Leadership Uncovered

Issue #002

June 27, 2023

Hello there, it's Kasra, your Blueprint editor and part of the Coho team. It's great to have you here in our community of ambitious professionals!

Let's get straight to this month's focus...

This issue, we're diving into a topic that affects us all, leadership.

We'll explore leadership's multifaceted nature with insights from leaders across multiple industries, at various stages in their career. As we dove deeper into the subject, we discovered that leadership isn't restricted to official job titles. Instead, it is largely about an individual's mindset, their readiness to take the lead regardless of their authority level, and the broader company culture.

Broadly speaking, leadership involves guiding actions that encourage team alignment, strategy execution, and continuous organization renewal.

Here's the deal: leadership isn't static.

It is as unique as the environments in which it operates and the individuals it guides. In a crisis, for instance, it requires swift decision-making and resilience. In a stable environment, it might focus more on innovation and long-term growth. Each environment uniquely tests our empathy, ambition, and communication skills.

These nuances are what we chose to focus on with our contributors—every person sharing a leadership story within their respective writing.

Whether an emerging leader, experienced manager, or individual contributor, this issue offers you something.

Let's jump in!

How to Go From Designer to Manager by David Hoang

A lot of great designers think that the only way to move up in their career is to give up their individual contributor status and transition into management. Other designers may make great managers, but are hesitant to make the transition of how they perceive the practice or don’t feel ready yet.

The management track is often conveyed as a paved road you must take with no turning back.

In reality, it’s an odyssey from designer to leader of people.

Throughout my career, I’ve made the switch from design leader to individual contributor based on the company I was at and the impact I wanted to make. After I left Black Pixel, I joined One Medical as a Product Design lead with no managerial responsibilities. During year two of my tenure at One Medical, there was a management need and I happily took the mantle again.

The goal of this article is to help you decide if design management is the right choice for you, and if it is, to help you start that journey.

It will cover:

  • The qualities that make a great manager

  • The skills you will need to hone to develop those qualities

  • Rebuttals to widely-believed myths about the transition from designer to manager

Afterward, I will provide you with key frameworks and reflection questions to help you decide if a design management career is right for you and if so, how to set yourself up for success.

The first thing to understand is that there’s no one formula for leadership. It’ll vary based on the company you work on, its scale, and situational aspects of what your team needs.

That said, being a designer manager boils down to three core areas... keep reading→

Career-Wide

  • Leading Through the Neutral Zone by Suzan Bond - Uncover the complexities of leading in transitional 'neutral zones'. A dive into self-management, adaptive strategies, and leadership's role in times of change.

  • The Ultimate Guide to Finding Your Career North Star by Jeremy Schifeling - Encouraging you to embark on the journey towards a fulfilling job. He shares his guide to channeling excitement towards prospective opportunities.

Marketing

Biz Dev & Sales

Data Science / Engineering

Design

  • How Coho Leveled Me Up as a Design Leader by Gordon Ching - Learn from Gordon Ching's personal story of transformation from marketing professional to design lead, and how Coho Design Fellowship helped him break the ceiling.

  • The Natural Evolution for Design Leadership by Om Suthar - A historical parallel to the shift in workplace dynamics, Om advocates for empowering cross-functional teams and design to shape strategic value and foster collaborative workspaces.

Chief of Staff

  • Manager to Leader - What’s the difference? by Joselle Deocampo-Gautam - Transition from Manager to Leader with these 5 principles: changing expectations, mindset shift, expanding mentor circle, broadening business acumen, and prioritizing time effectively.

  • The Case for a Chief of Staff by Dan Ciampa - Dan shares why new CEOs should consider a Chief of Staff (CoS) to act as an air traffic controller for the leadership team, connecting siloed work streams, and fostering better communication across the organization.

Guides

  • How to negotiate your salary - Master the art of salary negotiation with these comprehensive tips, from conducting effective research to confidently presenting your pitch.

    How to build unshakable confidence - Tugba Yanaz shares an actionable e-book to empower you to become the most CONFIDENT version of yourself.

Frameworks

Tools

  • Perplexity.ai - Generative AI chatbot focused on supporting research and real-time search.

  • Thejobforme.com - Upload your resume/LinkedIn and this site sends you job opportunities tailored to you.

A Lifetime Building Coho: The Unheard Stories

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Dive into Coho's backstory with CEO Mindaugas Petrutis. From Lithuania to leadership, experience his career evolution and understand the vision behind Coho. Watch the interview here.

In light of the fluctuating professional landscape, we're enhancing our commitment to be more accessible for professionals everywhere.

We've implemented a 50% discount on all fellowships, underscoring our mission to help you confidently navigating your career journey and overcoming its inherent challenges

I hope you enjoyed the articles and insights from this issue of Blueprint.

If there's anything you'd like to share or discuss, just hit reply. I read every email :)

Kasra Khalili - Editor, Blueprint

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