This talk is about the challenges that every design leader faces; dealing with the people you lead, including those who don’t ‘report’ to you in any hierarchical sense. Working with them might be rewarding but it’s often challenging. I’ll explore the reasons (and debunk) some myths about leading people in the design game. You’ll walk away with a better sense of the underlying causes that lead to challenges in your working relationships with some principles and strategies to enable you to respond to them with more confidence, less stress. You’ll also be better placed to get more from your people; energy, commitment, engagement and ultimately – great design outcomes.

1. Leading
Design Leaders

3. E E K !

5. ?

6. 6 : 3 0 A M

7. 7 : 0 0 A M

8. 1 : 0 0 P M

9. W H Y W O R RY ?

13. O K , O K …

15. G R E AT W O R K !
O N E S M A L L P R O B L E M …
S O , K E E P U P T H E G O O D W O R K …

16. What the
facts say
What confirms
your beliefs

17. 6 : 3 0 A M

18. P O W E R I S 8 0 % TA K E N
2 0 % G I V E N

20. YouMe

22. F U N D A M E N TA L
AT T R I B U T I O N E R R O R

23. A N O N Y M O U S
“There isn’t enough blame to go around.
I’ve only got enough for you.”

24. Compliance
Autonomy

26. Control
Influence
Concern

30. C H E E R I O T H E N !

31. 6 : 3 0 A M

32. 7 : 0 0 A M

36. ComplianceAutonomy

37. F R A N K C L A R K
“We find comfort in those who agree with us and
growth in those who don’t.”

38. I N S I G H T S A N D P R I N C I P L E S
• Hire for cultural fit. Take people you inherit on a new hire journey
• Practice self-awareness, mindfulness
• Establish systems for managing your energy, to increase
your capacity for critical thinking and creative problem-solving
• You can’t control people but you can influence them
• To cultivate culture and influence mindsets, establish immersive
touch points and standards that formally demonstrate the norms
you expect people to absorb and reflect through their behaviour

39. P O T E N T I A L

40. T H A N K S
A N T H O N Y @ A N T Q U I N N . C O M