Trang's website

On (design) leadership

These are my personal notes on leadership that I would appreciate back when I was all new to the role of a leader. Hopefully, someone out there will find this insightful as well.

How It All Started #

In the spring of 2021, I had the privilege of stepping into the role of Product Design Lead. During one of my one-on-one sessions with Honza Čurn, I expressed my ambition to transition from an individual contributor to a leader. With his trust and support, I embarked on the journey of building an in-house design team, starting by hiring our first Product Designer. Before we knew it, our team had grown to five talented designers.

Given that leadership was a new frontier for me, I enrolled in a leadership workshop cohort provided by Femme Palette for female leaders. Additionally, I benefited from monthly mentorship sessions with Lusine Yeremyan, whose invaluable insights, lectures, and tips have been instrumental to my growth.

TL;DR #

Here are the key takeaways I'd like to share with fellow leaders, official or unofficial:

  1. Listen

  2. Grow and nurture your team

  3. Learn business

  4. Communication is key

  5. Lead by example

  6. Educate others in the company

Listen #

Many people listen with the intent to reply rather than to understand. The most successful listeners are those who keenly observe body language, voice, and tone. A valuable piece of advice I received was to avoid saying, "I know exactly how you feel," as it's often impossible to fully grasp the complexity of someone else's situation. Instead, focus on giving your full attention to the person speaking.

Grow and nurture your team #

Believing in your team's potential can significantly enhance their performance. If you, as a leader, have confidence in your team's capabilities, they are more likely to excel.

An effective exercise is to list your team members and rank them based on their performance. Reflect on how you treat each person. Is your approach consistent? Do you provide equal opportunities and space for growth?

As a leader, you share in both the successes and failures of your team.

Have 1-on-1 Sessions #

At the beginning of each month, I would post my available slots in a private Slack channel for team members to reserve their 1-on-1 sessions. During these meetings, we would discuss:

Keep Track of Your Team’s Strengths and Weaknesses #

I created and continually updated a spider chart for each team member, assessing their abilities in:

Create a sense of belonging #

A great leader fosters a sense of belonging within the team. We held regular design sessions to discuss specific design-related topics, encouraging each designer to share their insights, opinions, and ideas.

Learn business #

It is crucial to learn the business and its politics: how the organization makes money, how designer roles contribute to that, and how to get others to see that.

Part of why so many design-adjacent roles are struggling is because market conditions (e.g., higher interest rates, over-hiring during the pandemic, etc.) shifted emphasis from growth to profitability. If the role isn't seen to contribute to the bottom line, it won't be around long.

Alas, many designers aren't used to thinking in these terms. I hear from many who seem to think that 'user centricity' is self-evidently desirable. As a result, they can't make convincing business arguments for their role.

Know how your team’s work impacts business metrics.

Communication is key #

Effective communication is essential, especially during times of uncertainty like the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular and transparent communication helps alleviate anxiety. It's important to react promptly and not wait for the perfect moment to address issues.

Lead by example #

Strive to be an exemplary designer, have confidence in your work, and avoid lousy outputs. Authenticity is crucial – over time, people will recognize if you are not genuine.

Educate others in the company #

Advocate for design's equal place alongside engineering and product development. Share your expertise on product design and research, and educate others within the company about these critical areas.

I hope these insights will be helpful to someone out there in their leadership journey. Remember, leadership is not just a position but an ongoing commitment to personal and team growth.