10 learnings as a Design Manager
Mar 3, 2025
10 learnings as a design manager
As I am coming up on 3 years of design management and I find it easy to get lost in the details of the day-to-day while losing sight of the bigger picture. In no particular order, these are 10 short learnings, reminders and general advice for myself 3 years ago or anyone who has recently become a manager.
Your job is ultimately to get better outcomes from a group of people working together than as individuals.
Trust your team with difficult problems and decisions even if you can solve it yourself.
You are often the intermediary but you are not just the messenger. Facilitate mind share and aligned decisions.
Establish clear boundaries between yourself and your boss's responsibilities — recognize that you are not responsible for everything and know when to delegate upwards.
Provide feedback that is constructive, well structured and specific. If effective, it should change or reinforce behaviors.
If consensus can't be built, identify and utilize the right escalation channels.
Provide clarity in direction and vision to align, inspire action and unblock.
Leverage your unique position to find connection points, connect with others.
Understanding the motivations of your stakeholders is key to building alignment and securing necessary support.
Maintain a leadership presence, even if you feel like you don't have anything to say. The team looks to you to set tone.