From pixels to people: A journey from designer to design leader

Navigating the shift from individual contributor to managing and leading is a bumpy road/It’s not as clear cut as you might hope. But there are learnings i’ve taken from courses, books and good ol’fashioned life lessons which have given me the toolkit to help make that trajectory more stable.

Context

Like any vocation, in design there are varying levels of that which are relevant to your, experience, your competency and your aspirations too. The notable seniority milestones in a designers career vaguely looks like this:

• Junior designer

• Mid-weight designer

• Senior designer

• Lead or Principal designer

• Head of design 

• Design Director (of some description)

• Chief Design Officer (CDO)

I’ve had varying levels of seniority throughout my career so far. From Junior levels at the beginning of my career, right the way up to head of design. They say ‘fake it ‘til you make it’, but at what cost?

Some moves have been more calculated than others on this journey but they’ve all taught me something about the differing levels of seniority as a designer.

This article touches on my own experience of knowing when to take that step up, understanding the middle ground between practitioner and leader and how to ensure you provide value in both of roles.

Understanding the shift

When the transition comes upon you and you get that step up into junior or middle management as I have, it’s because your business or a new employer has seen something in you that makes them think “...they’ve got what it takes!”. It’s important to take stock of the change and how the expectations of you shift.

A big factor in the role change is the becoming less of the individual contributor and doing less on the tools in favour of being moved into a more strategic role leading projects. Truth be told probably already done this before the step, but it’s that shift from providing impact, to being responsible for other’s impact which is important. The power is no longer at your fingertips.

One of the first things that folks think about when they move into these positions is the responsibility of managing people. Being responsible for other’s career paths and their development is a super daunting experience, but it’s the one element of this shift I appreciate the most. Seeing someone prosper and take strides forward based on your coaching is the most fulfilling element of this transition.

But, I’ve read it many times in books like ‘Making a Manager’ by Julie Zhou and ‘Radical Candour’ by Kim Scott, and it’s true; the step up doesn’t just change the perception of your superiors, it changes the perceptions from your peers too. They’re still your colleagues and perhaps even friends, but it’s not how it used to be. Tough calls will have to be made and trade offs to be had.

One of the transition points I’ve grappled with throughout this journey most is the type of leader I want to be. I’ve read so much about leadership styles and the aspirational and driven side of my personality wants to be the visionary leader, the transformational kind who builds the ship, gets my team aboard and sets sail towards a rosy vision. In truth, I’m quite shy and reserved at times and one thing that I’ve had to get comfortable with is how I work against this in favour of becoming the leader I want to be.

The Skills to build

Time management

One of the things I’ve come to learn (sometimes the hard way) is that protecting time is one of the biggest weapons in your artillery for being most effective. You almost have 2 jobs now, leader and practitioner, make time for both, don’t context switch and chop and change. It will be the death of you. I now mark out in my calendar project time and team leadership time which basically tells the relevant people when I’ll be available to them and when to politely fuck off.

One time constraint to consider which no one tells you about is admin. Now you’re in a position of more responsibility, those around you will be reliant on you to move things forward on their behalf like holiday requests and reports and the like. Build time into your protected time (meta I know) for this.

Understanding your team

If you have line reports give them time and understand their aspirations, frustrations and get to know them. Fundamentally you both benefit from having a productive and close relationship. Ensure that you can be open and honest with one another, you don’t want to be blowing smoke up one another’s arse as everyone loses if that happens.

Feedback and communication is core to building an understanding. Active listening in 121’s and asking relevant and informative questions helps form a mutual trust and improves your ability to recognise their emotions. All of this inspires your line reports to be open and honest with you. Feedback, just like communication, is a two way street. The question I ask at the end of each 121 with my line reports is ‘is there anything else I can be doing for you?’ because I always want to know how I can be better.

Mentorship and coaching

Give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man a fish, he eats for life. The old adage which is so poignant here as sometimes you’ll have to do both. Coaching and mentoring are brilliant tools which, to determine the use of both in the right scenario can motivate and empower the people around you. 

Delegation

Essential for expanding your impact. Effective delegation isn't just offloading tasks; it's about trusting and empowering your team. Match tasks to individual skills and growth opportunities, clearly define desired outcomes and context, and provide the necessary autonomy and support. Resist micromanagement, but be available for guidance. Learn to accept different approaches and focus on results. Crucially, follow up with constructive feedback to reinforce learning and build trust.

Stakeholder management

You're now a vital link between different parts of the organisation. Understand that stakeholders (like product managers and engineers) have varied priorities. Communicate clearly and tailor your message to their needs, emphasising the business value of design. Proactively advocate for design and user-centered approaches. Build trust by consistently delivering quality work and being transparent. Actively listen to their concerns, manage expectations realistically, and position yourself as a collaborative problem-solver working towards shared goals.

Looking forward (conclusion)

The transition to design leadership is a rewarding journey,it’s a bumpy road, but it allows you to have a broader impact on products, teams, and organizations. This sounds corny as fuck, but it together with finishing my apprenticeship in leadership & management, it has genuinely been a journey of self realisation that makes you positively question yourself.

I’ll be continuing this series of design leadership blogs over the next few month based on my experiences and sharing the highs and lows.