I resisted a leadership role for a long time…
…preferring the familiarity and autonomy of the individual contributor role. We consistently spend more time with our coworkers and team than friends and family, so the people on our teams have a big impact on our life experience. Having worked under managers that model the most positive traits, and a few that didn’t, I began to form an opinion of what kind of manager I wanted and the type I wanted to become.
People deserve good leaders that have empathy for their team, a sense for navigating challenges, knowledge of the business environment, and the technical expertise to get the job done or otherwise champion those that can.
Designers need a leader that knows what it takes to produce great design, cultivates a work environment that generates creative thought, maintains healthy and efficient standards of quality, accuracy and punctuality, builds on individual’s strengths, educates on gaps, and progresses each throughout a fulfilled career.
I’ve come to embrace the reality that leadership and management – like all relationships – is a work in progress that responds to whatever challenges are presented. I can’t prepare in advance for every challenge, but I can learn from every experience. After growing into the role of manager and director over the past several years, I am confident that I am a good leader.
