DESIGN

LEADERSHIP

E-BOOK
PAGE 2 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

INDEX

03 ECHOS
38 JOURNEY AS
A LEADER

05 DESIGN IS
LEADERSHIP
39 FINAL TIPS

13 WHAT IS DESIGN
LEADERSHIP? 40 ECHOS COURSES

17 THE EXPERT’S
POINTS OF VIEW
42 WHAT INSPIRES US

26
WHAT GOOD DESIGN
LEADERSHIP CAN
ACCOMPLISH
PAGE 4 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

Echos is a global innovation

lab driven by design

Our mission is to elevate the potential of design: shaping

the next generation of innovators, designing futures and
transforming realities.

Echos has three business verticals: Innovation Projects,

School of Design Thinking, and Echos’ Ventures.

our purpose_

We believe that innovation only happens through people,

and that every problem and solution carries in it a decisive
human-factor. It is from this perspective that we design
new realities.
Design has the power to transform realities and build
desirable futures. We are the designers of invisible things.
We design change, transformation, culture, behaviour,
services, processes, business models and learning
experiences.
Shaping the next generation of innovators
by unleashing the power of design through
Design has a potential to leverage innovation and make a learning experiences
positive impact in the world.

Helping organisations become more innovative

whilst building a desirable future. We accelerate
cultural change and build new products and services.

Venture building to transform realities by adding

design at the core of every company creation.
PAGE 5

DESIGN
LEADERSHIP
EBOOK

“DESIGN IS
LEADERSHIP”
PAGE 6 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

DESIGN IS LEADERSHIP
EXPLORING NEW TRENDS
I N T H E I N D U S T R Y BY JULIANA PROSERPIO

The design industry has reached a new level

of maturity. Over the past months companies
have pivoted, adapted and defined new
business models. This was possible because
of design. Designers have met their moment
in history, equipped with the skills that the
next world needs.
PAGE 7

INT
RO AN INTRO TO DESIGN
LEADERSHIP
PAGE 8 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

The design industry has reached a new level of maturity.

Over the past 12 months companies have pivoted, adapted
and defined new business models. This was possible because
of design. Designers have met their moment in history,
equipped with the skills that the next world needs.

However, with great success, comes great responsibility.

Teams have grown, financial investment has increased and
most importantly the door to the c-suite is standing open.

How as designers do we manage these opportunities? How

do we grow creative environments to attract top talent?
How do we consistently deliver quantifiable results for our
projects?

The answers to these questions are unfolding in real time

around the world as designers test new limits and explore
new horizons of what is possible. We have begun exploring
the exciting new leadership trends that have emerged as we
design our new place in the future.

_ JULIANA PROSERPIO
PAGE 9

COMPETITIVE DESIGN PARITY

Design has reached a new level of sophistication in the marketplace. The design of anything from
the facade of a shop front, to a logo or an app has reached equal levels of appeal. Design around the
world has matured and through this process of growth and rapid adaptation it has begun to reach
parity. It is visually pleasing, highly functional and looks very similar.

This is both a blessing and a curse. Good design is no longer a nice to have. It is seen as business
critical for success. However, there is a problem when everyone has equally good design. It begins
to look the same and indistinguishable from each other.

Designers need to push their products and services to new levels to delight their audiences. The
expectations have risen and now designers need to use their leadership skills to not only push the
envelope, but to explain why this push is necessary. Designers need to upskill, not only to create
more impactful outputs but to find the right support across the organisation to get it over the line.

BET TER WAYS TO

MEASURE IMPACT

A recent report from Abstract states that, “57% their organisation expects them to measure and
report their team’s outcomes. 58% of design leaders said the ability to measure and quantify the
impact of their team’s work would make design more valuable at the organisational level, and 63%
of design leaders said that measuring and reporting results is “very important” to communicating
the value of time spent.”

The problem is there are very few standardised processes for measuring the true impact of design.
This means that design leaders and teams are collecting quantitative and qualitative data without
formalised systems for conveying the impact or meaning of the research. This means that design
leaders are creating their own processes. With the continuing evolution of design maturity within
organisations the time to work globally to create new systems and approaches has never been
more important.
PAGE 10 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

RAPID TEAM GROWTH

The same report from Abstract indicates that as different specialisations of designers have become
more niche, the size of the teams have grown. Their growth indicates that 3 out of 4 designers
said they plan to add up to 5 new people to their team this year. In our own research we heard
design leaders saying they were hiring from 10 to 50 new designers in one go to their teams.

Competition is fierce. With this growth comes more complexity within design teams themselves.
There are additional considerations within the hiring process. The design industry job market is hot
and many organisations are struggling to fill open positions. This means that traditional methods
for hiring and acquiring talent are not as effective. As design leaders growing and integrating the
right team has become more complex. This means that having a global network of professionals to
learn from and source talent from are becoming even more critical.

A FOCUS ON REMOTE
CREATIVITY

In the new normal of design, teams are working in new ways. Some teams are able to work in
person, some are distributed remotely, and some are a hybrid of both. Regardless of how teams
are coming together, a renewed focus on creativity is becoming critical.

Design leaders are learning how to create, grow and nurture teams in new ways. They understand
that the glue that holds these teams together is their shared love of creativity. It is also expanding
the importance of creativity in the role of design itself.

Designers are in hot demand as their influence expands within organisations. Design leaders are
discovering new ways to retain their current team members and attract new talent. As a design
leader, it is critical to create an environment for teams to thrive, shine and unleash their creative
potential.

Design leaders are now investigating new ways to successfully integrate hybrid and remote
teams. They are developing processes that allow all their teams to flourish and create further
opportunities for their careers.
PAGE 11

CHANGED SERVICE OFFERINGS

Traditionally the role of a designer was defined by what type they were, and the output they
produced. For example, a service designer may work primarily in research and produce customer
journey maps. Things have changed and the role and outputs have been transformed as the
influence of design is recognised as critical for any business looking to grow.

Designers are now being asked to solve the big sticky problems of the world. Something they
have been longing to do their whole careers. Designers are equipped with the curiosity and skills
necessary to go out and innovate.

Designers have been asking to perform at the more strategic levels of government, organisations
and society for years. However, now with so many people, projects and problems to consider it can
feel overwhelming.

