There are so many things about moving into a management or leadership role that, on paper, are simple when, in reality, they are really freaking hard.
- Define and measure good performance in your org.
There are best practices, and there are times to throw out the rules. Establishing those fences takes time and a lot of energy. - Teach others what you know.
Teaching is very different than showing. “Do this” is not a useful model of instruction. Teaching includes providing space to practice new skills without recourse. - Know when to delegate or when to step-in.
The learning process and sponsoring others requires both. It can be such a grey area and is very much dependent on the individual you’re working with. - Share the big picture, but not too much.
Providing context is excellent. Using your team or colleagues as your therapy session is not so great. - Be a great listener.
There's so much noise, including that inside your head. - Find peers to support you.
While there are plenty of online communities for design leaders, they're awfully quiet these days. - Be in service to others when no one is in service to you.
It can be really deflating when trying to be the leader you want to be when you don’t have a leader you want to work for. - Validate the feelings of people you disagree with.
Validation isn’t agreement, but validation is a critical step in being empathetic. Separating your feelings about a decision from the decision itself is another hard thing to do.
There's no shortage of advice out there on how to do this hard things better. The majority of frameworks, models, and templates provide general guidance, but leave us needing to learn something new every single time. And, you're busy enough as it is.
When it comes to simplifying these hard things, resist the urge to find a new solution. Instead, try remixing what you already know.
Here's a short list of ways to remix what you know to make the hard things of leadership a little more simple:
- Be a reseacher.
Research, study, analyze, interpret, and document what happened with previous attempts before attempting something new. - Reverse-engineer proven formats.
Listen to the stories being told instead of gasping at fonts, colors, and layouts. If your colleague is getting headcount, budget approvals, or lots of head nods, ask them for their presentations and reuse a proven structure rather than creating something new. - Learn about your colleagues' jobs-to-be-done.
You can empathize with your colleagues, understand what they do, what pains they’re experiencing, and what relief you can provide them. - Sell what your colleagues are "buying."
Document the value you create and deliver, so you can capture why that is valuable for your team, your colleagues, and for the organization. - When it’s hard to listen, mirror what they've said first.
Becoming a good listener takes practice. If you sense yourself interrupting a lot or stuck in endless arguments, start by mirroring what they’ve said. Respond with phrases like “what I’m hearing you say…”, “do I have this right?”