What do design leaders lead?

Of course design leaders lead design. But there can be sooooooo much more. A good leader provides inspiration, influence, direction, guidance, control and management, a good design leader even more. Given the right context and cultural environment, design leaders can do amazing things for any company; here is a snapshot of what the best design […]

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Ten characteristics of great design leaders

After interviewing hundreds of design leaders in my recruiting business for the last three and a half years, sitting thru about 350 speeches by design leaders whilst running DMI for six years, reading about 350 articles by design leaders as the publisher of the DMI Review and the DMI Journal, and co-editing/writing four anthology books […]

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The Anatomy of a Great UX Design Leader

Fast Company recently asked me – What makes a great UX design leader? Here is my response – Seven key traits the best UX design leaders share. The job market for user experience designers is booming, and academic programs at companies like Google have sprung up to meet demand. Missing from most discussions about the […]

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How to go from designer to chief design officer

As design school grads launch into their chosen professions, it’s a good time to remember that your career is the one design project that you control. And, like design, there is no single right answer, but there is an array of options. So the path you take is entirely up to you. Just consider the […]

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How to hire great design leaders

Let’s face it, every business must innovate for the future, and innovation requires creativity. Not just creativity, but appropriately focused and managed creativity. But this kind of creativity doesn’t just pop up on demand, and you can’t just click on it; it takes savvy Design, UX and Innovation leaders that know how to nurture and […]

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Interview tip: Replace the resume with a whiteboard.

Need a more innovative workforce? Then start with how you use the resume. How long has the resume concept been around, forever? How much have they evolved? While reviewing the listing of job experiences on paper or online is still important, if you need a more innovative workforce, it’s time to take a look at […]

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Finding X: Why T-shaped people are valuable but insufficient in an age of nonstop innovation.

By Marty Neumeier.  Companies are quickly learning that a post-graduate degree offers no guarantee of real-world innovation skills. That’s why, in design-driven organizations with multi-disciplinary teams, there’s an ongoing search for “T-shaped” people. A T-shaped person is someone who has a strong descender (the vertical stroke of the T) and a well-developed crossbar (the horizontal […]

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Ten recruiting predictions for 2016 – and the role of design

General Electric, the nations largest industrial company, just announced it is moving it’s headquarters from Connecticut to Boston. Of their 360,000 G.E. employees globally, only 800 will go to the new HQ in Boston. What I find most interesting is that the New York Times reports that of the 800 going to headquarters only 200 will […]

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