This is how design leadership is creating forward momentum. A good leader uses their team’s
curiosity, capabilities and creativity to get strategic and start thinking big. The world is hungry
for design and the design industry needs new leaders to step up to the challenge and create the
solutions of the future.

AI IS CHANGING DESIGNERS

The scope of what can be designed is being expanded by artificial intelligence. The future of how
designers will work with AI is just beginning and full of exciting new potential.

Cognitive experience design is one of these new avenues. CognitiveXD or CXD can be described
as the practice of using artificial intelligence technologies to reduce the human mental effort and
time required to complete a task. Desired Podcast guest Joanna Peña-Bickley, head of Research &
Design for Alexa Devices at Amazon, is a design leader who is working at the cutting edge of this
technology.
PAGE 12 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

“CXD IS THE ART OF

E M PAT H E T I C A L LY R E S P E C T I N G A N
I N D IVI D UA L’ S T I M E A N D C H O I C E S
WHILE BALANCING THE SCIENCE OF
CRAFTING DATA INTO INTELLIGENT
INDIVIDUALISED EXPERIENCES THAT
LEAD CONSCIOUS DECISIONS.”

_ JOANNA PEÑA

You can listen to Joanna Peña on our podcast Desired:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2U9ez5KH5dFk5DeRXDEUVL?si=55094fc6c5bb400e

Generative design also uses AI but focuses on creating processes that design themselves with
minimal human guidance. It leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to turn design
processes into thousands of options by simply defining the problem. The process creates and then
refines options based on previous iterations.

As AI takes on the role of designer in the future, the role of the human is that of leader within the
machine human relationship. While these trends are still emerging the ultimate direction is clear.
The future will favor a designer who is actively progressing their own leadership journey.

LEADING WITH CONFIDENCE

We are living in a liminal space, a time between time. We are leaving behind our old ways of living
and working and entering a new one. It is becoming incredibly clear that the role of designer will
be a leader through this transition.

It has never been more important for designers to prepare for the next steps in their career. As a
design leader we will be asked to step forward and define not only what design is and can achieve,
but what impact design can have on the world.

The 21rst century will be defined by the changes the world goes through. Design can and does
create positive change. As an industry we must become diplomats of change and grow the influence
of design within organisations.
PAGE 13

THESE DAYS WE
HEAR A LOT ABOUT
DESIGN LEADERS,
BUT THE TERM IS

LEADERSHIP?
OFTEN VAGUE AND
OFTEN LEADS TO
CONFUSION.

W H AT R E A L LY I S
THE PURPOSE OF
A DESIGN LEAD-
ER? WHAT DO THEY
A C T U A L LY D O F O R
ORGANISATIONS?
WHAT IS
DESIGN

While this e-book will go into more

depth about the role and responsibilities
of design leaders, a simple way to begin
thinking about them is that they are a
combination of managers, visionaries
and practitioners. Design leaders
are able to switch between different
tasks and roles; such as helping to
build a broad design vision for their
organisation, having the understanding
of how best to manage a design team
and having the ability to act as a design
practitioner in order to maintain and
teach best practices within their team.
PAGE 14 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

WHO IS A DESIGN LEADER?

HOW DO YOU USE IT IN AN ORGANISATION?
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF DESIGN LEADERSHIP?

They are a master of their particular field of design.

WHO IS A DESIGN LEADER?
For example, if they are designing for the digital
A design leader knows how to deal with ambiguity space, they excel at digital design. They can clearly
and creating new things. They become a master in articulate value and act like a diplomat for design
writing new solutions, solving complex problems and inside an organisation or with external partners
helping the team achieve the best results possible, and peers. They work to create opportunities to
regardless of what they are designing. They provide design solutions collaboratively with other business
a space for divergence for creativity and free flowing units. They inject design into every conversation to
conceptualisation without adhering strictly to a open strategic doors to start influencing internal
process. On the other hand they also know when to working culture. They work to bring diverse bodies
hold the space for divergence. They can be very agile of knowledge together to create dynamic working
and quick to move towards a final delivery. environments. A design leader understands how to
create a creative ecosystem for problem solving.

HOW DO YOU USE IT IN AN the product team. Or the design and the engineering
ORGANISATION? team. It is a methodology by which the design team
becomes attached to different business units for
Design leadership used within organisations collaboration and cross pollination of ideas. It must
creates new opportunities for ‘yeses’, new forms of become best practice to keep the design team dynamic
collaboration and allows new types of people to step and interacting at all levels of the organisation. In
up to take on a leadership role. But how does this all other words, design is too important to be left with
work within a business environment? only designers. Design should influence the ethics of
a company. It should help define where data is used
The core idea is to never design alone. For example or collected. It should define how users interact with
some problems will require collaborations between digital interfaces. Design should always be done in
the design and the marketing team. Or the design and collaboration with other expertise and knowledge

THE BENEFITS OF DESIGN style of infusing design and leadership into every
LEADERSHIP level of an organisation is opening previously closed
‘No’ doors with open ‘Yeses’. The power of diverse and
Cross pollination, openness to creativity and radical different minds working together to create change is
approaches to problem solving can open many doors almost unquantifiable and the first step to achieving
for businesses and organisations. The benefits of this these results is to become an advocate for design
 PAGE 15

WHY DESIGN LEADERSHIP

MATTERS?

