Interview with Sarah B. Nelson

In advance of the Leading Design conference in London on the 24th-26th October, I caught up with Sarah B. Nelson to discuss her background, experience and thoughts on the subject of Design Leadership.

Tell us about your first design leadership role? Who did you model yourself on?

About 3 years into my career, I found myself in an Associate Creative Director position. I chose Terry Gilliam as my role model — he was known for bringing the most creative people together and letting them be brilliant. That worked really well so it’s been my approach ever since.

What does a typical day look like for you? Is it all meetings?

In my current role, I collaborate a lot. We are essentially starting a new business at IBM, so we work tightly together as a team.

Do you still get to do any “real” design?

Absolutely. Everything I do is design. Our Studio Leaders are our core clients. We talk to them every day and keep them in mind with every choice we make. Our platform that serves them was developed using service design techniques. I also draw on everything I’ve ever learned about communication design. You’ll never be able to get the design out of me.

What are the qualities of a good design leader?

Knowing when to lead from behind and when to lead from the front. It’s always a delicate balance between empowering the team and setting clear expectations. Good design leaders know how to frame the problem clearly, refrain from dictating solutions, and course correcting when necessary.

What is the design culture like in your current company?

IBM’s design practices are exuberant. The creativity oozes out of every nook and cranny. People enthusiastically share their knowledge, are always willing to help each other out, and have the tenacity to be on the front lines of a massive company-wide transformation.

What challenges are you facing at the moment and what are you doing to overcome them?

Working in an environment that has both a strong hierarchy and yet strives to support bottom up empowerment can feel schizophrenic at times. Finding your place in that without explicit authority requires every leadership skill I have. The most effective skill is flexibility. Every time I get into a tight spot, I remember to bob and weave.

How is your design team structured and how is that working? Anything you’d tweak?

We aren’t really a design team, in the sense that product or project teams. Our team has 8 people who apply our design and product management skills to a variety of challenges.

What are you most proud of achieving as a design leader?

I am always growing. Every piece of work I do has wider impact. My superpower is taking a gnarly ambiguous situation and finding a way that people can understand and act on that. The work I am doing at IBM Studios is the most significant version of that I’ve done.

Any advice for a new design leader?

Remember that leadership means developing your ability to assess a situation quickly and respond appropriately. Adopt a curiosity about each situation you find yourself in. What works? What doesn’t? Where are you skilled? Where do you need to grow?