure fetish
Success is great. Let’s aim for it with determination, without romanticising failure.
If you ever see one of these, call it out early.
When we disagree
3Be genuinely interested
Opposing thoughts take real effort to entertain. I listen with intent, and sometimes argue the other side’s case.
Look to help
Common ground is a small, moving target. Looking to help builds empathy and stronger bonds instead.
Give a good reputation
People tend to live up to the reputation you give them. It builds credibility, and better teams.
Learned from a former manager, and kept ever since.
Say hello
Have something interesting?
Reach out about an opportunity, a project, a collaboration, or just to say hello.