DESIGN LEADERSHIP TRUISMS and COACH, DIPLOMAT, CHAMPION, ARCHITECT
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For the DesignX 2019 Design Leadership Summit, I did something a little strange: two talks in one. The first talk was a series of Jenny Holzer-inspired truisms about design leadership. The second talk was my latest version of Coach, Diplomat, Champion, Architect: The 4 Archetypes of the Complete Design Leader.
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DESIGN LEADERSHIP TRUISMS and COACH, DIPLOMAT, CHAMPION, ARCHITECT
- 1. DESIGN LEADERSHIP TRUISMS PETER MER-HOLZER @PETERME Inspiration from, and apologies to, Jenny Holzer
- 2. DESIGNERS WERE MILLENIALS BEFORE THERE WERE MILLENNIALS
- 3. PEOPLE ARE NOT THEIR JOB TITLES
- 4. TEAM MEMBERS ARE NOT “RESOURCES”
- 5. PEOPLE WORK BEST WHEN THEY CAN BE THEIR FULL SELVES
- 6. IF YOUR TEAM’S WORK ISN’T GOOD, YOU DIDN’T SET CLEAR EXPECTATIONS
- 7. BAD DESIGN IS A RESULT OF CONTEXT, NOT INDIVIDUAL APTITUDE
- 8. IF YOU FOCUS ON THE ORGANIZATION, QUALITY WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF
- 10. YOU CANNOT CALCULATE AN ROI FOR DESIGN
- 11. YOU WILL SPEND MORE TIME IN SPREADSHEETS THAN DESIGN TOOLS
- 12. OPENING A PRODUCTION DESIGN TOOL IS LIKELY A SIGN OF FAILURE
- 13. FRAMING THE PROBLEM IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SOLVING THE PROBLEM
- 14. (DESIGN) LEADERSHIP IS MORE TALKING THAN DOING
- 15. YOU’LL DO A BETTER JOB IF YOU LIGHTEN UP
- 16. IF YOU HAVEN’T PISSED SOMEONE OFF, YOU’RE NOT DOING YOUR JOB RIGHT
- 17. FOR SOMEONE WHO TALKS A LOT ABOUT EMPATHY, YOU SHOW LITTLE FOR YOUR COLLEAGUES
- 18. NO ONE OUTSIDE YOUR TEAM UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT TAKES TO DO GOOD WORK
- 19. THE OUTCOMES ARE BETTER WHEN EVERYONE IS A DESIGNER
- 20. DESIGN IS INTERESTING BECAUSE IT IS DIFFERENT
- 21. AGILE TRANSFORMATIONS ARE HOSTILE TO GOOD DESIGN
- 23. WHAT A DESIGN TEAM NEEDS MOST IS A CLEAR SENSE OF PURPOSE
- 24. A DESIGN TEAM WITHOUT A CHARTER IS A TEAM OVERWHELMED AND UNDERAPPRECIATED
- 25. MAKING AN EFFORT TO CONNECT TO ‘BUSINESS VALUE’ GOES A LONG WAY
- 26. YOU ARE ON THE FRONT LINE OF A GLOBAL WAR FOR TALENT
- 27. EVERYONE APPLYING FOR A ROLE HAS AN INFLATED TITLE
- 28. INTERVIEWS ARE A POOR WAY OF ASSESSING CANDIDATES
- 29. DESIGN EXERCISES ARE A BAD INTERIEWING PRACTICE
- 30. YOU WILL NEVER HAVE ENOUGH DESIGNERS
- 31. YOU WILL NEVER HAVE ENOUGH TIME
- 32. THE SKILLS THAT GOT YOU HERE ARE NOT THE SKILLS THAT WILL CARRY YOU FORWARD
- 33. DESIGNERS WERE MILLENIALS BEFORE THERE WERE MILLENNIALS PEOPLE ARE NOT THEIR JOB TITLES TEAM MEMBERS ARE NOT “RESOURCES” PEOPLE WORK BEST WHEN THEY CAN BE THEIR FULL SELVES IF YOUR TEAM’S WORK ISN’T GOOD, YOU DIDN’T SET CLEAR EXPECTATIONS BAD DESIGN IS A RESULT OF CONTEXT, NOT INDIVIDUAL APTITUDE IF YOU FOCUS ON THE ORGANIZATION, QUALITY WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF DESIGN QUALITY IS SUBJECTIVE YOU CANNOT CALCULATE AN ROI FOR DESIGN YOU WILL SPEND MORE TIME IN SPREADSHEETS THAN DESIGN TOOLS OPENING A PRODUCTION DESIGN TOOL IS LIKELY A SIGN OF FAILURE FRAMING THE PROBLEM IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SOLVING THE PROBLEM (DESIGN) LEADERSHIP IS MORE TALKING THAN DOING YOU’LL DO A BETTER JOB IF YOU LIGHTEN UP IF YOU HAVEN’T PISSED SOMEONE OFF, YOU’RE NOT DOING YOUR JOB RIGHT FOR SOMEONE WHO TALKS A LOT ABOUT EMPATHY, YOU SHOW LITTLE FOR YOUR COLLEAGUES NO ONE OUTSIDE YOUR TEAM UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT TAKES TO DO GOOD WORK THE OUTCOMES ARE BETTER WHEN EVERYONE IS A DESIGNER DESIGN IS INTERESTING BECAUSE IT IS DIFFERENT AGILE TRANSFORMATIONS ARE HOSTILE TO GOOD DESIGN INTROVERSION INHIBITS DESIGN’S ULTIMATE IMPACT WHAT A DESIGN TEAM NEEDS MOST IS A CLEAR SENSE OF PURPOSE A DESIGN TEAM WITHOUT A CHARTER IS A TEAM OVERWHELMED AND UNDERAPPRECIATED MAKING AN EFFORT TO CONNECT TO ‘BUSINESS VALUE’ GOES A LONG WAY YOU ARE ON THE FRONT LINE OF A GLOBAL WAR FOR TALENT EVERYONE APPLYING FOR A ROLE HAS AN INFLATED TITLE INTERVIEWS ARE A POOR WAY OF ASSESSING CANDIDATES DESIGN EXERCISES ARE A BAD INTERIEWING PRACTICE YOU WILL NEVER HAVE ENOUGH DESIGNERS YOU WILL NEVER HAVE ENOUGH TIME THE SKILLS THAT GOT YOU HERE ARE NOT THE SKILLS THAT WILL CARRY YOU FORWARD
