I have an update, a look back and some excitement for the future. First, great news: P.ink is now officially part of the FCancer organization, and our own Karen Richards is leading our evolution. What this means: P.ink has more of the right resources to advocate for more survivors, collaborate…

So it’s time for your performance review. You’re likely thinking about one thing: money. Your manager is considering how can I help this person grow? Carrot meet stick, right? Not always…

I recently asked 20 friends who lead teams in product design, experience design, UX and service design a question: What’s the single most important skill that your mid-level and senior-level experience designers need to master? These friends lead well-regarded agencies, productive design departments and in some cases entire companies. All…

Chances are you have someone on your team who’s good. But not great. They’re not far off, but their genius isn’t consistently applied. Or maybe they struggle to galvanize teams or clients around a possibility, an idea or a plan. If they’re not having the impact you need them to…

For years I’ve avoided the term “design thinking” in describing my work. Like “innovation,” the phrase is loaded with false assumptions. Although I’ve been practicing design and design thinking for decades, the way it’s often perceived feels inauthentic to what I do. I solve business problems. Often at scale. …

The gig: helping design thinkers become leaders with an unforgettable experience. — I recently came across a clever nugget on performance. Rock writer Rich Cohen had just finished a book after covering the Rolling Stones for decades, and in the Travels in Music podcast he mused about the foundation for the Stones’ legacy of unforgettable gigs. His theory: three elements make for…

Take your very first house. Fill it with newborns, raise them, celebrate and suffer through large and small with neighbors and friends. One day you move away, and over time that house, those rooms and those moments super-glue themselves onto your heart’s walls, your memory, your identity. It is nice…

This is a repost of something I created in a prior role. It’s gained traction. So I’m sharing it with you. It’s not uncommon for leaders in quickly growing agencies and departments to rely on certain people for certain things — Joe’s a specialist in X and Y. Sara’s a…

Civic innovation isn’t just for technologists. Let’s rethink the brief, inject design thinking into civic life, and hire creative directors to help lead our cities. “The reason I’m here is to recruit all of you,” President Obama said recently at SXSW. “We can start coming up with new platforms, new…