10 character traits of an effective design leader
When you’re a leading design, you're in the spotlight by default. Cultivate these traits whether you’re a current or aspiring design leader.
When the management-level role was thrust upon me, I felt the impending weight of responsibility. I always had a manager who I reported to over the years, but they were never in my domain of design. They weren’t a design leader.
That’s fine and all, but I was at the start of building a design team. I would have the opportunity to get geeky with the craft, but more importantly I would be able to relate to them in terms of the greater design struggles in a business environment.
I found there are universal character traits that make for an effective leader. When you flavor these with the empathy of having been a designer you magnify the effect.
As the team grew, it worked exceptionally well. There’s a big difference between leadership theory and the everyday lab. A person leading a design team who knows Design is going to connect with team members on the nuances of the job. Likely because they also lived through the same struggles and successes.
For those who aren’t leading a design team, you can become this person in how you step up in the day to day product team work. Future design leaders are those who develop these traits years before they step into the role.
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Lead on!
