The journey to Head of Design
Some quick wins for those who are new to Design Leadership.
There are thousand’s results for books about ‘Leadership’ on Amazon. So why is it so hard to find advice on becoming a Design lead?.
In the space of 12 months, I went from Senior Designer to Lead Designer to Head of Design. What shocked me the most, even more than the lack of actual design I now do, is the lack of guidance for anyone experiencing the same growing pains I was.
I wrote this blog for anyone struggling for a starting point with their newfound seniority, or for anyone who wants to lead a design team themselves one day.
Before I began climbing the ranks, our design team was just six-strong. There was a Head of Design, two Senior Designers (of which I was one), Two UX Designers and a UX User Researcher. We were a tight-knit team with a diverse set of skills, and the work we were producing was good, really good.
Then, one day the Head of Design handed in his notice. Shortly after that three more members of the team followed suit. The company’s public launch was four weeks away and the responsibility for making it a success fell to me.
My background is a mixture of in-house and agency design. The other Senior Designer left, so it was I who was propelled into the top spot. The trouble was, nothing I’d done before could prepare me for the challenge ahead.
Leading a team was something I’d always fancied. It was a career goal of mine, but it was one I’d forecast for four or five years further down the line. Then all of a sudden everyone was looking to me for answers. I was in the driving seat but I hadn’t passed my theory test.
Like anyone doing something new, I started looking for help. Specifically, I was seeking out articles or books about leadership in Design. I was surprised how little there was on the subject, especially considering how many Creative Directors I’d met and Head of Designs I’d seen give talks. Surely they’d got to where they were by transitioning from a do’er to a Leader of Designers.
I had picked up a copy of Do Lead, by Les McKeown. He states that “Leadership isn’t a permanent state”. Leadership, he says, happens both formally and informally.
I’d describe my own experience as the latter. But I found some comfort in this statement. It made me feel as though I didn’t need to have all the answers and that I could grow into the role with time. It dawned on me that I didn’t have to put so much pressure on myself, that it was a good thing to delegate work and responsibilities and trust in others.
New role new problems
I’m not going to focus on leadership styles here, as I believe that I am still on this journey, perhaps I’ll write a follow up on that in the future. The three things I’d like to share some advice on and have made a difference to my day to day are…
1.Time management
2.Building a team
3.Communication
1. Time management
Your attendance in meetings will increase the higher up the food chain you go. Your free time will start to evaporate like hot milk in a bowl of Weetabix. I’ve found the following steps helpful in balancing my time and my sanity.
Block out time for you. I put my Out of Office on for at least two whole days of the week to limit the time spent in meetings. Doing this was my first hallelujah moment, because it helped prevent others filling these OoO days with meetings, and it also sends an automatic decline to those who do.
Log into your email and if you use them, chat rooms at certain points of the day. Again they’re distractions you do not need. If something is urgent, then they will come and tell you in person. I also find leaving my mobile in my jacket or bag prevents me from being distracted, also grey scaling my phone screen has made it a lot less enticing.
If you can’t attend a meeting or session, then send someone who can. The sooner other members get exposure the better, and it also creates the trust relationship bond between them and you.
2. Building a team
Hiring people and allocating skillsets is something you’ll have to do in this new role. One thing I found extremely helpful (and should have done sooner) was to assess the skills I had in the team and in doing so, I identified each members contribution to the team.
Having a holistic view of the team as a whole means you are clear in what roles you need. Where you are strong, where you are weak and where you can pair designers on projects that require particular skills.
It also helps to manage and to nurture the team. Allocating training and time for those wishing to hone their skills. It will make it easier to pair individuals on tasks, having designers with opposing skills to help drive a project forward, learning off each other as they go.
It’s crucial for you to have a sparring partner/s, someone to bounce ideas off, this could be another designer who has shown signs of leadership qualities but might not be ready yet to make the leap. This person/s can give another perspective and aid you in establishing the vision for the team. It is also another pair of hands to help out in the hiring process.
Ensure your recruitment department has open job roles on the websites Designers use. I found, after some time, that most of our positions were on sites I had never heard of, so no wonder the calibre of candidates was underwhelming.
Hire people who are better than you at specific skills.
Be diverse in your hiring. The last thing you want is a team that looks and sounds the same. It’s essential to have varying backgrounds and people with different opinions. And finally, hiring can take a long time so be patient and don’t settle for ok.
3. Communication
As someone who is responsible for people below you, there will, of course, be expectations from those above to have exposure and an understanding in the work that the team is producing.
Getting people on board with your vision and values is super important.
The sooner you start building these alliances, the better. I’d recommend starting small, conversations at the coffee machine for example. You should continue to grow on these relationships by spending time with these individuals on a 1.1 basis. I would recommend one or two people from product and marketing and also the from the business teams.
The better these alliances, the better chance you’ll have in succeeding, these people will also have you back when needed.
Get stakeholders and businesses sponsors invested in your team, outside of the office. Recently, the whole Design team and our Head of Product went to an art exhibition. It was great for the morale of the team, but also for him to get to know the team. Being out of the office means there is no hierarchy and everyone is on a level playing field.
Communication is probably where most companies and organisations could improve on. It’s important to make sure you have a place to store meeting notes and decisions. It is vital you share these around at the end of meetings to everyone involved, so there are clear actions and who is to perform them.
Communication between the design team is vital. We regularly have catch ups as a team. Do this by facilitating show and tell’s with each other but also to the broader company. We also spend time at the end of the week (with a beer) showing what we worked on, or anything we have stumbled across during the week.
Recently I’ve discovered more widely available resources, guidance and support for those in the same situation. Podcasts such as Design Better Co by Invison have been a fantastic resource for me so I would recommend listening to them. But, from what I have found, you learn by doing and making mistakes and learning from them.
Hopefully, with time, there will be more people willing to share tips and hints in Design Leadership. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Some shout outs to those who have helped me on this Journey. The old and current team at Yoti. Much love, thank you for inspiring me on a daily basis. There is much I’d like to cover, and perhaps that calls for another post.
A special thank you to…
Max White (Copywriter), Michael Wallis (Creative Director), George Phylaktis (UX Lead), James Harvey (Design Lead), Andy Matthews (Cycling partner and Architect) and my Wife (Designer).