Most organisations are starting to catch up to the importance of design within strategic and
innovation parts of their businesses, however executives often find it hard to know just how to
actually use design to its fullest potential. Part of the problem is due to a poor understanding of
how design can actually affect an organisation and how best to evaluate the investment needed
to create strong design capabilities. The other part of the problem is due to these organisations
struggling to find design leaders.
_ BY DANIEL IERACI

One fault is the lack of specialised being utilised properly and of their organisation and help
programs to help turn designers don’t fall prey to the many prob- envision the company’s future
into leaders, as well as a general lems that often appear without through a better use of design.
difficulty in knowing where to proper leadership; such as being
look as a designer for help in mak- underutilised, lead in the wrong The time to start building leader-
ing this transition. ship skills is now. Individuals who
currently hold the roles of team
Companies that truly tap into champion, product owner, lead
the value of design see amazing product designer or other lead
DESIGN AND
results, including revenue growth design roles are well placed to join
INNOVATION IS
and high returns on investments, NO LONGER A the C-suite of the future and inte-
sometimes doubling those of NICE TO HAVE FOR grate design methodologies into
their industry competitors. BUSINESSES WHO the fabric of their organisations.
WISH TO FLOURISH IN
T H E ‘ N EXT N O R M A L’
The ironic part is that the major- Before examining the specific
AND BEYOND.
ity of companies today typ- skill sets required for developing
ically aren’t utilising design design leadership, it is important
properly and are missing out on to look at the foundational traits
this untapped potential. direction and suffering low that emerging design leaders are
morale as a result already using in their work.
And for companies that already
have design and innovation It’s the job of the design leader
departments, design leader- to share the value of design’s
ship helps to ensure that they’re transformative power to the rest
PAGE 16 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

Abilities such as: new ways of working and open workflows and acting in a project
communication. management capacity.
- Finding and framing opportuni-
ties for the use of design within a Design is one of the most power- Design leadership, on the other
project or business unit. ful tools we have to transform our hand, focuses on finding the space
businesses, societies and govern- of opportunity for a project or a
- Adoption of new approaches for ments. All industries must start team. A design leader knows how
seeing and understanding cus- developing their design leader- to create the conditions for a new
tomer demands and the vision to ship capacity. The time to build reality or new solution to emerge.
generate innovative and mean- the skills of the future is today. It is about creating the conditions
ingful solutions. to make the project happen. If a
TRADITIONAL leader needs to get the team to
- Effective management of teams LEADERSHIP participate, they will facilitate it.
and time frames. Enhancing the If it means providing more infra-
X
company’s expertise by develop- structure, the leader will make it
DESIGN
ing skills across teams. happen. If more access to tech-
LEADERSHIP nology is needed, then the leader
- Communicate equally with will focus on achieving that.
executives and teams. Engage Traditional leadership is very Design leadership focuses on pro-
the organisation in the construc- good at creating structures and viding the conditions for the cre-
tion of a clear path to reach- processes that are built on rep- ativity to thrive, for new ideas to
ing a desirable future, built on lication. It focuses on manage- emerge and to achieve high levels
ment skills such as organising of design and deliver impact.

“TO LEAD IS TO ENVISION THE

F U T U R E A N D T H E N S Y S T E M AT I C A L LY
WORK TO REALISE THE VISION. THAT
I S E XA C T LY W H AT D E S I G N E R S - AT
THEIR BEST - ARE DOING EVERYDAY.
LEADERSHIP AND DESIGN ARE BOTH
PROCESSES OF SOCIAL INFLUENCE
THAT AIM TO MANIFEST A VISION OF
WHAT IS POSSIBLE.”

_MAU MC24 - BRUCE MAU’S 24 PRINCIPLES FOR DESIGNING MASSIVE CHANGE

IN YOUR LIFE AND WORK.

You can listen to Bruce Mau on our podcast Desired:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2toVoEsLhuJznZZUzKUnI8?si=a108a5e83b944df0
PAGE 17

THE

EXPERT’S
POINTS OF VIEW

Design can have a huge impact on the bottom

line of a business, but it cannot fully realise this
impact and profitability without mature design
leadership embedded into the organisation.
This challenge is one that can be overcome
through proper management of design teams
and the nurturing of design leadership within
the organisation as a whole. An organisation must have a high degree of
design maturity embedded not only within its
design team but the entire organisation from
the C level and upper management down.

WE INTERVIEWED SOME OF
THE MOST RENOWNED DESIGN
LEADERS, WHO ARE ALSO
GLOBAL AND LOCAL LEADERS
FROM THE DESIGN LEADERSHIP
PROGRAM.
PAGE 18 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE

MAKES A GOOD
DESIGN LEADER?

A good design leader needs to be interested in

understanding other people’s perspectives. “What
is happening in this other person’s head?” needs to
be a burning, energising question that leads them
to actively try to understand their team, the people
they’re designing for, and their stakeholders.

INDI YOUNG
Founder of Adaptive Path
Design Leadership Masterclass
Topic: Listening deeply

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WHAT CAN DESIGN

PROBLEMS DESIGN LEADERS BRING TO AN
LEADERS FACE? ORGANISATION THAT
OTHERS CAN’T?
I think one of the biggest problems is this time pressure
that we all seem to face, whether it’s driven by market
What I hope that design leaders will bring to their
pressure, stakeholder interests, or funding needs. It’s
organisation is an intentional interest in perspectives
a tough one to deal with, because doing good design,
from outside the typical, the average, or the way the
especially design that takes many perspectives into
team themselves see it. Other people’s perspectives
account, requires time. You can’t just pull a rabbit out of
are what build a solid foundation for inclusive designs.
a hat. It takes time not only to understand how to create
the design, but to understand the people that you’re
A willingness to use those perspectives as a lens
designing for, and how that informs the design itself.
through which to view the product is crucial if we want
to design products that create positive outcomes for
the people that interact with them. And design leaders
are uniquely positioned to open the doors to deep
understanding of the people their organisation seeks
to support.
PAGE 19

INDI YOUNG
Founder of Adaptive Path
Design Leadership Masterclass Topic: Listening deeply

WHAT ROLE DOES DEEP LISTENING PLAY FOR A

DESIGN LEADER?

Deep listening is how you understand other perspectives.

It’s the foundational skill for understanding your team and creating an atmosphere where they can operate
together well. It’s crucial for bringing in outside perspectives and understanding the problem you’re trying
to solve. And it’s the best possible way to get a window into your stakeholders’ minds.

HOW CAN DESIGNERS HOW WOULD YOU

PREPARE FOR A DESIGN DEFINE DESIGN
LEADERSHIP ROLE? LEADERSHIP?