- 34. Architect Champion Diplomat Peter Merholz COACH The Four Archetypes of the Complete Design Leader http://petermerholz.com@peterme
- 35. Let go
- 36. Leadership is about leverage
- 37. COACH Diplomat manage down manage across manage up DL Champion
- 38. COACH Getting the most out of your team Pat Summitt, most NCAA basketball wins
- 39. Articulate a vision for success COACH Tell the broad story, let the team figure out the details Focus on outcomes, not output Set clear expectations
- 40. Go from 10,000ft to 1ft without getting the bends Lead constructive critique…and speak last Team stuck? Reframe the problem Provide guidance COACH
- 41. Let them mess up Make clear what’s acceptable Don’t dodge difficult conversations Hold them accountable It’s how we learn Covering for them becomes a crutch COACH
- 42. Diplomat Working cross-functionally to ensure design’s voice in the process Eleanor Roosevelt, First chairperson of the UN Commission on Human Rights
- 43. Appreciate cross-functional peers’ perspectives, clients’ perspectives Learn their language Speak up Diplomat Engage with non-designers
- 44. Design shouldn’t be a black box that receives requirements and spits out artifacts Welcome people into your work; make yourself a part of their work “Intake” is a symptom of a failed engagement model Diplomat True collaboration, no agency model
- 45. Diplomat Assume positive intent Avoid victim stances Everybody is doing their best Don’t accommodate to the dominant culture Have principles and purpose Stand strong for your ideals
- 47. Champion Fighting for your team and your function Shirley Chisholm, first black woman Congressperson, champion for at-risk populations
- 48. (Over-) Communicate about the awesome work your team is doing Champion Evangelize
- 49. Fight for your team’s good work Stand up to executives who don’t know better Don’t let the team get run over or spread too thin Champion Protector
- 50. Don’t give up on what your team needs – staffing, hardware, software, facilities, policies, education, pay Champion Relentless
- 51. DL D D D CS D S Scaling from a design team…
- 52. …to a design org HD D D D CS D TL D D D CS D TL R
- 53. HD D D D CS D TL D D D CS D TL R D D D CS D TL R PM …to a design org
- 54. Architect Shape your org as it scales Julia Morgan, pioneering California architect
- 55. Draft a Charter Architect Team’s need a shared sense of purpose as they scale Mission (reason for existing); Vision (impact); Values (what you uphold) Make that charter tangible
- 56. Figure out your organizational model Architect Make an Appointment Buyer Design Team Seller Design Team S S D D TL S S D D TL Growth Seller Tools Search/ Browse Product Page Shopping Cart and Checkout Reviews Buyer Experience Seller Experience D
- 57. Define Roles and Build a Levels Framework Levels Job postings Candidate assessment Training Performance reviews Recruiting and hiring Professional Development Team composition Delivery Architect
- 58. 0 b) Shi rt/blouse without pockets. On a blazer (fig. e) , the top edge of the patch aligns with the left breast pocket. (fig. g) . patch. This configuration is worn on both shoulders of the uniform, on both shirts (fig. f) and outer-jackets. A light blue shirt and hat with dark blue trousers or skirt is recommended . N/5/ d) Laboratory coat c) Flight suit/mechanic suit IIEmergency/security patches e) BlazerI sport jacket g) Hardhat/helmet f) Emergency/security sh irt (side view) Develop agreed-upon criteria (brand personality characteristics, experience principles, design systems) Embrace subjectivity examples of quality work Define design quality Architect
- 59. Architect Recruiting Role Definition Retention Employee experience Levels/Career Paths Performance Review Compensation Reputation Outreach “Talent Brand” Planning and Prioritization Schedules Budgets Headcount Measurement Tools and Services ResearchOps Facilities Policies Staffing (Agencies, Contractors) Design People Design Practice Design Programs Professional development Skills building Training/education Content development Methodology / process descriptions Internal Events Establish Design Operations
- 60. Architect Champion Diplomat COACH You need to do all of this
- 61. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Peter Merholz http://petermerholz.com@peterme