A conversation on Design Leadership. During my conversation with Tom, we discussed how to “Influence Decisions through Design“. I believe it can be also beneficial for the entire community, to share how Tom summarized our, and other conversation he had with design leaders across the globe.

Design Leaders can be introvert.
If you can inspire, lead, mentor, coach, and foster a strong culture, it doesn’t meter is you are introvert or extravert.

Design Leaders coach.
Executives, colleagues, teams, or their mum, they live and breathe what they do, and they’re capable of selling in their craft.

Design Leaders adapt their style to their audience.
Multi-million-pound budget or hiring an intern, they are always more a listener than a speaker. They listen to what’s happening to their business, teams, and projects, and they think about how to improve them.

Design Leaders deeply care about their team.
Leaders have followers; you can’t have a significant impact if you are a leader of one. They also know that they are only as good as their team; therefore, they shield their team from business politics enabling great design. They believe in Mentoring and set up teams and processes to allow people to grow, allowing others to take the limelight.

Design Leaders know what design is and able to create.
They execute a vision and methods supporting a business through change. They break silos and empower the team to close the gap.

Design Leaders build world-class teams.
They build a team who know each others’ strengths and weaknesses and step up at the appropriate point, not one full of drama. They are big on value-based recruiting, hire for attitude, and dislike toxic egos.

Design Leaders don’t have micro-management in their dictionary.
Leaders empower people; managers manage things.

Design Leaders have battle scars.
They’ve been around the block. Sorry, not sorry.

Design Leaders are efficient with resources.
They optimize the use of their budget, but they push for more with solid reasoning if they feel necessary.