Summary
The speaker reflects on the tradition of closing a design and scale event by focusing on 'human beings' beyond roles like designers or managers, emphasizing empathy and genuine connection. Lana shares how her best boss ever (BBE) inspired the team by believing deeply in people and enabling authentic customer engagement, illustrated by transforming a small idea into a holistic customer conference experience where engineers and others directly connected with users. Lana recounts her journey from feeling like an outsider as the only woman in strategic product meetings to gaining a seat and mentoring others, emphasizing that leadership is about creating space and offering a seat to others, not just seeking validation for oneself. The talk underscores human relationships as the currency of collaboration and posits that being a 'darn good human being' is the core of being a good teammate and leader, especially during challenging times like the pandemic.
Key Insights
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Focusing on 'human beings' rather than job titles fosters genuine empathy in design and leadership.
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Belief and trust from leadership inspire team members to strive and grow.
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Engaging engineers and non-designers directly with customers creates more impactful understanding than prolonged internal debates.
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Small ideas, when nurtured with care, can transform entire customer experiences.
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Feeling uncomfortable in leadership spaces is common for underrepresented individuals but can be overcome by allies advocating and sharing inclusion.
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Relationship-building is the new currency for influence and leadership.
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Leadership involves offering seats at the table to others rather than just earning one yourself.
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Authentic human connection and support within teams strengthen resilience, especially during crises like the pandemic.
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Experimentation and openness about processes foster trust and show the humanity behind team efforts.
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A good boss is defined less by their authority and more by their humanity and care towards people.
Notable Quotes
"Our aspirations and anxieties are our users and messages, our passions and pet peeves."
"People may even forget why you are if you’re conversations that bring the best out of you as a human being."
"She earned the title best boss ever by being a darn good human being."
"Her energy and enthusiasm is contagious and she inspires everyone on the team to expand our horizons and go further."
"B2B is b*******, it’s really just people that make up businesses."
"One hour of conversations between this engineer and customers was more impactful than weeks of debate."
"It can be very uncomfortable to be the only woman in that room."
"Relationship is the new currency."
"In our desire to see the big table, we often forget that sometimes it’s more important not to seek validation at the table but to offer it to someone else."
"All it takes to be a good boss and a good teammate is being a darn good human being."
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