Ten reflections on design leadership

As a Design Lead at TPXimpact, I've had the privilege of leading teams through many projects, each with their own challenges and opportunities. The typical areas I find myself focusing on with teams of designers and researchers range from navigating client relationship dynamics, to making space where people can do their best work. 

The following reflections are ten of the most important aspects I've learned about leading design for projects and programmes of work. There's hopefully something for both weary professionals and emerging design leaders alike here. 

Don’t make the objective of every conversation problem solving

Often the telling is the solving. Listen, and if a situation requires action, follow through and deliver without fail. This is how you build trust, and failing here is how you lose it.

Figure out if the situation requires leading from the front or supporting from within

Leading from the front is choosing the path, making the decisions and motivating the team. Supporting from within is letting the team decide the path, facilitating decision making and providing cover through stakeholder management. Different situations require different styles, and if you want to get the best from a team, get good at figuring out which is necessary. 

‘Protecting the team’ is often depriving them of essential context

Deprive a designer of context and they’ll find it very hard to do good work because they’ll be missing key information. Let the team decide which context is relevant, don’t assume you can decide for them.

Get to know your team and client as people

Demonstrate that you respect and value them beyond their resourcefulness, or their commissioning ability. When the tough times come and you need to have hard conversations, you’ll be having it on the foundations of a solid relationship. Tough decisions won’t feel any easier but they will be less damaging if you’ve put the work in.

You are the accountable person when mistakes happen

Take the blame and own the situation so you can get value from the mistake. If appropriate (and it’s not always appropriate) transform the situation into a teaching moment.

Once a team member has shown their competence,  lean into their strengths, and let them do what they enjoy

Find ways to make the work appealing and acknowledge when you are making them do work outside of their comfort zone.

If you’re impressed with your team’s work, say it out loud

If someone did a good job, tell them, write it down, send it to their manager, their manager’s manager, the CEO. We’re a humble bunch, each of us dealing with our own imposter syndrome. Don’t leave a compliment on the table.

People can do about 20% more than they say they can

Every one of us will undersell our abilities, or underestimate our comfort zone. Coach individuals to build their confidence, and recognise their own abilities.

There are key people, or key moments in a project when change is more possible

Learn to spot this. Sprint planning, quarterly roadmapping, re-procuring - these are all moments where a change will feel smaller and more achievable. The right conversation, with the right person at the right time can be a pivotal moment in a project.

Shipping work is thrilling, but many impacts happen outside of the tangible

The value you generate isn’t the deliverable at the end, it’s what the team learns in the process of delivery. A launch day with a team that is more capable, more resilient and better practitioners should be your goal. When launch day doesn’t come, and that does happen, your impact is still clear.

In trying to draw together these reflections what stands out to me is that the medium of leadership is people. Whether it's listening deeply, empowering teams, or enabling growth, every aspect of leadership revolves around understanding and valuing individuals. Delivering successful projects is important but elevating the people who make that success possible is where I’ve learnt to find the value in my work.