How “The Assist” Became My Leadership Philosophy
Early in my career, I assumed leadership meant having the answers and driving direction. With experience, I understood that lasting impact doesn’t come from being out front but from helping others succeed.
That lesson started for me on the lacrosse field. I led the league in points, not because I scored the most goals, but because I set others up to score. Most of my impact came from assists. I didn’t fully realize it at the time, but looking back, that mindset—focusing on how to lift others instead of trying to do everything myself—became the foundation of how I lead.
At Auth0 and Okta, I moved from GRC Manager into Director roles. I led compliance programs, scaled control automation, and worked closely with product teams to integrate security into how we built. But the real success didn’t come from the technical work alone. It came from a few values that shaped how I approached the job.
Those values were small, strategic progress, personal accountability, and enabling others still shape how I lead teams and deliver results today.
1. N+1 > 1: Small, Strategic Wins Drive Long-Term Results
One of the values that stuck with me from my time at Auth0 was “N+1 > 1.” It was a simple reminder that steady progress matters more than chasing perfect outcomes. That idea shaped how I led programs and built teams that could deliver independently and confidently.
As our Security and GRC function matured, we aligned around a long-term goal to prepare the organization for FedRAMP certification. It wasn’t something we could achieve in a single push. It required a roadmap that balanced daily execution with long-range planning.
We began by building a unified security control framework that covered ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, and mapped to NIST 800-53. Instead of debating every detail upfront, we launched a first version that gave us enough structure to engage cross-functional teams. That baseline helped us identify overlaps, clarify ownership, and highlight the deltas across frameworks. Within a quarter, we had stakeholder alignment, assigned control owners, and a consistent tracking system in place.
We took the same phased approach to automation. We focused on three high-friction controls that repeatedly slowed down audits. We built end-to-end automation for those, measured the time savings, and used those wins to drive broader adoption. It wasn’t flashy, but real progress that the business and 1LOD could feel and see the impact.
By focusing on incremental delivery, we created a sense of movement. Each small win helped build trust, strengthen alignment, and allow the team to operate more autonomously. Over time, that consistency became a core part of our work.
That’s what “N+1>1” looks like in practice. The value came from Auth0, but the results came from applying it with discipline and purpose. This mindset lets us scale thoughtfully without burning out or stalling.
2. Give a Shit: Accountability Builds Trust
Another value I carried forward from Auth0 was direct: “Give a shit.” It wasn’t about working longer hours or saying the right thing in a meeting. It was about showing up, taking responsibility, and caring enough to follow through—especially when no one was watching.
As I moved into a senior leadership role, this value became the foundation for how I built accountability across the security and GRC function. When something wasn’t working, we didn’t hide behind the process. We addressed it. When something broke, we took ownership. And when a control or policy created friction, we listened and fixed it.
One moment that stands out involved a high-priority SOC 2 control where engineering teams had missed an implementation deadline. From a compliance lens, it would’ve been easy to escalate or hand it off to audit. But I took a different route. I met with the team, asked why it was slipping, and listened. What they needed wasn’t more pressure. They needed clarity. The requirement wasn’t written in a way they could execute against.
We rewrote the control in plain language, tied it to a use case, and embedded it into their sprint planning. The team shipped the change in days. We stayed on track with the audit and built trust that lasted well beyond that project.
This mindset allowed us to own the outcome, not just the input, and helped shift how our teams saw compliance. It wasn’t a checklist. It was part of how we worked together and delivered quality. And it helped managers and ICs feel confident owning their space, knowing they had the support to solve real problems, not just check boxes.
“Give a shit” wasn’t just a value printed on a wall at Auth0. It was something we lived. When applied consistently, it created a culture where people held themselves to a higher standard because they cared, not because they were told to.
3. The Assist: Lead by Coaching, Not Controlling
One of the most important leadership lessons I’ve ever learned didn’t come from professional mentors, ex-managers, or a management book. It came from my lacrosse coach, Coach Hutch.
He used to tell us, “Assists win games.” At the time, I led the league in points, but most came from setting others up to score, not from my goals. I learned that the most valuable player isn’t always in the spotlight, but is often the player who creates space for others to succeed.
That lesson stuck with me, and it’s shaped how I lead.
I don’t manage by micromanaging. I lead by coaching. I’ve been fortunate to be both a player and a coach, on the field and in the workplace. That experience taught me how powerful it is to step back, see the whole picture, and help others move clearly.
As a senior leader, most of my time wasn’t spent solving problems directly. It was spent behind the scenes removing blockers, clarifying goals, negotiating, and helping teams prioritize the right work. That included coaching managers to think beyond the next quarter, helping them navigate tradeoffs, or stepping in to realign when different teams were pulling in various directions. This coaching approach empowered the team to make decisions and take ownership of their work.
I remember one case where a product team kept missing critical security-related milestones for the subsequent audits. From the outside, it looked like a delivery issue. But after a few direct conversations, it became clear they weren’t lacking effort, they were buried in competing asks without a clear path forward.
We worked together to cut through the noise. We rewrote the backlog to connect each task to a specific control, gave clear guidance on success, and rebalanced expectations with other teams. The next quarter, they delivered every milestone.
That’s the assist. I wasn’t the one doing the work, and I didn’t need to be. My role was to help them see the field, trust their judgment, and confidently execute. They earned the win, and they owned it.
Closing Thought
Leadership doesn’t need to be flashy or complex. In my experience, it comes down to a few clear commitments: make progress you can sustain, take absolute ownership in the work and your team, and coach others so they can lead themselves.
Those principles from N+1 is greater than one, give a shit, and assists win games have guided me from building control frameworks to leading security functions across growing organizations. They’ve helped me navigate strict audits, scale teams, and prepare for long-term goals like FedRAMP without losing sight of day-to-day execution.
Each value came from a place I’m grateful for. Auth0 gave me the mindset of continuous improvement and personal accountability. Coach Hutch taught me the importance of enabling others to succeed. These lessons shaped how I build trust, lead with clarity, and stay grounded in what actually moves the needle.
You don’t have to be the loudest voice in the room or the person making every decision. Sometimes the most impactful thing you can do is set others up to succeed and step back while they take the shot.
Because in the end, teams win on the strength of their assists. And that’s how I choose to lead.
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