A good design leader needs to be interested in. I think A design leader needs to be someone who is
for anybody moving up in their career, there must be interested in people and their own approaches
an acknowledgment that we’re all figuring this out to their purposes, as much as they are interested
together. You won’t and can’t possibly have all the in solutions. We spend so much of our attention
answers all the time. You don’t have to be right to solving problems. Design leaders need to be able
be a leader. In fact, very few of the situations you’ll to take a step back from the solution and take a
encounter will be ones where you immediately know really deep look at the problem.
the right thing to do. Cultivate a mindset that lets you
adapt to situations as they arise, and leave space for
yourself to find the right approach.
PAGE 20 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE

MAKES A GOOD
DESIGN LEADER?

If we talk specifically about leadership, I believe the

essence can be found in two core skills: vision and
people. With vision I refer to the ability to create a
clear, potential future that goes far enough, and that
is able to converge the needs of the business and the
needs of the users in a way that is useful, effective, and
inspiring. With people I refer to the ability to create a
positive environment of trust, where individuals feel
safe, motivated, and can grow.

Senior Director & Head of Product

ERIN CASALI
Design at Automattic
Design Leadership Masterclass
Topic: Feedback for your team
and product

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WHAT CAN DESIGN

PROBLEMS DESIGN LEADERS BRING TO AN
LEADERS FACE? ORGANISATION THAT
OTHERS CAN’T?
The true answer to this question I believe it’s very
contextual to the specific company one is working in:
Design of course! Design leadership is able to
there are wonderful cultures and cultures that instead
elevate the decision making and ability to visualize
have just moved the first steps in understanding design.
a pragmatic vision from the execution level to
The job in these two extremes can be radically different:
the strategic level, which translates to a series of
one is of a player within the strategy, the other is of a
strategic advantages for the organisation: insightful
pioneer creating a new discipline and culture.
research to identify needs and issues earlier, faster
innovation, exploration of potential futures without
Then we have the problematic idea that “design” means
the added cost of development and maintenance,
that a design leader has also to be a player. While this
creation of delightful and effective experiences to
is a need in a small startup, the so called role of player/
gain competitive advantage, and the kind of attention
coach is something unacceptable in larger organisations,
to details that design brings.
and often points to a misunderstanding on what a design
leader does.
PAGE 21

ERIN CASALI
Senior Director & Head of Product Design at Automattic
Design Leadership Masterclass Topic: Feedback for your team and product

WHAT ROLE DOES FEEDBACK PLAY FOR A DESIGN

LEADER?

Feedback is essential in many roles, but for a design leader it’s even more a skill that needs to be grown
because it’s useful in many design and leadership specific activities, from coordination to workshops to
specific product critique. The ability to give contextual, insightful, and well structured feedback doesn’t
just help creating better products, but also helps growing people in the team — the whys behind every
request adds clarity and understanding each time. Specifically knowing how to gather feedback effectively
plays an incredibly powerful role in decision making and change management.

HOW CAN DESIGNERS HOW WOULD YOU

PREPARE FOR A DESIGN DEFINE DESIGN
LEADERSHIP ROLE? LEADERSHIP?

In my experience growing and coaching design leads, On top of the core of leadership about vision
the hardest thing to do is to accept that “leadership” is and people, the additional element that
a different job. It’s still grounded in all the knowledge of characterises design leadership is the one
a designer, but it’s regardless an entirely different job. of creating a pragmatic connection between
Once this point is acknowledged, one is unblocked by the strategy and execution. When the high level
realisation of all the new skills that need to be acquired, direction needs to get tactical, a solid design
and that one should work more on delegation and discipline is able to efficiently show that
organisation, and not on design execution. The design potential future, and thus helping both to
work shifts in focus from the product to the organisation refine the strategy, as well as getting sharper
shaping the product. and less wasteful execution.
PAGE 22 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE

MAKES A GOOD
DESIGN LEADER?

I think a good design leader is empathetic: both to

the Client and her/his team. The ability to listen and
understand people’s needs and goals can ensure the
best environment to work thus the best effects. I
believe that a good leader is a person whom people
want to follow, whom they can trust no matter what, a
role model, someone who leads by example.

NATALIA Creative Director at Huge

ĆWIEK
Design Leadership Masterclass Topic: setting up a
design practice and a design team

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE WHAT CAN DESIGN

DESIGN LEADERSHIP? LEADERS BRING TO AN
ORGANISATION THAT
Design leadership is the ability to question boundaries,
OTHERS CAN’T?
always be a step ahead of the game, and be able to
bring the best out of people and projects. It’s to always
Oh! That’s a tough one. I think a different level of
want to crush every task.
sensitivity and out-of-the-box approach to day-to-
day challenges. Design leaders should bring passion,
innovation, and constant strive for making stuff better.
PAGE 23

NATALIA ĆWIEK
Creative Director at Huge
Design Leadership Masterclass Topic:
setting up a design practice and a design team

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HOW CAN DESIGNERS

PROBLEMS DESIGN PREPARE FOR A DESIGN
LEADERS FACE? LEADERSHIP ROLE?

Design leaders constantly need to step out of their I think one of the most common mistakes is
comfort zone, at the same time knowing how to pick thinking that leadership skills come naturally with
their fights. The world and the industry are changing experience in design. The thing is that there are
all the time, so we have to keep elevating craft, getting people who do not aim to lead teams, projects,
to know new media and technologies to be up to date, to be a leader. But, if someone is into it, they will
and be able to tackle every task with the appropriate learn by shadowing, stepping up to tasks that are
solution. We have to make sure designers feel slightly above their skills. They need to focus not
challenged and motivated to grow and make the best only on the craft but focus on soft skills in parallel.
work of their lives.
PAGE 24 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE

MAKES A GOOD
DESIGN LEADER?

A good design leader does the job, but a great design

leader inspires and rallies teams behind them that want
to do the best they can to support their vision. It’s not
just charisma, but trust that must exist between the
leader, their teams, and their stakeholders. Of course
great leaders come with experience, they have been
in the trenches and can zoom into specific details,
speak the vocabulary, and can just as easily zoom back
out to communicate (elegantly) to clients, peers and
stakeholders the value and process of design. Great
leaders also have a warmth and personality that doesn’t
carry the title “leader” with them. They speak to you as
if they are your sibling as opposed to your parent. They

PHIL have a command of language, not in an orator’s sense,

but in the way they deliver information to and from

BALAGTAS
different roles in an organisation. They can sell design
or defend it and when there is success they share it with
all the hardworking people who toiled away to achieve
it. When there is failure, they will swallow and absorb
the accountability. A great design leader is also really
President of The Design Futures Initiative
a reflection of each and every person in the design
Design Leadership Masterclass Topic:
organisation and embodies it with humility, pride and
designing futures
perseverance.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PROBLEMS DESIGN LEADERS FACE?

