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Finding Our Way cover image

39: Reflections on the State of Design Leadership (Season 3 finale)

Finding Our Way

NOTE

Importance of Understanding Expectations and Asking Hard Questions in Design Roles

They're there. Obviously they want this. They wouldn't put this role together if they didn't want it to succeed, but many companies just have no idea what they're getting when they're getting design./nThey still think primarily I'm getting someone who can help make my design engine go./nIf you have designs that are more impactful, more strategic, more cultural, more organizational, and you step into an environment where the expectation is creating a wire frame engine that mismatch is going to be difficult./nYou should feel comfortable./nYou should feel, I don't know, in the right in asking hard questions of your prospective employer./nTo make sure that you feel like they are setting you up for success./nYou should be able to ask for things like headcount before you get hired./nLike, okay, you're hiring me at this level. What is the team? As a condition of hiring, I'm going to need five more headcount, ten more headcount. That kind of stuff is totally reasonable./nAnd we'll demonstrate their willingness to commit to you and the role and the function./nIf you're not willing to do that, that's a red flag./nThat's a warning sign that they don't necessarily understand what it is they're asking for./nOf course, you have to make the case for that headcount. Sure./nAnd that might mean doing the diligence to understand enough about their organization./nHopefully, you're doing that diligence as you're considering a job like this somewhere./nBecause you do have some responsibility to yourself up for success./nBut it reminds me a little bit of that conversation we had with Denise Jacobs around creativity./nAnd one of the things that she's often frustrated with from designers, designers don't do the work coaching the people they're showing their work to for the nature of the feedback they need./nAnd it's not up to the non-designers to know how to give you good feedback./nThey don't know how that. That's not their.../nAnd so, you as the designer have to say, this is the kind of thing that's going to help me make this design better.

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