Becoming a Changemaker by Leading with Design
Summary
Key Insights
-
•
The role of design leaders has evolved from product delivery to shaping organizational culture at scale.
-
•
Changemakers must assess 'ground conditions' like executive support and resources before accepting leadership roles.
-
•
Rushing into change without understanding the organization's history and culture ('coming in too hot') often generates resistance.
-
•
Building a shared vision requires inclusive collaboration where all stakeholders feel heard and represented.
-
•
Prioritization and focus on a few small wins prevent burnout and enable sustainable change.
-
•
Tools like the impact matrix help teams evaluate effort versus impact to choose projects wisely.
-
•
Vision without execution is futile; delivering tangible outcomes with prototyping and milestones is essential.
-
•
Failure is inevitable in change leadership; embracing mistakes with courage leads to growth and innovation.
-
•
Visual communication techniques enhance stakeholder understanding and trust during complex change efforts.
-
•
Changemakers don’t necessarily need formal design training but must adopt design as a mindset and problem-solving strategy.
Notable Quotes
"The best future leaders will embody the qualities and traits of a DEO — design executive officer — creative business leaders at the intersection of design and business."
"Change is fundamentally a design problem and therefore change can be designed."
"Before you accept a mission as a changemaker, ask yourself do you have a clear directive, champion support, and the right resources?"
"Coming in too hot means running into a burning building like a firefighter, ignoring past work, and rushing without listening."
"Nobody wants to be told to do your thing unless it’s clear that it helps their thing. It’s just human nature."
"Don’t boil the ocean. Get small wins before you go for the big change."
"You need maniacal focus to prioritize, but remain flexible as priorities will always change."
"Vision without execution is hallucination. You must make outcomes tangible and measurable."
"Failure sucks and hurts, but if you haven’t failed, you haven’t taken enough risks."
"When you hit the bottom, that’s where creativity flourishes and it’s time to iterate, evolve, and redesign."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"There’s this friction of being a servant leader in a leadership position."
Meredith Black Elyse HornbacherBuilding Community and Common Trends to Look for in 2021
December 17, 2020
"Anchor objects open up the conversation while focusing it at the same time."
Uday Gajendar Robin BeersMaking the Invisible Visible: The most critical deliverable isn't always the design
July 22, 2026
"Don’t expect perfection with the toolkits on day one; iterative feedback and time will flesh them out."
Michele WongHelping Them Help Us
January 8, 2024
"Designers can help by asking how today’s policies and choices will impact people and environment decades from now."
Alicia D. JohnsonDisasters and the 21st Century
December 10, 2021
"I literally ask, how are you feeling right now? It’s about connecting on a human level before diving into data."
Jerome “Axle” BrownHow to Use Self-Directed Learning to Ensure Your Research Insights are Heard and Acted Upon
March 11, 2021
"Great designers and researchers must embody storytelling, prototyping, foresight, facilitation, collaboration, and systems thinking."
Brianna SylverLead With Purpose
March 31, 2020
"When you build better experiences for people with disabilities, you build better experiences that work for everyone."
Sam ProulxOnline Shopping: Designing an Accessible Experience
November 29, 2023
"We’re moving from wanting to see the table to having an actual place at it."
Bob BaxleyTheme 4: Intro
January 8, 2024
"If you ever feel unsafe in our virtual community, we want to know about it so we can provide support."
Louis Rosenfeld Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
November 16, 2022
