Introduction

As I write this in 2021, one year into the pandemic, I reflect on a turbulent 2020 for my career and team. At the end of 2020, the company that I was with abruptly closed, and instead of jumping into a new role, I chose simply to stop and look around. We introduced radical change in pursuit of the company getting the funding that it needed to keep going. The design team led the strategy while the company shifted in direction every couple of weeks. We had to be flexible and responsive. We did that while establishing our design system and guidelines, launched three verticals, initiated a rebrand, and built up extensive user research all the while doing pitches for potential investors. It was a lot.

After all of the external and internal changes, I reflected… I (and we) had done something really well. We had held together a strong team bond, supported each other through a crisis and, despite losing our jobs in the end, we still had a smile on our faces... This realisation triggered a project of self-reflection and I began writing about what aspects of myself and my leadership enabled a positive outlook through the rollercoaster of events. We had so much growth, and we had fun doing it.

So here we go…

I’m not one of the tech giant big shots. However, after 18 years of experience in the design industry, 4 countries, 22 design awards, and managing 5 design teams across multiple industries, maybe I do have a few things that may interest some. I’ve led and witnessed the growth of happy, synergetic design teams by tapping into the individuals’ sense of purpose and discovering the world of vulnerability within the design space. I’ve learned how much psychological safety, trust, and surprisingly negotiation skills are key to enabling the team to move from being the ones who make the designs “pretty” to the ones who extract the information, solve the problems and drive the company strategy and vision.

My experience is a giant web of extrapolated ideas plucked from various points in my life, a pocket full of designer gems. In this collection of essays, I wish to share my insights, concepts, and methodologies about the way I personally lead design and designers. Instead of summarising how things are done as a whole, I want to offer thought-provoking opinion pieces that I have found valuable.

In recent years, I’ve put much energy into researching the individiual’s needs and values and just how vulnerable and human the design space really is. I feel particularly inspired when I read Brené Brown and Simon Sinek’s work. However, they speak of people being pitted against each other within their teams. From my experience, that doesn't happen so much in Design, maybe because design is oftentimes not measurable? We are not sales, we are not biz dev. We think in vectors, pixels, colours and shapes. Our output is often a deep expression of ourselves; and it’s totally subjective. We learned that we were creative when we used crayons, and now we make pictures for money to solve problems in a corporate environment.

Reflecting on all the challenges I faced throughout my career, I now energise my team knowing we can embrace all the human aspects of who we are, motivate with compassion, provide a safe space and the tools to work together and carry each other forward. Together, we also design and cultivate the energy in the team.

This isn't a book about how to be the best design lead or to lead design in the best way. It's a collection of essays that explores the joy I get from mentoring designers, leading design teams, and representing design within an ever-changing environment. It's a response to Brown and Sinek about a different kind of vulnerability that exists in the design industry. It's about advocating for our value and understanding the environment we work in and learning who, with and from the people who are alongside us.

This is an exploration of how it is to be a creative human in the corporate workplace and how our passion impacts an industry where there is no right answer, no end solution, no end game and is highly subjective.

This book is for my fellow leads who wish to be seen in their creative pursuits, for new managers and aspiring designers. I hope to uncover how to make work fruitful for creatives and not suck the juice from their passion. I hope this book provides those "little gems" to inspire some fresh thoughts of how to lead and be your dream team.