"The first job of a leader is to inspire trust."

- Stephen M.R. Covey, The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything

My Leadership Intent

As a leader that intentionally practices my leadership craft, I see it as my prerogative to create an environment of trust in which innovation and creativity can thrive. There are thousands of micro-decisions happening in the organization everyday and as a leader I seek to provide transparency, clarity of vision, and strategic direction within my organization and in collaboration with my stakeholders. To help illustrate this, I've included a few quotes below from members of prior teams I have lead, and stakeholders I have worked with closely.

From stakeholders

"Good user experience is seamless, users interact and don't even know it was intentional design that made that a smooth experience. Something we've all encountered numerous times in our daily life. Making that happen is both an art and science based upon data and a genuine curiosity about how people work. Kristen is my measuring stick for talent that does this kind of work.

In our time at Johnson Controls I've been able to see her evolve our standards, taught me so much about how to engage with people on meaningful conversations and the particularly tricky skill of translating conversations into engineering specifications and directions.

Expanding my understanding of a field I had only been aware of and providing a team that has materially advanced my initiatives is something I remain grateful to Kristen for teaching me."

Julie Brown, Senior Executive at Johnson Controls

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"I had the pleasure of collaborating with Kristen at Johnson Controls, where she served as the Senior Director of Design while I was the VP of Product at FM:Systems. Kristen's tenacity, attention to detail, and exceptional design skills made a significant impact on a number of post acquisition projects.

What sets Kristen apart is her eagerness to learn new skills and competencies. She approaches challenges with a growth mindset, consistently seeking opportunities for professional development. Additionally, Kristen's mentorship and leadership style create a supportive and collaborative work environment.

I wholeheartedly recommend Kristen for any role that demands a creative thinker, a detail-oriented professional, and an inspiring leader. She is an invaluable asset to any team or organization."

Travis Kemp, Vice President of Product Management at FM Systems, acquired by Johnson Controls July 2023

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From managers who directly reported to me

"I highly recommend Kristen as a leader for any lucky design team. She has a natural talent for strategically driving successful business outcomes while demonstrating genuine care for her team and customers. Her empathetic approach fosters a supportive environment where team members feel valued, understood and inspired to do their best work. During her tenure at Johnson Controls, Kristen’s leadership played a pivotal role in elevating our team’s design and research capabilities. Kristen is an exemplary leader, and I hope our paths cross again someday."

Nicole Madison, Senior Manager, Global Experience Design

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"I had the privilege to work for Kristen when she lead our Global Experience Design team at Johnson Controls. Kristen is an exceptional leader who instilled a focus on connecting design outputs to business outcomes through our annual OKRs. She also took special care to cultivate a fun, empowering, and creative culture as we grew and changed. And she took individual interest in each member of her team and steadfastly supported their professional growth. Kristen's positive impact has set the team up for future success and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from such a talented and inspiring leader."

Adam Grabowski, Senior Manager, Global Experience Design

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Anonymous Team Survey Results

In May 2023, Johnson Controls begagn using an intelligent listening platform, Peakon, that gives leadership anonymous insights into their teams to better understand engagement and ultimately boost productivity. Below are some of the anonymous quotes from my team's results.

"Our team does a good job of recognizing individual and team accomplishments. And Bravo is a nice way to give and receive gratitude."

"Yes, Kristen is very approachable and empathetic. I feel comfortable talking to her about challenges outside of work."

"Kristen frequently runs communications and approaches by us on her management team before taking actions. And she's very open to suggestions and our opinions when we offer them."

"Absolutely! Kristen is amazingly supportive."

"Kristen is an excellent communicator."

"Good team, we work well together and we know we can count on each other as needed to get things done on time."

"I appreciate that I am trusted with what needs to be delivered."

"At our team level, yes. We coordinated recently about changing our team's reporting structure. That went really well. I'm not involved in change management at a higher level and I'm not sure that I need to be."

"My manager and his boss care a great deal."

"Great people, great team - we're all on the same page."

"in our group, we create plans and if we have questions, we are encouraged to ask."

"In whole, I will say that our leadership team does a great job of communication and transparency."

"I can see myself leading and managing important projects that lead the smart building sector."

"we have created a *fantastic* team in Global Experience and Design - we all work together seamlessly."