Some of the common problems design leaders may face today include the continued advocacy for design across
an organisation. While our craft and presence continues to mature and gain acceptance, we are unfortunately still
having to “sell” design. There are still many who think design is an afterthought or just a function of some product and
don’t realise it’s capacity to solve problems concerning processes and to strategise at much larger scales within an
organisation. Design leaders are also faced with challenges to manage upward or laterally. No matter where you are
in the leadership chain, there are always other leaders you need to communicate with, report to, or collaborate with.
Setting expectations and providing the right level of information so that your “boss” can continue to believe in you and
provide you with the proper resources to continue your job is essential.
PAGE 25

PHIL BALAGTAS
HOW CAN DESIGNERS PREPARE FOR A DESIGN LEADERSHIP ROLE?

I think the first step to prepare for design leadership is to take note of what you believe excellent leadership looks
like. When is the last time you felt inspired by someone and was ready to work your ass off to support that person’s
vision? Once you’re able to articulate why you felt that way and what motivated you to work so hard, you’ll be able
to begin your pathway to preparation for that role. You’ll also need to accept the fact that being a people leader
is very different from being an individual contributor, the responsibilities and communication structure and skills
differ greatly. You’ll have to learn how to project manage and while you may have some opportunities to “design’ in
the trenches, you’ll mostly need to be prepared to be a manager rather than architect. Shadowing great managers
and taking the time to set up 1:1’s to understand the job’s details are useful, but the logistical part of leadership
are just one facet. The hardest part is learning how to communicate at a different level, speaking and advocating
for design with different stakeholders, and learning how to manage teams are all best learned though (though
sometimes greuling) hands-on experience.

WH AT CA N D E S I G N L E A D E R S B R I N G TO A N O R G A N I S AT I O N
T H AT OT H E R S CA N ’ T ?

We are in an era where there are more design leaders at the table than ever before. If you truly have risen
through the ranks you represent a critical role in the organisation. Therefore you are the design team’s
cheerleader and representative as well as their manager. Design leaders can bring the empathy, expertise and
knowledge of the process and communicate the business value of design to any type of client or stakeholder.
While we may have a seat at the table it doesn’t necessarily mean our job is easy and that everyone listens.
We have the opportunity to elevate the necessity for design and shepherd it’s success through the entire
organisation. Where there is doubt we can deliver comfort. Where there is ambiguity we can deliver clarity
(through data and user-centered research and testing)

WH Y I S DE SIGNING FUTU RES I M PORTAN T TO D ESI GN LEAD ER S?

We are still in an era where designing futures is a different, or sometimes “new” term. However, we have
always been “designing” the future; it’s just our methods are continuing to evolve. As designers we are
responsible for creating and solving problems while continuing to understand the rapidly changing landscape
of technology, politics, and culture in today’s world. As we are asked to solve more diverse, wicked problems,
we must continue to adapt and challenge our own thinking and processes so that we can meet those demands.
We are seeing more designers involved in strategy, from business to product life cycles. And even now, in the
midst of the COVID pandemic, we must continue to assist in developing new ways to deal with society-level
uncertainties and the ambiguity that the future may bring. We have been tested and have seen how critical
systems have failed us, yet we have also seen how the human spirit can propel us to survive. Doesn’t design
deserve a role in carving out new futures that look beyond the immediate tomorrow? We must look beyond
agile futures and devise new ways to think about the long-term possibilities that we can participate in.
 PAGE 26 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE

MAKES A GOOD
DESIGN LEADER?

I believe that pride is the greatest occupational hazard

in design. So with that in mind, I believe that humility
— first and foremost — is key to what makes a design
leader good. The willingness and ability to own mistakes
or to admit when you are lacking in expertise in an area
of human-centered design is key for igniting curiosity
and the initiative required to explore it. I also think that
a good design leader knows how to lift as they climb,
they know how to be both an advocate and sponsor of
someone else’s career, and they’re more interested in
the success of the collective than their own.

VIVIANNE
CASTILLO
Founder at HmntyCntrd

WHAT ROLE DOES WHAT CAN DESIGN

CREATING IMPACT PL AY LEADERS BRING TO AN
FOR A DESIGN LEADER? ORGANISATION THAT
OTHERS CAN’T?
The greatest way a design leader can create impact is
to allow their team to have both the opportunities for Curiosity and an ethical & moral compass to the
impact and the praise and recognition for achieving it. business.
PAGE 27

VIVIANNE CASTILLO
Founder at HmntyCntrd

HOW CAN DESIGNERS PREPARE FOR A DESIGN

LEADERSHIP ROLE?

Learning and knowing how to influence and persuade stakeholders with decision-making power will be key in
your role, both in advocating for the needs of your team and in advocating for the people who will engage with
the experiences you help to create. I’d recommend designers to read, listen to, or watch material on topics like
persuasion, understanding power dynamics, how to influence, and how to genuinely build trust and safety in
organisational settings. While these may be labeled as “soft” skills, I assure you that these are foundational skills.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE

PROBLEMS DESIGN DESIGN LEADERSHIP?
LEADERS FACE?
Design leadership is the ability to elevate the skills,
talents, and achievements of others over your
One of the biggest problems that I currently see
own. Design leadership is the ability to get the
today, is that design leaders aren’t always supported
business and capitalistic side of an organisation
in holistically caring for their team. On the other side
to prioritize and care about the humanity of their
of 2020, there is a greater awareness around the
end users and customers. Design leadership
lack of humanity at both the societal and corporate
doesn’t perpetuate frivolous arguments on
organisational level. We’re tired. We’re traumatized.
Twitter because they’re more concerned with the
We’re burned out. And it’s up to design leaders to
design community moving towards community
learn how to implement a more trauma-informed
over their own desire to secure their relevance.
approach to work so that people can have more
Design leadership requires you to evaluate the
sustainable careers advocating for folks in profit-
barriers and resistances to cultural humility
driven organisations and entities.
and competencies & to then take initiative over
your own learning journey to overcome what
hindering your growth. Design leadership seeks
our accountability and welcomes feedback and
correction.
 PAGE 28 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE

MAKES A GOOD
DESIGN LEADER?

