Leading with…Anna Söderbom

Anna Söderbom, UX writing manager at Kry/Livi in Stockholm, shares her current challenges along with some very helpful advice and resources…

Firstly, can you tell us a bit about your path to leadership?

So far, I’ve led teams in four different places. Only one of the roles I actively ‘applied’ for and that was when I was the local president at a non-profit organisation called Junior Chamber International.

The other three times, it just kind of happened, but in a natural way. Someone stepped down as team lead and I was asked to take over. There were people who didn’t formally have a team or a manager – I said I’ll create that team and manage them. And in my latest role, I came in with a plan to form a team in the future but was asked to do it sooner than I had anticipated and in a slightly different capacity.

I really love creating, growing and leading teams. A lot of it has felt natural and fun for me, but it’s also a case of “The more you know, the more you realise you don’t know”. You think you know what you’re doing until something comes along that challenges you. I feel like I’m constantly learning what it means to be a manager. And that’s great!

What was the biggest shock for you when you moved from IC (individual contributor) to leadership?

When you realise how much a manager can influence someone’s work, and life, it can truly feel like a daunting job with a massive responsibility. Especially when you’re building a function that hasn’t existed before and you’re new to the industry. That was the case for me. I felt I had to do everything right: be fair in my evaluations, say the right things, have a plan for everything, have the right opinions, be part of the right conversations, be aware of everything that is going on in the industry.

I’d say the first thing is the important one: trying your best to be fair. Knowing everything, on the other hand, is unreasonable. And thinking you should, is exhausting. So, not too long ago, I realised something quite revolutionary: It’s okay not to know everything and to communicate it as well.

Reading Jane Ruffino’s post on LinkedIn about not having to keep up with all articles on content really spoke to me. I closed all my browser tabs that I “was going to read sometime in the future” after that.

I’ve also become more at ease with awkward conversations or ’failures’ than in the beginning. Don’t get me wrong, I can dwell on things for days if there’s something that doesn’t sit right with me, but I also realise that misunderstandings, and follow-up conversations about them, make you grow. It’s how you manage those uncomfortable situations that are important.

What great resources have you found to help you in your leadership career so far?

Books, Button and Slack communities. And from there, just reaching out to people. I’ve asked several other people in the industry to jump on video calls with me to understand how they work with UX writing and how their teams are set up. (Thanks again!)

My background is in localisation, and I started off as a UX Writing Manager being fairly new to UX. So you can imagine the imposter syndrome I had! In fact, I think UX content is an industry where a lot of people feel the imposter syndrome because we often need to fight for our place and prove our value in the workplace. Luckily, the content community is full of people with the same challenges that all want to help each other out. That community has helped me grow as a leader in general but also as a UX Writing Manager specifically.

I’ve also used my boyfriend as a resource. He’s a design leader and I’ve gone to him for all the ‘stupid’ questions (there are no stupid questions) that pop into my head about UX and design. Thankfully, he knows his shit.

I’ve read the classic Making of a manager by Julie Zhuo, which is like a friend who tells you that they’ve been through what you’re going through and everything’s gonna be okay.

I’m currently reading Finding the space to lead as I think I need more space to think. And Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking because I want to better understand how I can create an inclusive team culture. (When writing this, I realise I should probably only read one book at a time. That’ll give me space to think…)

I’m also listening to podcasts about leadership while going on walks, like Coaching for leaders with Dave Stachowiak and Dare to lead with Brené Brown.

What are the biggest challenges you currently face in your organisation?

Growing the UX writing function. What roles do we need, how should they be distributed in the organisation, and how can I make sure we get the headcounts?

And something we’re always looking at is how the UX writing team works with the product teams. We’ve gone from “nobody touches this piece of copy if they’re not a writer” (I may have said those exact words) to having to prioritise the most important initiatives.

As we’re currently working in an embedded way on prioritised initiatives, we have to let some things go so we’re not stretching ourselves too thin. To support that, we have guidelines on how to work with UX writing, so non-writers can get support in their writing.

Finding a balance between supporting on-going work and not creating too much context switching is a tricky one.

What excites you about the future of content?

I’m excited for it to become as recognised as product design! Most people in UX writing or content design share the same struggles with recognition and having to educate their colleagues on what they do, but it’s so exciting to see the discipline become more and more established. I think our discipline may be on a similar step in our journey as UX design was a decade ago.

It’s great seeing product designer colleagues realising the worth of a UX writer to the point that they feel lost without them. I would like there to be that double act of product design and content in every project. I look forward to the day when that’s the standard.

When you’re not leading your team, how do you like to relax?

My main hobby is spending time with my family and friends. In restaurants, preferably. I love spoiling my taste buds and being in a place with a buzzing atmosphere.

Since that hasn’t been possible during the pandemic, I’ve chosen to go with gardening instead. We bought a cottage in the countryside last year (I don’t think I’ve timed anything in my life so well), and that’s helped keep my spirits up during the pandemic.

Anna is a panellist at our next leadership event on 9th December. Tickets are available now.