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Design leadership is a 2-wheeled bike

Published about 1 year ago • 2 min read

Dear Reader,

It's time to put on your facilitation hats and strategy caps because we're diving into how these two skills are linked (and essential for a career in design leadership).

Facilitation and strategy are two different skills, but they are more connected than you might think.

Just like how a bicycle needs both wheels to move forward smoothly and efficiently, a designer needs both facilitation and strategic design skills to progress and lead effectively.

Without facilitation skills, a designer may struggle to collaborate with team members and lead productive meetings.

Without strategy skills, a designer may struggle to make informed design decisions and align their work with business goals.

Just as a bicycle rider needs both wheels to reach their destination, a designer needs both facilitation and strategic design skills to reach their full potential as a leader.

So, if you want to climb the design career ladder, learn to not only hone your design skills but also develop your facilitation and strategic thinking abilities.

First, you need to understand what "facilitation" and "strategic design" mean.

Check out these two detailed articles that explain these concepts and provide resources to help you improve your skills in each area.

from Dan Hill, designer, urbanist, and educator
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From Strategy to Policy Design

Access the slides from last nights talk from Guglielmo Apolloni on how to initiate systemic change within an organization.
Download the slides

How to Lead with Strategy
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Learn a whole new way to guide teams, not just pixels.
Reserve a seat

Defining UX Strategy
April 17-May 8, 2023
Learn how to build a winning UX or product strategy that aligns design with business.
Reserve a seat

Facilitating Workshops
May 15-Jun. 5, 2023
Learn how to design creative working sessions and lead collaborative work.
Reserve a seat

🏆 A Designer’s Code of Ethics
Mike Monteiro presents a designer's code of ethics, emphasizing the responsibility of designers to consider the impact of their work on society.
shared by Hana Burianová
Learn more

🚀 How To Access GPT-4 (and what it can do)
A video that breaks down the announcement as well as what it can do right now and what it will be able to do in the future
shared by Jerome Bertrand
Learn more

🧠 What is a Cognitive Bias?
Every single cognitive bias in one infographic
shared by Teddy Prosser
Learn more

Apply to join the Guild of Working Designers here.

shared by Asia Jackowska in the Guild

Until next week!

Hannah Baker
Educator & Co-Founder
The Fountain Institute

The Fountain Institute

The Fountain Institute is an independent online school that teaches advanced UX & product skills.

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