Leslie Ogoe, Design Program Manager

Always felt I was creative but not in the traditional sense. I was more of a creative in how to just get things done with limited or no resources. I find joy in helping others stay calm and cool under pressure so that they can focus on delivering.

I unblock the work! I can do that in many different ways, such as: facilitating and pushing cross-functional collaboration and by creating or revising process improvements within the Experience Mission Design organization.

1. My art wall of inspiration — 1968 Olympics Black Power salute

2. Monitor — For when I need the double screen action 

3. My reminder pile of Post-It notes 

4. Notepad and pen 

5. 2 Laptops — My work and my personal. In between meetings, I Like to watch DJ Tutorials

6. Plant for a bit of greenery 

7. Books — What's a desk without books on it ?!?!?!

8. 2 mouses — The reason I have two is that when I forget to charge my main mouse, I have a backup 

9. Bose Q70 — One of my main pairs of headphones

10. My pile chair — For miscellaneous items, I have not put away yet 

So far in my career, I haven’t been faced with an intimidating design challenge, but when I started at Spotify, I faced a personal challenge of imposter syndrome. I was questioning if I was ready to be at Spotify and whether I could add value to such a strong team. Honestly, I’m not fully over it and it's a day-to-day battle but I have implemented affirmations and rituals that help me day-to-day.

John Lewis was a civil rights activist and American statesman who coined the phrase “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”

Deion Sanders is an American athlete, sports analyst, and football coach. He is often considered to be one of the most talented NFL players of all time and is the head football coach at Jackson State University.

Malcolm X was an African-American human rights activist who was a popular figure during the civil rights movement.

Shoutout to my Design Ops teammates, an amazing group of intelligent, funny, and kind people who have made me feel nothing but welcome to the team.

Check out the podcast that I produce in my spare time called The Black Shutter Podcast, which focuses on sharing the voices of black photography.

I want to leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

"Stay far from timid Only make moves when your heart's in it And live the phrase Sky's The Limit."

— Christopher Wallace