In 2007, I completed an MBA through Santa Clara University’s Executive Program. The experience was excellent—rigorous, practical, and flexible enough to fit alongside a full-time job shipping Photoshop and rebuilding my house.
One of the most influential parts of the program was the leadership curriculum taught by Dean Barry Posner, co-author of The Leadership Challenge. His module ran throughout the 17-month program and included an assignment called the “You’ve Been Called Away” letter: writing to your organization as if you were gone for an extended, undefined period. The point wasn’t tactical instructions, but enduring values—guidance people could use to ask, “What would Andrew do?” in your absence.
That idea paired naturally with something I’d done for years: writing explicit expectations for my direct reports. Early in my career at Adobe, my director Tracey Stewart shared her own “Expectations” lists—clear, practical rules like renegotiate deadlines early or bring problems with proposed solutions. One lesson from Tracey that stuck with me: it’s better for people to be positively challenged than bored by work they’ve already become an expert in.
What’s your management philosophy?
I believe every manager should be able to answer this clearly—especially when the CEO asks in a short elevator ride. It’s not about slogans, but about how you make decisions, how you show up under pressure, and what principles guide your behavior as a leader.
I later refined those expectations, and Adobe HR eventually adapted them into a generic version for new managers.
Management Credo
Combining Posner’s long-horizon values, Stewart’s concrete expectations, and this philosophy question led me to what I call my Management Credo: a concise expression of how I lead. It captures my beliefs about leadership, the standards I hold myself and others to, and the principles I’d want people to use to “channel” me when I’m not in the room.
ANDREW COVEN'S MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY
Quality first.
Quality is top priority: Quality of life and quality of product. Quality > schedule > features.To teach is to lead.
Leadership is expected at every level. Share, coach, teach, train, and mentor.Be the teacher everyone loved but gave really hard tests.
Strive for effective, accountable outcomes for yourself, our colleagues, and our partners. Keep the bar high.We are ethnographers, forensic scientists, and detectives.
Observe our customers and provide solutions that are elegant, thorough, and reusable.Leave it better than you found it.
Document complexities; re-factor spaghetti; clarify obscurities; clean up after yourself. It is good for our code, and the planet.Show up as the doctor, not the patient.
Come ready to debate solutions. Identify execution landmines with constructive discord.Together we reach higher.
Management is the bottom of an inverted triangle. We create the foundation that allows others to soar.You are our greatest asset.
My greatest challenge is, and always will be, how to show you how valued you are.Your ears should be ringing.
I often mention our incredible team, and how lucky I am to work with you.Have fun.
Smile a lot, and laugh even more.2026-02-06v12