Promoting mutual understanding among people:

customers, users of the products, and/or members of
your team. Being a facilitator and a relevant actor in the
transfer of knowledge must be part of the daily life of
any leader.

Group Director at Fjord

SETH PÉREZ
Design Leadership - AMERICAS
leader | Discovering your strengths
and gaps as a leader

WHAT ROLE DOES WHAT CAN DESIGN LEADERS

CREATING IMPACT PL AY BRING TO AN ORGANISATION
FOR A DESIGN LEADER? THAT OTHERS CAN’ T ?

There is no infallible formula to be a good leader, but A systemic perspective on things - the world is complex
having clarity about our strengths and weaknesses and requires specialists who can interpret it and
brings us certainty about the type of leader we want communicate to make strategic decisions.
to be, which is a good starting point.
PAGE 29

SETH PÉREZ
Group Director at Fjord
Design Leadership - hispanic america leader
Discovering your strengths and gaps as a leader

HOW CAN DESIGNERS PREPARE FOR A DESIGN

LEADERSHIP ROLE?

Knowing the basics and respecting the space of the other disciplines beyond design, and perhaps the most
important thing: understanding how to interconnect the know-how of all of them through empathy.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE

PROBLEMS DESIGN DESIGN LEADERSHIP?
LEADERS FACE?
It is the exercise of growing your design and
management skills by making others grow, so that
We spend a lot of time being an expert in the use of tools
they take on the role that you have right now. It
and achieving projects with our own abilities, but we
might seem like competition, but I think that’s
seldom invest time in how to maximize the abilities of
collaboration.
others so as to go even further with good teamwork.
PAGE 30 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE

MAKES A GOOD
DESIGN LEADER?

I believe we’re witnessing a new paradigm of design

leadership emerge. One that doesn’t prize the design
leader as a singular visionary, but as someone who
cultivates collective imagination. Hello humility and
inquiry, goodbye hubris and overconfidence!

The best designer leaders excel at their craft. But they

view their role as holding space for cross-disciplinary
teams to tackle challenges. They set the conditions for
creative-problem solving, and as such–– they often
act in many other informal roles. They are facilitators:
framing conversations that lead to deeper insight or
new ideas. They are curious bridge builders: bringing
together various disciplines or communities. They are

MELANIE translators and storytellers: weaving together new

language and narratives that propel progress

KAHL What does this mean? Good design leaders put as much
care into the process as they do the product. And this
starts with how they build teams and culture. As a design
Senior Leader in Design, Facilitation
leader, I’ve found myself reaching for Brene Brown’s
& Partnership for Impact
work on brave leadership and the role of courage,
Design Leadership -
integrity, generosity, and belonging in the design studio.
AMERICAS leader

WHAT CAN DESIGN LEADERS BRING TO AN

ORGANISATION THAT OTHERS CAN’ T ?

I’ve spent a lot of time growing or advising design studios within larger organizations–– such as management
consultancies, corporations, or NGOs. One unique value that design studios & leaders add consistently is
the ability to spark creativity and deepen the collaborative muscles of colleagues. Design projects are often
the site for a new type of cross-disciplinary work. When set up with care, people of all backgrounds can
learn together and weave their knowledge into impactful work. These deeply collaborative projects build
trust, shared understanding, mutual learning, and creative confidence. This spirit can spread throughout
organizations in impactful ways that lead to future innovation and a more customer-centered culture.

As design leaders, we can design experiences to maximize mutual growth. And often, this has a legacy of
impact that is more transformative than any single project on the organization and business.
PAGE 31

MELANIE KAHL
HOW CAN DESIGNERS PREPARE FOR A DESIGN
LEADERSHIP ROLE?

The best preparation for design leadership is building your self-awareness. There are a lot of ways to build this
reflection muscle. Journaling. Reflecting with colleagues. Asking for feedback. Hiring a coach. But one of my favorite
ways is by cultivating a trusted community to learn and grow with. I was really lucky to have that in my early career
in Chicago. We had a group of early and mid career women that would meet, host topical potlucks, attend lectures,
and puzzle through our design practices together. 10 years later, I still find such richness in our relationships––
we’ve helped each other transition, pivot, and dust ourselves off. We’ve celebrated wins and mourned losses. We
also created brave relationships that ultimately made us more reflective, growth-oriented leaders. Now, I seek and
cultivate these communities of practice, formal and informal, wherever I go.

The other method? Bring spirit of exploration and immersion to the process of design leadership. Act as a sort of
anthropologist meets apprentice. Find people, regardless of sector or role, who embody the qualities you admire or
want to cultivate as a leader. Observe them in action. Ask questions. Roll-up your sleeves with them. And capture
what you’re learning. The notes I have from my early career have helped me understand leaders I’ve looked up to
(or not...) and what that looks like in action.

WHAT ROLE DOES ETHICS PLAY FOR A DESIGN LEADER?

Ultimately, the design leader is a steward of the work and its impact on people and planet. But what this looks like isn’t
always clearcut.

“Design” encapsulates a multitude of disciplines and has rapidly evolved alongside technology. Unlike long-established
professions such as medicine or law, there isn’t a shared code of ethics (such as the Hippocratic oath), carefully guarded
knowledge (think legal bar exam), or an advisory board that holds largely autonomous practitioners to account (like a
medical ethics committee). There are more established design professions, such as architecture or even engineering,
that have more formalized standards. But still––ethics in the practice is emergent. And design leaders are co-creating
it with communities and professionals.

Designers are in a position to play a profound role in more equitable and ethical futures– as design teams are often
interfacing with communities during research, framing problems, cultivating and selecting ideas, and putting them into
action. Getting smart about ethics, power, and equity is critical to stewarding these processes responsibly. We have
the opportunity to make design a tool for progress, rather upholding legacies of inequity (or destructive ignorance).

