Published in Design, or be designed.·3 days agoThe 7 most common mistakes new managers make delivering feedbackAfter teaching and coaching thousands of creative leaders across multiple industries, we start to see patterns. Here’s the most common mistakes new (and experienced) managers make when delivering performance feedback to their team. Not knowing the difference between feedback on performance and critique of work product. Both require different approaches…Management And Leadership2 min read
Published in Design, or be designed.·Jun 28Why you should negotiate coaching budget into your new job offerWhen that job offer finally lands, after you do your happy dance, the first thing you’re probably looking at is the compensation and benefits package. A coaching budget isn’t usually on the radar — and typically, no such thing exists anyway. But it should. Leaders have a blast radius when…Design4 min read
Published in Design, or be designed.·May 5, 2021Why the player/coach model failsOriginally shared to the Design Dept. newsletter Ah, the beloved “you can make and manage” model. As much as I want to believe in this as a sustainable approach (I love both too!), for most organizations, it is not. …Design3 min read
Published in Design, or be designed.·Apr 27, 2020How to build and re-build trust in a remote environmentDesign Dept.’s Mia Blume joined Abstract’s Scott Welliver for a conversation and Q&A about building trust in a remote environment. This post is based on the actionable advice Mia shared about how we show up for our teammates. Watch the video recording. As we’re settling into a new normal, sheltering…Design6 min read
Published in Design, or be designed.·Apr 2, 2020People over productivityTo be honest, writing and sharing anything has been a difficult task the last few weeks. With the world in chaos, it’s hard to sit down and write about management tips. But I observed a trend this week on Twitter that I thought I should address. I don’t know if…Design3 min read
Published in Design, or be designed.·Mar 9, 2020Demystifying “leadership presence”Ah yes, the elusive goal of having “executive” or “leadership” presence. Everyone wants it, most can’t define it. It comes up in performance reviews and reasons why leaders aren’t progressing, but rarely is it helpful feedback or guidance. …Management4 min read
Published in Design, or be designed.·Feb 25, 2020Reasoning with your Inner CriticMany of us hear voices in our heads. No, I’m not talking about those adorable emotions from Pixar’s Inside Out — although who wouldn’t love to be perpetually entertained by the wit of a shimmering green Mindy Kaling? The Inner Critic is many things: an outdated response to old stimuli…Inner Critic5 min read
Published in Design, or be designed.·Jan 28, 2020The power of thematic one-on-onesIf you search for best practices around team one-on-ones, you’ll find endless content on how to structure your meetings with your reports and even templates for your shared docs. While this is all valuable, one of the major shifts I made as a manager was shifting to thematic one-on-ones. First…Design Leadership3 min read
Published in Design, or be designed.·Dec 31, 2019Goodbye resolutions, hello valuesThe key to leading more fully in 2020 Late December is a time of excess. During the last month of every year, holiday treats abound, as do opportunities for extra sleep, extra champagne, and extra pampering. It’s also a time of extra guilt. We’re pressured to think about New Year’s resolutions as soon as the first “Best Of”…Goals6 min read
Published in Design, or be designed.·Mar 29, 2019How to scale yourself as a creative leaderThe key to becoming a successful startup leader is to develop the ability to scale yourself. …Leadership6 min read
