As a design manager, I don't just connect design to grander organizational causes—I make clear it it’s indispensable. By articulating our value with clarity, I inspire teams to imagine workable solutions for the most formidable challenges.
Drawing on theories from project management, human resources, organizational behavior, business strategy, structure, and systems, I've developed DesignOps patterns and practices to help seniors transition into Team Lead or Design Manager roles.
If you dive no deeper than this page, check out my 10 things in first 100 days list. I’ve done em all and survived.
SKILLS PILLS
10 things in 100 days
Create vision
Communicate a clear design vision aligned with business strategy.
Road maps
Develop contextual structure and systems roadmaps of items that will help get shared alignment and understanding of where you where you need to go
Strategy frameworks
To ensure you remains aligned with changing business goals and market environments
Scale the work
Templates, ecosystems etc etc
Develop team
Support continuous learning and upskilling, find and grow your next Leaders
Grow team
Use design and creativity to attract and hire top talent with diverse backgrounds and skill sets.
Design Performance
Define what “good” is, and connect results with business impact
Organize team
Build a org structure that supports diverse disciplines, support and collaboration
Do good
Embrace authenticity, find opportunities for less experienced folks to shine, build the next generation, support your community if possible
Make some noise
Encourage your people to get out there with personal projects, mentoring, speaking engagements, ventures
Supporting goals
Get to know your future self
Self-Development and Leadership style
No one is ever too old or experienced to get a coach or mentor
Lead with style, be open, adaptive and inspiring
Build relationships and learn from seasoned managers
Communication and Transparency
Clear and effective plain language goes a long way, dump the jargon and metaphors
Maintain transparency with your manager and across departments you partner with
Compliance and Ethics
Probably something you never thought much about before. It’s a big thing
Ensure all design processes comply with legal and ethical standards.
Uphold integrity and ethical standards in all practices.
Empowerment and Delegation
Empower and get out of people’s way
Nurturing culture that supports creativity and experimentation are encourage growth and creativity.
Adaptability and Resilience
Be adaptable and resilient in the face of challenges
People are humans, humans are life, and life is bonkers most of the time!
Lead by example every day
Prioritization and Focus
Practice patience
Identify your top three problems, forget the rest for another day
Schedule time to think
Create your vision
Set a Vision: Communicate a clear design vision aligned with business strategy. Cultivate Shared Values: Use shared values to guide team culture and decisions. Future Forecasting: Anticipate market trends and prepare for future challenges.