This just in from Invision and worth sharing!

A good design leader is:

An active practitioner There will be times when a tough design challenge can’t be solved within the team. A design leader should also be a highly experienced practitioner who can help push things in the right direction, which often means doing the work themselves. A leader’s craft and work ethic have to inspire the rest of the team.

A coach A design leader should be able to help train and push other designers to get better in their craft and everything else related to the profession: how to think, how to design, how to collaborate, how to negotiate, how to communicate, how to present, how to sell, how to ship, how to recruit, how to manage, how to run a business, and finally, how to become a well-balanced executive. 

A team player To a good design leader, no task is too small. They should only ask for things they’d be willing to do themselves. And when the team succeeds, a leader shares the credit and recognizes the effort of others.

“A leader wants to hear different points of view.”

Open-minded A leader is open to changing their opinion and is curious to hear different points of view. There are always several possible answers to a design problem.

Able to provide actionable feedback A leader should give tactical, practical feedback. They collaboratively solve problems with the team, as opposed to giving abstract feedback.

Capable of adapting tone Junior designers need more constructive feedback, while senior designers need more direct feedback. Every message can be delivered with complete feedback, but the way it’s delivered needs to be adapted depending on how mature the designer is.

A dealer in hope A team needs to believe their leader will help guide them to do their best work. And not only that—they need to believe that person will help them sell it and ship it.

A collector of collaboration partners You are as powerful as the people you collaborate with. Good leaders identify the best people to learn from and grow with. They build lasting relationships. Mutual respect for each other’s craft leads to trust.

Good Leaders Build Lasting Relationships The job is never done. Being a good design leader requires skills that take many years to refine. As the practice of design continues to evolve, so must the skills of a leader. The best way to do that? Get intimately involved with the work.