What did you believe about leadership early on that you no longer believe today?

I associated leadership more with being in charge. Experience has taught me that leadership isn’t really about being in charge; it’s about taking responsibility for those in your charge. The higher I’ve moved in an organization, the more I’ve realized that my success is less about what I can personally accomplish and more about what the people around me can accomplish together. Leadership isn’t a position that gives you authority over people. It’s a responsibility you accept for helping people and the organization become better because you’re there.

When do you trust your instinct over data—and how did you learn that balance?

I trust data to tell me what is happening, but I don’t always expect it to tell me why. That’s where experience, context, and instinct matter. Marketing has probably taught me this more than anything because people don’t make decisions in spreadsheets. Data can show me a trend, but understanding human behavior, relationships, timing, or what we’re hearing directly from people often explains the story behind it. I’ve learned not to choose between instinct and data. I want the data to challenge my instincts and my instincts to challenge what I think the data is telling me.

What responsibility comes with leadership that people rarely talk about?

As a leader, your reactions carry more weight than you sometimes realize. How you respond to a mistake, a change you didn’t expect, someone else’s success, a disappointing outcome, or a new opportunity signals to everyone around you how they should receive it too. That doesn’t mean every reaction has to be positive. You can acknowledge what’s difficult or disappointing while still looking for what can be learned or where to go next. You can celebrate someone else’s success without needing any of the credit. And you can show that no task, change, or sacrifice is beneath you when it’s what’s best for the team or the company. Leading by example isn’t just showing people how to do the work; it’s showing them how to respond to what comes with it.

How do you recover your confidence after a setback?

I remind myself that my value isn’t defined by one decision, one mistake, or one outcome. It’s in the abilities I’ve developed over time—including the ability to problem-solve, think critically, and get better. When something goes wrong, I don’t want to minimize it, but I also don’t want to dwell in it. I look back long enough to understand what happened, what I can learn from it, and what I need to do differently moving forward. I’ve also learned to remind myself of the challenges I’ve already been through and how much of my growth came from them. I think of those experiences as strengthening my “stress root”; each one makes me a little more grounded and better equipped for whatever comes next.

What do you now understand about people that you didn’t earlier in your career?

That you can’t lead everyone the way you would want to be led. People can hear the exact same words and receive them completely differently because they’re motivated by different things, process feedback differently, and need different things from their leader. That’s why I put so much emphasis on actually knowing my people and using tools like the enneagram to more thoughtfully lead. The standard shouldn’t change from person to person, but how I help someone reach that standard absolutely can. The longer I lead, the more convinced I am that understanding people isn’t the “soft” part of leadership. It’s one of the most practical leadership skills you can develop.

What is something you’ve become more patient about?

I’ve become more patient with taking the time to help people think rather than simply telling them what to do. When I can see the answer, it’s often faster to just give it, and that may save time today. But taking the time to prepare someone to successfully solve that problem, and similar ones, without my input saves exponentially more time in the future. Instead, I try to ask questions: What are you thinking? What are we trying to accomplish? What could happen if we do this? We talk it through until it feels like we’ve arrived at the conclusion together. That takes more time and patience in the moment, but it teaches someone how to think, not just what to do.

What kind of leader do you hope people experienced you as—not just what you achieved?

I hope people experience me as someone who genuinely knows them, cares about them, and believes in what they’re capable of, not just what they can produce for me or the company. I want the people I lead to understand that their value is tied to their abilities, not their job title. When people really believe that, they stop feeling like they have to protect a role to protect their future. They’re more willing to step outside a job description, take on something new, embrace change, share what they know, and do what’s best for the company because they trust that making the company better creates opportunity for them, too.

What did you believe about leadership early on that you no longer believe today?

I used to think that leadership was just for leaders. That might actually be right, but what I didn’t understand was that everyone in the organization is a leader.

When do you trust your instinct over data—and how did you learn that balance?

Instinct and data are interconnected, as the former is pattern recognition built from processing the latter. Earlier in our careers, we have to rely more on processing. But as our experience sets build, instinct helps shortcut this.

What responsibility comes with leadership that people rarely talk about?

A mentor of mine was fond of saying that every promotion comes with new freedoms and new constraints. As we grow in our careers, we gain the opportunity to shape outcomes, but we lose the freedom to think only about ourselves.

How do you recover your confidence after a setback?Being “right” can certainly help build conviction, but true confidence comes from not needing to be right. Setbacks are part of moving forward.

What do you now understand about people that you didn’t earlier in your career?

There’s that great quote that “people don’t care that you know until they know that you care.” I wish I’d learned that one even earlier.

What is something you’ve become more patient about?

One thing I’ve become more patient about is the time it takes to effect positive change. You want to believe that “announce” and “accept” are in adjacent zip codes. There’s actually quite a bit of road between the two.

What kind of leader do you hope people experienced you as—not just what you achieved?

Of course I hope people find me to be someone who makes good decisions. Even more so, though, I hope I support environments where others make good decisions.

What did you believe about leadership early on that you no longer believe today?

Early in my career, I thought strong leaders needed to have all the answers. Today, I believe the best leaders ask the right questions, surround themselves with people who are better than they are in certain areas, and create an environment where people feel comfortable challenging the status quo. Leaders should always want a smart team in the room.

When do you trust your instinct over data—and how did you learn that balance?

I’m a big believer in data, but data doesn’t always tell you the whole story. I trust my instinct when the data tells me what is happening, but can’t fully explain why or if I have enough data to make an educated decision. After enough years of seeing patterns, working through transformations, and knowing the tools that my team has in the toolbox, I’ve learned to get a bit uncomfortable, adapt, and stay focused on the results of my decision.

What responsibility comes with leadership that people rarely talk about?

