Messy Middle #25: The best journeys aren’t always the smoothest
Middle management in design is the messy middle—balancing high-level strategy with on-the-ground execution while navigating constant uncertainty. Thriving in this role isn’t about avoiding failure but about building resilience, setting boundaries, and coaching your team through challenges. By reframing uncertainty, letting go of unnecessary burdens, and empowering others, you create a culture of trust, growth, and impact.
How Great Design Leaders Win Stakeholders with Powerful Storytelling
Great design leaders don’t just create products—they craft narratives that inspire action. Storytelling isn’t just a soft skill; it’s a strategic tool that aligns teams, wins stakeholders, and drives real impact. By shaping how ideas are communicated, designers can turn vision into reality, influence decision-making, and propel organizations forward. The best designs don’t just speak—they tell a story.
Corporations Are Living Systems, Not Machines: Ditching the Machine Mentality for a More Human-Centered Future
For too long, businesses have been designed like machines—rigid, optimized for efficiency, and resistant to change. But organizations are not static systems; they are living ecosystems that thrive on adaptability, collaboration, and continuous evolution. In this article, I break down the signs of a machine mindset, how it holds companies back, and practical ways to build an organization that is dynamic, resilient, and future-ready.
Pruning for Growth: The Art and Discipline of Critique in a Remote World
Great critique is like pruning a bonsai—done with care, it strengthens ideas without stifling creativity. In a remote world, feedback must be intentional, structured, and inclusive. This article explores the roots of critique, a framework for thoughtful feedback, and how to cultivate a thriving critique culture in distributed teams. 🌳
Balancing Speed and Safety: Building Trust in Expansion Mode
In high-growth organizations, psychological safety is the foundation for innovation and high performance. When teams feel safe to take risks and learn from failure, they create, not just execute. I explore five key strategies to build trust while scaling: Curiosity Over Perfection, Guardrails, Not Roadblocks, Two-Way Feedback, Shared Ownership, and Intentional Pauses. When teams feel safe, they push boundaries and drive impact.
Exploring New Frontiers: Equipping Design Teams with Tools, Tips, and Strategies for the AI Era
Are you a design leader navigating the challenges of proving design's value and staying ahead in an AI-driven world? My latest article offers practical advice on aligning design with business strategy, preventing headcount loss, and integrating AI into workflows. Discover actionable tips to empower your team, enhance efficiency, and position design as a critical driver of innovation and success.
Parenthood as a Leadership Blueprint
Parenting has taught me invaluable lessons about navigating ambiguity, resilience, and fostering trust—skills that translate seamlessly to leading complex organizations. By embracing imperfection, building relationships, and creating safe spaces for expression, I’ve learned to guide through uncertainty with clarity and compassion. Both parenting and leadership thrive on patience, adaptability, and connection.
Unlocking Talent Excellence - Tips for Senior Managers to Hire the Best Talent
Discover strategies for senior managers to hire exceptional talent with empathy, foresight, and structured methodologies. From defining the ideal candidate profile to crafting thoughtful offers, this guide explores inclusive job descriptions, dynamic interview processes, and best practices for onboarding. Equip yourself with tools and insights to build high-performing teams and elevate organizational success.
Embedding Customer-Centricity into the DNA of Your Organization
Organizations must adopt a holistic view of the customer journey to embed customer-centricity. Design leaders align teams around a shared vision, integrating feedback and fostering collaboration. This approach drives growth, enhances brand loyalty, and reduces operational costs by proactively addressing issues across touchpoints, creating long-term value for customers and the business.
Harnessing Diversity: Lessons from a Design Leader
Resilience is forged through experience, shaped by challenges, and strengthened by the richness of our identities. As an immigrant and design leader, navigating new environments and adapting to unfamiliar cultures have been my greatest teachers, honing my ability to empathize with diverse contexts and build thoughtful, high-performing teams.
Lessons on Leadership I learned from my first manager
Jean Cattell, my first design manager and a legendary Director of Design at The Field Museum, profoundly shaped my journey as a designer and leader. Through her fierce advocacy, high standards, and human-centered approach to leadership, Jean taught me lessons that continue to guide me today. In this tribute, I reflect on her impact and share three timeless principles she embodied: fostering autonomy to build belonging, understanding the power of contribution to drive performance, and setting the tone for good behavior. Read on to discover how Jean's legacy can inspire design leaders and teams to thrive.