Getting a taste of Kiwi culture in New York
Our Humans of Xero stories are all about showcasing the incredible talent we have at Xero. This month we sat down with Audrey Tan, Product Design Director in New York, to talk about joining Xero during a pandemic, her biggest career lesson and why she loves binging docos on Netflix.
What inspired you to join Xero?
I’d never heard of Xero until a colleague of mine mentioned it. At the time, we were both working at a company that helps small businesses manage their payroll and HR, so it seemed like Xero was serving a very similar client base. When I discovered the level of success that Xero had achieved and the scale at which they were building product, I was intrigued.
Xero is established in a number of markets globally now, so the obvious question is: what’s next? The kind of problems you need to solve to answer that question really appealed to me. Soon after I joined, Xero named Toronto as the product and tech hub for North America, which is really exciting. It means there’s more opportunity to grow our design team in this part of the world.
Another thing that inspired me to join Xero is its commitment to diversity. I noticed it was included in the 2020 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, and there are a significant number of women leaders in the organization. The EGM of Design is a woman, as are two out of the four GMs in our portfolio. So I’m just happy to add to those numbers and join a company that is passionate about gender equality.
What was it like starting remotely?
Weird, but surprisingly easy! I’ve been here almost two months now and haven’t stepped foot in a Xero office. But the onboarding process was really easy. I got a brand new laptop sent to me, and got to meet everyone in my team on video calls. I still crave being able to get a drink with my team or use a physical whiteboard to brainstorm ideas, but overall it’s been surprisingly easy to settle in.
I’ve been really encouraged by the solidarity that our design team has had in response to COVID-19. Everyone is in different parts of the world and dealing with different restrictions, but we’ve worked out ways that we can all come together and make people feel like they’re not being left out or there’s a bond growing in another part of the world they can’t be part of.
For example, we’ve asked the team to dial into video calls from their desks rather than conference rooms if they’re in the office. That way, people who are working from home don’t feel like there’s a whole conference room full of people over there and they’re the only one stuck at home. It’s just about being sensitive to everyone’s situation, which I really like.
What’s the culture like at Xero?
Xero is grounded in Kiwi culture, which I didn’t know much about before I joined the team, but I’ve been really delighted to learn more about it. Every single person I’ve met (virtually, of course) has an aura of kindness and a willingness to just have a laugh, which I love. I haven’t met anyone who makes me doubt myself or who isn’t prepared to roll up their sleeves and help out.
The team makes it easy for me to just be myself, which is so important for creating bonds and building trust. It’s strange to imagine being vulnerable through a camera, because it’s a totally different way of interacting with people. But I feel like the culture of kindness means you can say something embarrassing or admit you don’t know something, and the team still embraces you.
I also love the fact that we have a design culture that values learning and people. We don’t just bury our heads in the specific projects we’re working on — there’s a healthy curiosity about other parts of the business and even getting to know our fellow designers around the world on a more personal level.
Our designers in Canada and the US have bi-weekly meetups where we get together, purely with the goal of getting to know each other, being silly and sharing interesting facts about our work. The other day we talked about what music we’re into, and there was a lot of Spotify playlist sharing and laughing. We ask a lot of questions, do a lot of listening, and keep each other informed about things that matter.
Tell us what you’re working on now
My main focus these days is hiring a strong design team in North America that not only wants to get close to customer problems, but also partners with product and engineering in a way that moves everyone closer to the goal line — whatever that might be. I really believe that strong designers are motivated by seeing things that need fixing and feeling good about the journey to make it better.
I also believe in giving designers the room to craft their own approach to problem solving — there’s so many ways to solve a problem, and by giving them space to explore, the outcomes are usually better and stronger experiences for the customer. There’s an opportunity for our design team to make a real difference in the lives of small business owners, which I think is quite unique.
What’s your biggest career lesson?
If I look back at my career, I think I spent too long at a place where I was comfortable. Maybe if I had challenged myself to be brave and go the extra mile, I might have gotten where I am today a lot faster. Of course, you never really know. But there’s a difference between being happy and being complacent. I realized that I was complacent and I had stopped learning new things. It was a wake up call to think about where I was and where I wanted to be.
I think the minute that you don’t feel like there’s an opportunity to grow in the role — whether it’s a step up in role and title, or even solving new problems that excite you — then it might be time to ask yourself if it’s worth being brave and making a change. Ask yourself the big questions. Is where you are right now, where you want to be? Are you in the right team? Are you solving the problems you want to solve?
How do you spend your free time?
I’m really into documentaries these days. Hearing people’s first-hand accounts of familiar events is something I really enjoy, because even though you might know the history, what you don’t know is the human element — the untold story of what really happened behind the scenes. I’m really enjoying ‘The Last Dance’ about the Chicago Bulls. I grew up in Chicago at the peak of the ‘Be Like Mike’ frenzy and watching the series transported me to a more innocent time of my life as a little girl Chicago. I still get goosebumps when I think about how magical it felt to watch the games and cheer at the rallies.
I’ve got ambitions to one day own my own horse and maybe have a few chickens. Start small and connect with animals and nature in a way that really hasn’t been a thing for me in New York City! We’ll see how close I get to that life goal, but for now, I’m more than content with my dog Bo and living modestly with the backdrop of one of the greatest cities in the world.
