From Interviews to Inspiration: Why I Lead with Mission

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing candidates for several open roles at work. With so many companies navigating layoffs and uncertainty, I don’t take for granted the opportunity to grow our team. And frankly, I love interviewing. It taps into my UX brain: connecting with someone new, learning what drives them, and spotting patterns in what lights people up. It’s one of my favorite parts of the job.

But something different has been happening in these recent interviews. Something unexpected... and honestly, kind of magical.

It starts off like any other interview: intros, resumes, goals. I talk a bit about my role: how I lead multiple teams across UX research, design, content, accessibility, tech writing, localization, and more. People nod politely. It’s all fine, all expected.

But then I do something I haven’t always done before: I share our mission.

Not our company’s mission statement. Not our quarterly OKRs. I share my mission. The one I carry with me each day. The one that fuels the work of the teams I’m lucky to lead:

To create useful, usable, and delightful products that anyone, anywhere in the world can use, regardless of ability.

When I say those words out loud — words I believe in deeply — the energy in the Zoom shifts. Something sparks. People sit up straighter. They widen their eyes, nod more eagerly. And then, they open up.

They start talking not just about what they’ve done, but why they do it. What gets them out of bed in the morning. What kind of problems they love to solve, and what values guide them when they do. They share not just their successes, but the hard-won lessons, the risks taken, the things they’ve fought for because it mattered.

And in those moments, the interview becomes something else entirely. Not a transaction. A conversation. A connection.

Mission — real, personal, heart-centered mission — creates that shift.

I’ve found myself walking away from each of these conversations not just impressed, but moved. More inspired than ever by the caliber of talent out there. And more fired up about the work we get to do.

So yes, it might sound a little cheesy. But I’ll say it anyway: if you haven’t already, try leading with your mission. The real one. The thing you believe in so strongly it changes your tone when you talk about it. The thing that might not be on your slide deck, but absolutely should be.

Try bringing it into your 1:1s, your interviews, your team standups, and watch what happens.

What’s your mission?