Embracing Dynamism

Being an Effective Design Leader in Today’s World

           The increasingly accepting and progressive landscape of society is redefining what it means to be an effective leader in the design world and beyond. The challenge of being an effective design leader has historically been approached in a goal oriented, top down manner. This managerial strategy is one that can create impact external to the organization, but does not often resonate with or reward the organization’s own members.

           An employer of mine put it quite eloquently when he once said, “My job here is to keep you interested and challenged.” This ideology has been reinforced and reformed during my time at the DFA Leadership Summit. I believe the strength of a leader should be measured by the level of direct personal engagement, understanding, and support felt by an organization’s own members. With that said, through my personal experience and knowledge acquired at leadership studio, I have learned that the job of a leader is to dynamically appreciate the passion, skills, and needs of your members on an individual level. A true leader can then begin to synthesize these needs and the goals of their organization.

           The responsibilities of enacting effective design leadership do not end at the managerial level, they extend to an organization’s executive structure. In order to foster effective projects with a sustainable culture, organizations must begin to reshape their goals in the context of completing a project starting at the highest level. George Aye of Greater Good Studio, and a keynote speaker at the 2019 Design For America summit expressed his approach to implementing a positive design culture with the three main methodologies below:

1.        Honor reality

2.        Create ownership

3.       Empower communities

           Effective Design is not concrete nor is it owned or provided by any one person or group. Design must be a participatory and shared practice among the contracted designer trained in the academic setting, and the community member trained through lived experience. As George Aye stated in his keynote, “The people with the least power are often closest to the problem…. people adopt the change that they are a part of making.” Engaging in participatory design is a necessary first step for all design leaders who want to serve their members and communities effectively, as well as create a stronger organization.