In my work, I’ve often learned from other professions. Before starting a research project on new PPE for Ebola first
responders, I called up an expert psychologist so our team could get smart about secondary trauma. At the start of
a new HIV pharmaceutical project, we took the same medical ethics course used by clinical trial administrators. We
can “borrow” best practices and integrate them into design. And increasingly, we co-create these frameworks. For
example, HCDExchange is a community of practice around designing for teen health. We gathered designers, public
health workers, young people, advocates, and funders to co-author an ethical framework that blended our unique
perspectives into a shared vision.
PAGE 32 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE

MAKES A GOOD
DESIGN LEADER?

A good design leader is a person who conveys in a clear

way what design, as a mindset, and as a practice, can
bring to the business.s

Besides that, a good design leader, as any good leader,

should provide the structure, guidance, clarity, support,
and the means for the team to understand and deliver
what is expected of them. But also the design leader
makes sure that his/her team grows, including at the
individual level.

LAURA
LORENZO
Chief Circular Officer & Founder at A Piece of
Lemon Cake
Design Leadership - APAC & EMEA leader

WHAT CAN DESIGN HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE

LEADERS BRING TO AN DESIGN LEADERSHIP?
ORGANIZATION THAT
Design leadership to me is bringing clarity to what
OTHERS CAN’T? design can do for the business as a mindset, and making
it also evident for the design community so designers
Design leaders bring healthy disruption, and a think beyond their job role description and grow as
new way to do things. They bring a fresh look to a professionals, thus bringing transformative change to
predictable reality. That could be uncomfortable the business by design.
and the organization may reject it firmly because it
challenges their status quo. A good design leader will
make that disruption worth investing in the business
by building the business case and showing quick wins
that will pave the road to trust rather than fear.
PAGE 33

LAURA LORENZO
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PROBLEMS DESIGN
LEADERS FACE?

One of the challenges that apply to almost every area of business is that more and more, what makes us a good
professional is less about what we learn in school, but rather what we learn during working hours, what we learn
from others, from books, from articles, or by attending conferences as a participant, but also as a speaker. And so, if
you don’t expose yourself to challenging jobs and projects, if you don’t step out of your comfort zone and try to share
what you have learned at fairs and conferences, whether large or small, then it will be very hard to develop and grow
the skills needed to become a leader.

More important than the natural ability anybody might have to be a leader, is the time that you have invested in your
development of skills, knowledge of your own field and of the world around you.

The other challenge is the market per se, which has a poor understanding of the value of design as a mindset. A
reason why this is, is because when we were design students of any design program, business was not on the syllabus.
Although this is slowly changing, the consequences of this gap are visible in the market. Designers struggle with
moving out from an operational design mindset to a strategic one. Plus, they struggle with explaining that difference
to the business world in a compelling way.

HOW CAN DESIGNERS PREPARE FOR A DESIGN

LEADERSHIP ROLE?

Being a leader means serving others, the business, your team,... and to serve others you need to be able to
understand others, and despite empathy being in our toolbox, at times, ego prevents many from becoming
good leaders.

Another important aspect oftentimes omitted along with empathy is that besides being a good listener and a
good observer, you need to understand what you are listening to, and that, in a business setting, means learning
how business works. That is especially important if you make crystal-clear to c-level the value of design to
business. This is one of the most relevant roadblocks in designers becoming good design leaders.

Another important skill that good design leaders should have is being good at storytelling. The reason why is
because design is perceived by non-designers as a job role, mostly related to creating beautiful, pixel-perfect,
smooth digital interactions, rather than a mindset. We know the power of telling a good story. We need to
master this skill to not only be able to explain this difference to the business, but also to buy in on our approach.

Finally, see how you can integrate new approaches and technologies into your practice. Be an active member
of other communities, don’t stay in your design comfort zone. Be an explorer and always engage with a curious
and humble learning spirit.
PAGE 34 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

WHAT GOOD DESIGN LEADERSHIP

CAN ACCOMPLISH

When design is implemented at the core To do this, the CEO Bracken Darrell took a
of an organisation, the results can be seemingly simple yet profoundly impactful
astounding. One such example of this is approach; take their $100 million R&D
Logitech, the company primarily known budget – most of which was then funding
for creating peripheral keyboard and new research on computer mice – and
mouse products for computers. When their spread it across new areas like Bluetooth
hardware concepts started becoming more speakers and teleconferencing systems to
and more integrated into laptops - which focus the business on becoming more of a
were slowly taking over the market - they lifestyle brand.
needed to innovate in order to survive.

BY PUTTING DESIGN AT THE CORE OF ALL THEIR

NEW PRODUCTS, LOGITECH SAW THEIR PROFITS
Q U A D R U P L E D A N D M U LT I P L I E D I T S S T O C K VA L U E BY
A FACTOR OF FIVE.
PAGE 35

In order to become an effective design leader, you’ll need to develop an entirely new set of skills. These skills aren’t
necessarily ones that you will have used a whole lot as a design practitioner, but with time and practice you can
embed these traits into your daily leadership toolkit.

TRANSPARENT WILLINGNESS EMPATHETIC

COMMUNICATION TO LEARN FROM EMOTIONAL
EVERYWHERE INTELLIGENCE
A part of being a design leader is
making sure tasks and problems Leadership isn’t about having It can be easy to get swept up in
are clearly defined. The clearer all the answers in a vacuum, it’s grand titles but being a leader
you make the problem, the better about learning from everyone means growing your empathy.
your designers will be at solving it. around you and growing in your Remember to see things from
Learn to collaborate with other de- knowledge. It’s important to have the perspective of the designers
cision makers to make sure briefs a growth mindset in a design reporting into you and try to
are clear and sharp to avoid issues leadership position as this will not understand their feelings. A good
further down the line. only help you evolve as a leader, design leader doesn’t treat their
but will help you to evolve your team like machines.
team, your business and even the
industry itself.

