Navigating the Journey from an Individual Contributor to a Design Lead

Design Leadership Edition

Becoming a Design Lead is a profound shift, akin to stepping onto a new horizon of responsibilities, challenges, and opportunities. The transformation from an Individual Contributor (IC) to a Design Lead is not just a title change; it's an evolution that demands a unique blend of skills, insights, and an unwavering commitment to both your team and the broader vision. The role is a complex tapestry woven with strategic direction, team leadership, and the ever-present commitment to delivering exceptional user experiences.

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In this article, I will share the lessons I have learnt over the past one and a half year since taking on the role of leading the UX team. At first, I wasn’t very sure of taking this step, seemed more complicated and I had already created very comfortable IC ways of working that worked well for me. In my career I have had amazing mentors like Derrick Wesonga , Steve Mutungi & Elizabeth Nguli and others, who in one or way another has made things work even if there wasn’t clarity in the near future. This was both an assurance and a challenge at the same time. ?When I first started, I faced the challenge of how to build a strong foundation, evangelize the value of UX, scale the team, and streamline processes in a fast-paced environment.

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The technology team was growing rapidly, more people were learning the value of UX, and the number of designers was growing. We needed to set up a centralized UX team to improve collaboration, delivery, learning, and innovation. We also needed to scale the team at a pace that would allow the company to achieve its vision of becoming a technology company by 2025.

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Looking at the team now, I am proud of the journey we have taken. We have grown from a team of 8 designers to a UX Centre of Excellence (UX COE) with over 30 talented designers working in our 4 design centres. Through DesignOps and collaboration, we have established a strong foundation in UX (This is unending task by the way), and we are still evangelizing the value of UX throughout the company. We are scaling our team thoughtfully, and we are streamlining our processes. We are patient and persistent, and we are determined to achieve great things. In all these changes, one thing has remained at the back of our minds, experiment, fails fast, learn, relearn, or even unlearn existing things.

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I hope following lessons will be helpful to you as you scale your UX team or as you get started in design leadership.

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1. Cultivating Intentional Empathy: The Heartbeat of Effective Leadership

As you ascend to the role of a Design Lead, your connection with empathy takes on new dimensions. Just as you meticulously understand your customers to create user-centric designs, extend the same intent to understanding your team. This will really help you identify your team talents, weaknesses, and personalities that are unique. Empathizing with their aspirations, challenges, and growth paths is the cornerstone of effective leadership. The lesson here is clear: personalize your leadership. Tailor your approach to empower each team member uniquely, fostering an environment where innovation and creativity can flourish.

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2. Strategic Alignment for Organizational Impact: Vision, To be a Technology company by 2025

As a Design Lead, your actions extend beyond your immediate team. Strategic alignment becomes paramount. Align your team's efforts with the organization's overarching vision and mission. By doing so, you ensure that the design initiatives you lead contribute directly to the company's growth and success. As you solve day to day issues, thinking from the future gives you a clear the What, the Why, the How, the Who and the When. This has been cemented by recently learning about the Merlin methodology (The Merlin Factor: Leadership and Strategic Intent by Charles E. Smith). It’s very important to also remember that creatives gain a lot of satisfaction and fulfilment by the impact they create with their work.

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3. The Power of Inclusive Decision-Making: Learning and Leading Collaboratively

A pivotal leadership lesson is recognizing that decisions are more robust and fruitful when forged collaboratively. Transitioning from an IC's autonomy (Which I used to enjoy ??) to a Design Lead's role involves a paradigm shift in decision-making. Involve others in the process, seek diverse perspectives, and be deliberate in seeking input from your team and top leadership. By embracing a collaborative approach, you tap into a wellspring of ideas and insights that can lead to more holistic and innovative solutions. I also read on why there’s time to lead and time to be lead, that’s why everyday task and ask is different.