The main responsibility is the energy a leader brings into the room. People watch leaders more closely than we sometimes realize, especially during difficult times. I love to always be as transparent as possible during challenging times without creating fear or chaos.

How do you recover your confidence after a setback?

I have to process. I give myself enough time to understand what happened, but I don’t let myself go down a negative path. I always ask myself, “What could I have done differently and what did I learn?” Some setbacks in my career have ultimately made me be a better leader in the long run.

What do you now understand about people that you didn’t earlier in your career?

People want to know that what they do matters. Earlier in my career, I probably focused more on performance, outcomes, and getting everything on my to-do list done. All of those things still matter, but I’ve learned that people perform at their best when they understand the ‘why’ and know what is expected of them.

What is something you’ve become more patient about?

I’ve spent a lot of my career in transformation and high-growth roles, and I wanted to see change fast. I’ve learned that we have to make sure we have a strong foundation so we can build. Change does not come overnight. Results will eventually come as long as a team has a strong foundation in place.

What kind of leader do you hope people experienced you as—not just what you achieved?

I hope people experienced me as someone who believed in them, challenged them, and made them better. I always set expectations, but I also want people to know I will roll up my sleeves and be right there with them.

What did you believe about leadership early on that you no longer believe today?

I thought leaders were expected to have all the answers. Today, I believe great leaders are learners first. When I joined Align, I knew very little about orthodontics, so I became a patient myself to better understand the experience and the technology. The more leadership roles I’ve had, the more I’ve realized that curiosity, listening, and asking good questions are often more valuable than having the perfect answer. Leadership is less about being the smartest person in the room and more about creating an environment where talented people can do their best work.

When do you trust your instinct over data—and how did you learn that balance?

I start with data because it creates discipline and helps remove bias. But there are moments when the data is incomplete, especially when you’re making decisions about people, culture, or emerging technologies. That’s when experience and instinct matter. I’ve learned that instinct isn’t the opposite of data. It’s often pattern recognition built over years of successes, mistakes, and lessons learned. The best decisions come from combining rigorous analysis with informed judgment. You need both to lead effectively in a fast-changing environment.

What responsibility comes with leadership that people rarely talk about?

One of the least discussed responsibilities of leadership is creating confidence during uncertainty. People don’t expect leaders to have every answer, but they do expect clarity, perspective, and a sense of direction. During challenging times, your team takes cues from how you respond. Staying connected, listening carefully, and helping people focus on what matters most can make a tremendous difference. Leadership isn’t just about setting strategy. It’s also about being a steward of trust and helping people believe in what’s possible.

How do you recover your confidence after a setback?

I’ve learned that setbacks are often part of solving hard problems. If you’re working on something meaningful, there will be obstacles, false starts, and moments when progress feels slower than you’d like. What restores my confidence is getting back to the fundamentals, understanding what happened, learning from it, and continuing to move forward. Many of the breakthroughs we’re most proud of today came after years of effort and iteration. Confidence doesn’t come from avoiding failure. It comes from knowing that persistence, learning, and resilience will eventually help you find a way through.

What do you now understand about people that you didn’t earlier in your career?

I assumed people were primarily motivated by the most obvious benefit. Over time, I’ve learned that people are often driven by deeper goals. In our business, what may begin as a desire for a better smile often becomes a desire for better health, greater confidence, or a higher quality of life. The same is true in organizations. People want to contribute to something meaningful. When leaders take the time to understand what truly matters to people and connect their work to a larger purpose, they unlock extraordinary commitment and performance.

What is something you’ve become more patient about?

Building meaningful innovation. Early in my career, I underestimated how long breakthrough ideas take to develop and scale. The technologies that drive our success today required years of investment, experimentation, and learning before they reached customers. Innovation rarely happens overnight. I’ve become much more patient with the process while remaining impatient about execution. Long-term success often comes from having the discipline to stay committed to a vision while making steady progress every day.

What kind of leader do you hope people experienced you as—not just what you achieved?

I hope people experienced me as authentic, approachable, and committed to helping others succeed. Business results matter, but they are always the outcome of great teams working together. If people felt respected, challenged to grow, and supported along the way, that would mean more to me than any title or accomplishment. I hope they saw someone who listened, treated people fairly, stayed focused on customers, and worked hard to make the company stronger.

What did you believe about leadership early on that you no longer believe today?

Earlier in my career, I believed the myth that leaders need to be the loudest. In reality, leaders need to listen more than they speak and create safety for the voices around them.

When do you trust your instinct over data—and how did you learn that balance?

Lean into your instincts when a decision involves people or company morale/culture. Data cannot account for relational nuances. I believe your instincts as a leader are born out of years of experience and can be trusted. Decisions that can be informed by historical context can be driven by data.

What responsibility comes with leadership that people rarely talk about?

The responsibility of creating safety for the members of your team. Leadership is servant work, and regular checkins are paramount.

How do you recover your confidence after a setback?

Practice self-compassion and give yourself grace. I’ve had tough professional setbacks at points in my career. Those experiences rattled me, and as much as I wanted to move on quickly, I had to allow myself the space to feel and work through them. Spend time with mentors, friends, and colleagues (past and present) who remind you of who you are in the midst of your low point; then start creating small action steps forward. I find action always builds confidence so do the next right thing..

What do you now understand about people that you didn’t earlier in your career?

That everyone is just doing the best they can with the information they have at the time. We’re all just humans with a lot going on outside of our ‘day jobs,’ so approach everyone with grace.

What is something you’ve become more patient about?

I’ve become more patient about accepting things I cannot change, including outcomes and other people’s decisions.

What kind of leader do you hope people experienced you as—not just what you achieved?

I hope all current and former colleagues would say that I am a leader who cares about them as a person first and employee second. Their personal development is my professional legacy; I take great pride in team members flying up and out after working with me.