As leaders, creating equity and connecting our people to purpose is one of our most important responsibilities. In this talk, I share the impact that career progression ladders have and some guiding principles on developing one for your organization.

1. Career
Journey
THE DESIGN
Leading Design NYC 2019

2. We have a career progression for
engineering and product
management, but not for design.

3. I’ve never seen anyone survive
that. Good luck.
Bob Baxley, Design Executive

4. The most valuable assets of the 20th-
century company were its production
equipment. The most valuable assets
of the 21st-century institution will be
its knowledge workers and their
productivity.
Peter Drucker

5. What are we
doing to create
equity and
connect people
to purpose?

6. Product Process People

7. Product Process People

8. Product Process People

9. ARE ACTIVELY
LOOKING FOR NEW
OPPORTUNITIES DUE
TO POOR LEADERSHIP
OR MANAGEMENT.
GALLUP
51%
OF EMPLOYEES

10. VOLUNTARILY LEFT
THEIR JOBS IN OCT
2018 TO SEEK
EMPLOYMENT
ELSEWHERE
3.5MILLION EMPLOYEES
US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR STATISTICS

11. INVEST
PEOPLE
Not just
PROCESS
AND
TOOLS
In

12. Poor leadership/management
Lack of career path
Lack of meaning/purpose
47%
35%
31%
Stopped learning 28%
Better opportunity/pay 18%
Hostile work environment 18%
Commute 18%
Work-life balance 15%
Lack of ownership
Moved
14%
7%
Laid off 2%
Promoted 2%
Company shut down 1%
Reorg 1%
Acquired 1%
WHY DID YOU LEAVE YOUR LAST ROLE?
DESIGN CAREER INDEX ANNUAL REPORT 2019

13. If people don’t
see a future at
your company,
they will find it
somewhere else.

14. SOURCE: Josh Bersin, Deloitte Consulting LLP
TOTAL COST OF LOSING
AN EMPLOYEE
• 40% of a mid-level
annual salary
• 125-150% of a
senior level or
manager annual
salary
• 213% of an
executives annual
salary

15. Workforce Generation
Millennial
Gen X
MILLENNIALS NOW
REPRESENT 51% THE
WORKFORCE.
THEY PLACE AN EVEN
HIGHER VALUE ON
PEOPLE AND PURPOSE
THAN PREVIOUS
GENERATIONS.

16. Our music is on Spotify. Our hotels are
AirBNB. Our cars are Uber and Lyft.
We are a generation that owns
nothing.
B. Evans

17. WHAT
Can we do?

18. How can we
create equity
and connect
people to
purpose?

19. Companies with career ladders and
design leaders at the executive level
had a 50% higher employee
engagement, lower attrition, and up to
250% longer retention rates.
DESIGN CAREER INDEX ANNUAL REPORT 2019

20. We’ve been working on a career
ladder for the past year-and-a-half.
Other priorities keep getting in the
way.

21. DESIGN CAREER INDEX ANNUAL REPORT 2019
28% Pay Bands
0.6% Competency
0.3% Score card
29%Have a career
progression
71%
Lack a career
progression

22. Just winging it
isn’t a strategy for
developing your
team.

23. As leaders, we are
in the people
business.

24. Leadership isn’t a
position. It’s a
responsibility.

25. The career
progression
framework.

26. The Career Progression Framework
1
2
3
A set of established norms
Separate tracks for makers and managers
Rubric for assessing skill mastery and influence

27. Set of established norms01

28. Competency Index—Makers and
Managers
Makers—Establish a set of table stakes competencies.
These apply regardless of specialization.01
Managers/Leaders—Leadership requires a different
skillset with greater emphasis on influence.02
Craft
Product thinking
Process
Critique
Balance business + design
Communication
Storytelling
Presentation
Listening
Fluencey
Influence
Cultural stewardship
Mentoring
Change agent
Engagement
Relationships
Collaboration
Awareness
Ownership
Personal development
Manages priorities
Influence
Vision
Awareness
Cultural stewardship
Evangelism
Transparency
Relationships + diplomacy
Mentoring + coaching
Ownership
Manages priorities
Personal development
Business value
Communication
Listening
Presentation
Development
Empowerment
Recruiting
Career growth
Oganization design

29. Separate tracks for makers and managers02

30. Progression Index
4
7
3
6
2
5
1
P6
P5
P4
P3
P2
P1
M4/E3
M3/E2
M2/E1
M1
CDO
Fellow VP
Principal Director
Lead
Staff
Manager
Senior
Junior
Craft
Communication
Ownership
Engagement
Influence
Communication
Ownership
Development
Influence
MAKER MANAGER/LEADER
LEADERSHIP

31. An assessment score card03

32. Competency Assessment
4
3
2
5
1
Master—acts as an evangelist and develops new levels
of applying competency. Impact and influence at
industry level.
Advanced—leads and mentors others in
compentency. Impact and influence at company level.
Proficient—advocates for and demonstrates best
practices in competency. Impact and influence at
organization level.
Competent—initiates on their own and demonstrates
strong competency with minimal supervision. Impact
at team level.
Novice—learning and able to deliver on competency
with supervision. Impact at individual or sub-product
level.
SELF/PRODUCT
TEAM
ORGANIZATION
COMPANY
INDUSTRY
Reach of impact and influence

33. Ownership—Personal Development
Continuous learning. Actively participates in self improvement beyond day-
to-day tasks.
4
3
2
5
1
Advanced—leads and mentors others in
personal development. Sought out by others at
the company level.
BEHAVIORS
• Seeks personal development outside of the workplace
• Mentors others to find personal development opportunities
• Stays current on industry trends
• Has a coach, mentor, or personal board of directors
Craft
Communication
Ownership
Engagement
Influence
Development plan
Here are a few ways you can increase ownership of your personal growth and
development.

34. This canvas model allowed me to
evaluate my entire team of 25 in under
15 minutes. I’ve been trying to do this
for three weeks with our previous
version.

35. People can own their own career
development path.

36. How will you
create equity and
connect your
people to
purpose?

37. Thank you!
2019 Design career index annual report
http://bit.ly/DCI-LDNYC2019