Issue 206: Understanding what "good" looks like for other functions

Being the only designer in a team can come with some additional challenges. In this week’s Creative Career Conundrum, Katie Cadwell suggests how to encourage collaboration, and ways to help prove the value of your creativity.

Design leadership as we know it, is over, but it’s going to be OK.

As the working world evolves, employee expectations have changed also. How should employers respond to ensure continued loyalty?

Learnings from talking with 10 design managers from Booking dot com, Miro, Zalando, Smartsheet, and more.

Even the best intentions can still make you a pain in the behind

For a manager, being effective is not optional. It’s a crucial part of their job.

“There is nothing, absolutely nothing, more important than meeting our basic human needs.” — Simon Cohen

To break unhealthy patterns of thinking and acting, managers need to pay special attention to how they communicate, collaborate and get…

Some of the best PMs I know make their decisions based on first principles. A first principle is a “basic, foundational proposition or…

Escape your IC mindset

So that you don’t end up stuck in a shitty job

The importance of building close relationships within your team.

The potential of design in leadership

Welcome to Open Design Docs, a project by Jason Culbertson. With over two decades of experience at companies like Microsoft, Airbnb, Cameo, and Linktree, I wanted to share the docs that I use daily as a VP of Design. Please contact me if you have any feedback.

There is no such thing as a perfect boss but these seven traits might help identify the good ones

Why the desired title won’t give you what you’re looking for

Product leadership is tough because you must lead without authority. It’s challenging, but the right mindset helps. Here are a few tricks.

Business-related mistakes don’t go unnoticed. Mistakes that concern the team’s growth, though, are hardly discussed or given proper…

To find product pitfalls without creating waste, use UX research to understand what your org has already tried and how those efforts…

What I’ve learned from decades in the workforce about recognising subtle signs you’re in good hands

Dr. Jakob Nielsen and Sarah Gibbons explain what will happen to AI, layoffs, and bad managers.

Italian team principal has guided team into a position to challenge the dominance of Red Bull

Source Back in 2018, I wrote a talk called " Designing the team experience: Building culture through onboarding ". The focus was using onboa...

As someone who often gets pulled into very different problems, one of the hardest parts of my job is to build confidence in my product opinion fast. Without conviction that I’m making the right decision, how can I lead? So it’s been key to learn how

During the pandemic, many workers discovered they liked working from home, but CEOs want them in the office, and it's created tension.

How can modern-day employers cut out virtue signalling and actually support women in the workplace?

Back in November 2023, I attended the Ladies that UX (LTUX) Journeys into Leadership event. Inspired by the thoughtful, provoking…

A guide to enable employers to recognise when their managers are disengaging or quiet quitting in their roles

What separates a good leader or manager from a bad one? How do you rise up the ranks whilst staying true to yourself?