Build Foundations
OVERVIEW
Know who you are so you can lead with clarity and make stronger decisions. Define a simple, practical design vision that aligns with business goals. Find purpose in your work to stay engaged, resilient, and motivated.
Know Yourself
Understand who you are, what you stand for, and how you work. When you are clear about your strengths and values, you make better decisions and create stronger partnerships.
SKILLS
Create Vision
Define a design vision that is clear, practical, and connected to business goals. When people understand the “why,” they move with purpose and alignment.
Find Purpose
Purpose at work is not the same as purpose in life. But when you find something that resonates—something that feels meaningful—work becomes easier, more bearable, and often enjoyable.
Get to Know Your Future Self
Self‑Development and Leadership Style
You’re never too senior to have a coach or mentor.
Lead with intention. Stay open, adaptive, and inspiring.
Build real relationships. Learn from experienced managers and peers.
Empowerment and Delegation
Empower people, then step back. Let them do the work.
Create a culture that supports experimentation and creativity. That’s how teams grow.
Communication and Transparency
Use clear, plain language. Drop jargon and metaphors.
Be transparent with your manager and the teams you partner with.
Adaptability and Resilience
Stay adaptable and resilient when things get messy.
People are people, life is chaotic, and you need to lead through it.
Lead by example—every day.
Create Your Vision
You’re never too senior to have a coach or Communicate a design vision that is simple, concrete, and tied to business strategy. A strong vision shows how design creates value—by generating revenue, reducing cost, saving time, or enabling other teams to achieve critical outcomes. Everyone on the team should be able to explain the vision clearly, and anyone outside the team should understand it in 30 seconds.
Questions to Shape Your Vision
What is the one extraordinary contribution your team will deliver in the next 1–3 years?
If competitors executed this vision before you, what impact would it have on your organization?
If your team was abducted by aliens, what impact would that have on the organization?
Find Your Purpose
Purpose at work is not the same as purpose in life.
But when you discover something you can go deep on—something that feels meaningful—it changes how you show up. Work becomes easier, more engaging, and sometimes even enjoyable. Purpose at work isn’t about unlocking some grand meaning of life. It’s more practical and more personal. It’s the intersection between what energizes you, what you’re skilled at, and what creates value for the organization.
When you find that thing you can go deep on — the thing you’re willing to learn more about even when no one asks — work feels different. It becomes easier. You’re more patient. You bounce back faster. You want to push past “good enough.”
That’s purpose in a career: a direction worth investing in.
Compliance and Ethics
You may not have thought about this early in your career. It matters more than you expect.
Ensure all design processes meet legal and ethical standards.
Act with integrity in every decision.
Prioritization and Focus
Practice patience.
Identify your top three problems. Everything else can wait.
Block time to think. Thinking is work.
