Leadership

Managing & Leading a Team

Jump to:

• Leadership

• Management

I developed my leadership style through numerous experiences and influences throughout my career. I've had the privilege of working under some truly exceptional leaders who have inspired and guided me. They have shown me what work can be like when you are supported and respected. Equally valuable were the experiences with less effective managers, which highlighted areas for improvement and shaped my approach to management. To further refine my skills, I've been fortunate to receive leadership coaching from Tarryn Lambert and Alison Gretz. These diverse experiences have collectively molded my leadership philosophy.

Sahar’s Leadership Tenants

Organizational Dynamics: As a leader, I navigate complex organizational dynamics while balancing multiple stakeholder needs. I serve as the connection point between executive leadership and the research team, translating business priorities into actionable research initiatives. This requires making thoughtful, informed decisions that serve our clients, company objectives, and team growth — even when those decisions aren't the easiest or most popular.

Stewardship: I approach my leadership role as a caretaker of both people and purpose. This means balancing short-term needs with long-term sustainability, considering team wellbeing, research integrity, and client relationships. I take responsibility for leaving the research function stronger than I found it, cultivating resources that will serve the organization beyond my tenure.

Direction-Setting: I provide clear vision that connects our research activities to broader organizational goals. By articulating where we're heading and why it matters, I help my team understand how their contributions create meaningful impact. I craft compelling narratives that inspire commitment and provide context for decision-making at all levels, ensuring everyone understands both our destination and path.

Resourceful Resourcing: Understanding the capabilities of our research team and the strengths and growth goals of each individual, I provide strategic planning and scoping for client projects. This includes determining who should be allocated to what project as well as planning overall research strategy for the projects.

Safe Space: I prioritize creating a psychologically safe environment where all our team members feel comfortable expressing ideas, taking risks, and learning from mistakes. This fosters innovation, creativity, and personal growth within the team.

Balanced Transparency: Open and honest communication is a cornerstone of my leadership approach — it's just the way I'm built! However, there's a fine line between transparency and oversharing. I strive to avoid overwhelming my team with unnecessary or half-baked information.

Cultivation: I am deeply committed to nurturing talent and helping team members reach their full potential. I developed a goal-setting workshop for the research team to help everyone better understand where their interests lie to shape who they grow into.

Collaboration: The best outcomes arise from diverse perspectives, collective efforts, and divergent thinking. I actively promote cross-functional collaboration, encourage knowledge sharing, and create opportunities for team members to work together on challenging projects. We host 2x/week Research Office Hours to assist anyone at the company with their research needs. I also established the Research Drop 🎤 initiative, which you can read more about here.

Prioritization: I guide my team in effectively prioritizing tasks and objectives within project work, teaching them to identify high-impact activities and allocate time accordingly. By encouraging a focus on what truly moves the needle, I help team members deliver maximum value while managing their workload efficiently. This also delves into coaching related to stakeholder management and how to be an effective cross-functional partner.

Operational Efficiency: I am committed to equipping my team with the necessary tools and resources to optimize their workflow and productivity. By identifying and implementing the right technologies, processes, methodologies, templates, and timelines, I ensure that my team can work smarter, not harder, allowing them to focus on high-value tasks and deliver quality results more efficiently.

Global UX Agency

As the Associate Director, Research, I manage a team of ten researchers with 5 direct reports and 5 skip level reports.

Cybersecurity Start-up

In 2023, I co-managed the UX Intern with our team’s Staff UX Designer. This involved writing the job req, reviewing candidates, and interviewing candidates. As a researcher, I managed and led our intern through the first half of his internship, which included project planning, problem-scoping, generative research, and ideation. I also guided our intern when he entered the usability testing phase of the project.