What is your management style?

I believe in adapting my management style to meet the unique needs of individuals while also ensuring the success of the team. Some individuals prefer autonomy and participation in decision-making, while others may thrive with more direction. My approach is fluid—focused on fostering both personal growth and team cohesion.

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For instance, with engineers, I strike a balance between providing independence and oversight. I trust them to take ownership of their work, but I stay involved, offering guidance and checking in periodically. I also believe in allowing space for controlled failure—learning from mistakes with minimal impact—because it fosters growth and innovation. Ultimately, I listen closely to their needs and adjust my approach to help them succeed

Who are your main influences?

My influences come from a wide range of thinkers who have shaped my approach to leadership and decision-making. I’ve been inspired by Socrates and Aristotle, who focused on understanding human behavior and asking the right questions to guide actions. I also look to figures like Descartes for his emphasis on clear, logical thinking, and Isaac Newton, whose principles of systems and optimization have shaped how I approach team processes and efficiency.

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What I find valuable about these thinkers is not just the ideas themselves but how their work teaches us to think critically, collaborate effectively, and solve problems strategically. I adapt these timeless lessons to today’s leadership challenges, helping me guide teams, encourage growth, and create systems that support success.

What is your strategy for getting your team a high standard of work?

I believe in empowering my team to be self-sufficient while recognizing that different people respond to different approaches. While the goal remains the same for everyone, the path to achieving that goal can vary based on individual strengths and working styles. The key is to foster a sense of ownership over both the work and the process.

I encourage an entrepreneurial mindset where team members feel confident to engage in open dialogue, especially when there are discrepancies or differing opinions. It’s important to understand each side of an argument before making decisions, as this promotes informed choices and mutual respect.

From a practical standpoint, a key output for engineering teams is the development of clear, governing documentation that guides both the team and the broader organization. This ensures that best practices are in place, allowing for effective peer review and efficient progress without slowing down innovation. I also recognize that some areas—especially those involving safety, regulatory compliance, or risk management—require extra diligence to ensure the highest standards are maintained.

Can you talk about a time when you had to negotiate with a customer? What did you do? What was the outcome?

Early on, most of my business negotiations were with industries trying to get involved in chemical recycling, driven by the growing societal push to address waste polymers. These conversations often involved challenging their initial ideas about what was possible. I had to help them realize that, much like many industries in their early stages, we couldn’t expect 99% pure outcomes right away. Instead, we had to focus on the long-term goal—building partnerships and setting realistic expectations around the integration of the process at scale.

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I worked with them to understand that the journey toward those high-purity outcomes was going to take time and involve a lot of challenges along the way. It wasn’t about perfection in the beginning, but about steady progress, collaboration, and aligning on what was possible given the current state of technology.

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Although it took time for them to fully buy in, the result was ongoing engagement at various levels, with several projects kicking off in engineering design and construction. Ultimately, this led to the process being brought closer to the marketplace.

Tell me about a time you needed to gain the trust and support of your peers in order to be successful in something.

Early in my time with an operational team, I faced the challenge of gaining their trust and support. I was new to the team and lacked a deep background with the system they were working on. They were skeptical of my understanding, especially since their previous experiences had led them to observe results that didn’t align with standard engineering principles. I was caught between trying to reconcile their observations with these principles while proving myself capable.

Their concerns eventually reached my supervisor, who questioned my abilities. To overcome this, I focused on building trust over time. I dedicated myself to really listening to their perspectives and finding common ground. I made sure to respect their experience while gradually helping them see the system through a broader lens. As a result, I earned their trust, and they began to recognize my judgment. Even though they still voiced concerns, our relationship shifted to one of mutual respect.

This experience taught me the importance of building trust under pressure, especially with cross-functional teams. The process of listening, respecting different viewpoints, and gradually proving myself not only helped me gain their trust but also improved our overall communication and collaboration.