In my first years of working in a leadership role, I had a world learnings ahead of me (still do!). The transition from building products to building teams that build products was a bit of an adjustment for me at first. However, being a people-person, I was excited by the opportunity of building my team from the ground up and mindfully crafting a team culture every step of the way.
Here are my key rules to live by after my first years in leadership:
- Build strong relationships with your team members.
Designers are often highly creative and passionate individuals who need support and guidance to do their best work. As a design leader, it’s essential to build strong relationships with your team members and provide them with the support they need to succeed. This can include regular feedback, mentoring, and opportunities for growth and development. Everyone is different, so get to know your team and find out what works best for them. - Foster a culture of collaboration and communication.
Design work often involves multiple stakeholders, including product managers, engineers, and marketers. My team would not have the success that we do without the emphasis on “The Two Cs”. What we’ve found is that there is a fine line between “pestering” another team, and including them. Find out what works best for each team, and how they prefer to be contacted. Some things that have worked for us have been open invite design mashups, bi-weekly feedback meetings, or a simple slack ping with a figma link. This can help ensure that everyone is aligned on the project goals and can contribute their expertise to the final design. - Set clear expectations and goals.
One of the most important lessons I have learned from my team is that expectations (or, deliverables) should be clearly defined. This may sound obvious, but when the world turns as quickly as it does in the startup environment. These can be easily overlooked. Clear expectations can help ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal and can provide a sense of direction and purpose for the design team. Not sure if you’re being clear enough? Ask. - Be honest and transparent
Everyone is human, and sometimes humans make mistakes, or “don’t know”. That’s okay. The more you demonstrate humility with you team, the more space you make for your team to be honest about their struggles, and come to you for support or resources before it’s too late (or too much time is wasted). As a new leader, nobody expected me to know what to do right away, so I never pretended that I did. - Advocate for design within the organization.
Entering a company who did not have a design team from the start (let alone a digital team), advocating for the importance of design within the organization was and still is paramount to our success. Educate stakeholders on the value of design, communicating the impact of design work on business outcomes, and ensure that design is integrated into the overall product development process. Nobody is going to make sure the the design team has the resources and support they need, so make sure that you do!
In conclusion, being a design leader requires a combination of strong leadership skills, design expertise, and a passion for collaboration and communication. By building strong relationships with your team members, fostering a culture of collaboration and communication, setting clear expectations and goals, keeping an honest discourse, and advocating for design within the organization, you can help ensure that your team is healthy, thriving and making a meaningful impact on the business.