HUMILITY FUTURE FOCUSED ABILITY TO TRUST

VISION
Most jobs come with a sense of Being a design leader means
imposter syndrome, and being a A good design leader has a keen being more ‘hands off’ than you’re
design leader brings even more ability to look at what’s missing probably used to. You need to
of that with it. It’s important to in the present and what is likely trust your designers as much as
recognise that none of us are to happen in the near future; in possible and give them the time
perfect and we all make mistakes technology trends, business or and space needed to generate
on our path towards learning. As how people go about living their their solutions. It goes without
a design leader, remind yourself lives. A design leader can see saying, micro-management isn’t a
that your designers may have these gaps and help share their key trait of great design leaders.
unrealised potential and it’s your vision on how to get from A to Instead, become a resource for
job to help develop it. B. You could even say it’s about your designers to turn to when
learning to see the forest for the they need assistance and guidance
trees, as designers tend to start to help them do their best work.
off focusing on the details but over
time learn to have a broader focus.
PAGE 36 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

ARTICULATES THE VALUE OF DESIGN

a design leader must be confident to articulate the value of design as a diplomat,

an advocate and an architect. A design leader must be a diplomat who is attuned
to creating influence upwards, sideways and down to ensure design value is
articulated throughout an organisation. They must represent design in every
discussion, as well as listen to the concerns of others. As an advocate, a design
leader must conduct cross functional discussions, for example marketing, sales,
business development and clients, to advocate for the value of design. And finally,
they must be an architect, building the pipelines needed to keep communication
flowing internally and externally. A good architect will look for areas to repair and
identify what needs to be built to keep the communication strong.

ACTS AS A COACH

A design leader must also understand how to become a coach to get the best
out of their teams and externally with partners. In this respect they understand
how to zoom in on the needs of individual team members and zoom out on the
collective needs of teams or projects. A great design leader also understands
how to provide guidance in a constructive way.

This means understanding when to stop a project and do a reframe. When the
team is spinning its wheels, a good leader will find a different angle to keep
them moving forward. Coaching also means upholding high standards and
maintaining a culture of excellence.

COMMITTED TO THE LAST MILE OF DESIGN

The last mile of design is the most important part of any design project. It
demands a commitment to practice and for excellence in design. A project
should be pushed to the highest level of refinement that can be achieved. A
great design leader understands what good design is, executes on a clear vision
and understands the necessary methods to drive toward it.

A design leader has a clear definition of what good design is, whether it is, UX,
UI, technology, facilitation, strategy, research, user insights, testing and product
launches. For every aspect of a project a design leader will have access to design
principles and a library of examples that will help the project move towards the
highest levels of completion.
PAGE 37

A GOOD LEADER USES THEIR TEAM’S

CURIOSITY, CAPABILITIES AND CREATIVITY

TO GET STRATEGIC AND

START THINKING BIG
PAGE 38 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

J O U R N E Y A S

A DESIGN LEADER

Becoming a design leader brings with it several challenges, most

of which revolve around the need to develop a broader skill set
than that of a design practitioner. While it’s oftentimes true that
design leaders tend to do less actual design work, this isn’t always
the case. Many design leaders will still maintain their hands-on
approach, but will have to take on the additional roles of
managing other designers and as well as working more and more
on the broader design vision. It’s important for design leaders to
learn how to manage these new requirements in order to be the
most effective leaders and practitioners they can be.
PAGE 39

F I N A L

TIPS

INTERPRET TEAM BUILDING

Consider the language you use It’s important to have the right
around different stakeholders. How balance of technical and soft skills
you explain value to a designer might within your team. Keep these
be different to how you explain value kinds of factors in mind when
to an account manager or marketer, building out your team structure
so learn how to deliver information and remember to keep your eyes
to different audiences. open for talent even when you
don’t immediately need it, you
never know when you will!

OPERATIONALISE

Make sure your team continues

to move forward in their projects MANAGE
with clear processes. Design
feedback, project management Make sure you track your team’s
and collaboration with other performance in order to know how
departments are all vital roles of a best to coach them and develop
design leader. their full potential.

FORGE ALLIANCES

Make sure you build connections with other teams in your organisation to help foster a
better, collaborative environment. Not only will this help create smoothe processes for your
designers, but it allows you to evangelise the value of design to other teams who may not
immediately see it’s benefits.
PAGE 40 DESIGN LEADERSHIP E-BOOK Echos - School of Design Thinking

ECHOS
COURSES
DESIGN LEADERSHIP
LEARN FROM TOP GLOBAL AND REGIONAL LEADERS

DESIGN THINKING EXPERIENCE

LEARN NEW WAYS OF THINKING AND CREATING INNOVATION.

FACILITATION DESIGN
PREPARE YOURSELF TO DELIVER A COMPLETE , ENGAGING AND
IMPACTFUL EXPERIENCE .

DESIGN FUTURES
LEARN NEW WAYS OF THINKING AND CREATING DESIRABLE FUTURES .

DESIGN THINKING ONLINE (SELF -PACED )

LEARN THE MINDSETS AND SKILLS TO BECOME AN INNOVATOR.

BUSINESS DESIGN EXPERIENCE (PORTUGUESE ONLY)

STRATEGIC DESIGN SPECIALISATION (PORTUGUESE O N LY )

WHAT INSPIRES US

BOOKS

MAU MC24 - Bruce Mau’s 24 principles for designing Massive Change in your life and work.
by Bruce Mau

Design Leadership: Securing the Strategic Value of Design

by Raymond Turner

Designerly ways of knowing

By Nigel Cross

Org Design for Design Orgs: Building and Managing In-House Design Teams
by Peter Merholz and Kristin Skinner

Rotman on Design
by Roger Martin, Karen Christensen

WEB

https://www.abstract.com/blog/design-leadership-skills
https://www.designbetter.co/design-leadership-handbook
https://www.designbetter.co/design-leadership-handbook/becoming-a-design-leader
https://www.fastcompany.com/3053681/design-leadership-whats-next
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-design/our-insights/
are-you-asking-enough-from-your-design-leaders
https://na.eventscloud.com/file_uploads/f6b069d7b6180b68feee5c114117208d_Sherwin_-_
Design_Leadership.pdf
https://xd.adobe.com/ideas/perspectives/leadership-insights/
what-it-takes-to-be-a-great-leader-in-design/
https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:733490/FULLTEXT01.pdf
https://www.fastcompany.com/90143222/
logitech-quadrupled-its-profits-with-one-big-design-idea
https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/qualities-great-design-leader/
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