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4. Balancing Belief, Trust, Empowerment, and Challenge

Leadership is an intricate dance of belief, trust, empowerment, and challenge. As a Design Lead, this balance is your instrument to foster growth and creativity. Believe in your team's potential, trust them with responsibilities, empower them to make decisions, and challenge them to push their boundaries. This equilibrium creates an environment where team members flourish, take ownership, and drive themselves towards excellence. To achieve your mission, learn when to delegate, guide and do.

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5. Anchoring Your Leadership with Purpose, Vision, and Values

A Design Lead is not just a manager; you are a beacon of purpose, a bearer of vision, and a custodian of values. Establishing a strong foundation of purpose, vision, and values creates a guiding light that informs your decisions, actions, and interactions. It also helps your team align with a common mission, fostering unity and a shared sense of direction. Working at a company like Safaricom with well-defined purpose, vision and values helps you with a foundation that you can build on, so always strive to understand your company/product as well.

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6. The Multifaceted Role: Shield, Guide, Mentor, Coach, Support System

A Design Lead wears many hats – from being a shield that protects your team from distractions to being a guide that illuminates the path to success. You are a mentor, nurturing growth, and development; a coach, honing skills and pushing boundaries; and a support system, offering encouragement and assistance when needed. Generously listening is one soft key helps you to guide, mentor, coach, and be a shielding support System. For everyone designer I mentor, or we mentor, all I ask is for them to mentor others. This is because I am a product of mentorship, that’s why this has become a culture for both internal and external mentorship. "A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself." — Oprah Winfrey

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7. Creating Efficient Processes: A Foundation for Innovation

Efficiency is the bedrock upon which innovation thrives. As a Design Lead, your role extends to creating streamlined processes that not only enhance productivity but also create space for creative exploration. Efficiency isn't just about saving time; it's about enabling your team to dedicate more energy to innovative thinking and problem-solving. Scaling ffficiency in processes, tools, and guidelines will help you deliver value and clarity.

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8. Leading with Humanity and Spirit: Remember, You Work with Humans

The transition from an IC to a Design Lead comes with a shift in focus. While projects and deliverables remain essential, the human element takes center stage. Leading with humanity and spirit (The spirit of Safaricom) – treating team members as individuals with unique stories and aspirations – fosters a positive work atmosphere. Recognize that you're not just overseeing tasks; you're cultivating relationships and fostering a sense of camaraderie that fuels collaboration and innovation for transforming lives.

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9. Celebrating, Cultivating an Innovative and Enjoyable Culture

I’m glad to have learnt the importance of celebrating all wins either small or big from Liz because, what you appreciate, appreciates. Through experience, it helps boosts morale and motivation, fosters a positive culture, encourages continuous improvement, and builds confidence of your designers. ?Build a culture that encourages innovation, embraces experimentation, and celebrates both successes and failures. Infuse an element of fun, fostering an atmosphere where team members are motivated to explore, ideate, and collaborate while enjoying the journey. With attribute to Peter Drucker, Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Create an environment that makes everyone feels valued, needed, and most importantly treated as a human being for who they are.

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10. Embracing Lifelong Learning: A Journey Without an End

Transitioning from an IC to a Design Lead marks the beginning of a continuous learning journey. The landscape of design and leadership is ever evolving. Be open to learning from everyone you interact with, as different perspectives help in being holistic. Staying updated with industry trends, emerging technologies, and evolving methodologies ensures that you, and consequently your team, remain at the forefront of innovation. Importantly learn to generously listen and learn from your team (They are talent, that’s why they were hired, unless otherwise????♂?) With your team always expecting to learn from you, this serves as a continuously growing source of motivation to advance yourself. Don’t forget that mentorship is a two-way learning process, learn by mentoring as well.

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In essence, my journey from an IC to a Design Lead has been a voyage of growth, exploration, and influence. As you embark on this path, remember that each lesson learned isn't just a personal gain; it's an investment in the success of your team, the enrichment of your organization, and the advancement of the design discipline.

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