Five lessons I have learned being a Design Chapter lead
being a non-native English speaker, this article may have language mistakes.
Once upon a time… Oh, wait, not so far, but since December 2019, all my perspectives and professional life have changed, and I started to face a new challenge, a one I like: being UX&UI Chapter Lead or shorter Design Chapter Lead. I was and actually am grateful that the manager saw in me a person who has the capabilities to lead a team, and especially, more important, to build a team, a great one (and it’s not just me that I am thinking like this). And, since that moment, I need to admit, that pretty shy in the first 2–3 weeks, I am trying to become a better leader with every day that passes.
The creation of the team
Right now, my team has six members (2 UX Writers, 1 UX Designer, 4 UI Designers), but things weren’t like this from the beginning. In December was just one UI designer (because another one left the team precisely in that period) in the team. So, during the next two months, I needed to create the whole team I have right now, and it was very challenging. I needed to develop a strategy and sketch some directions for the team to be, and it was something new for me. I spent many nights reading about how to create a team, how to find the common denominator between different people, and so on.
Many good people came to the interviews, but I needed to take into consideration not just the experience in the field, but also the mindset, the desire to learn, and the attitude. And, after many interviews, I’ve found those fantastic people, complementary in thinking, experience, but with the same common denominators: a desire to learn, communication, team-players, a willingness to change, people-oriented, and trustworthiness.
“I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better. I think that’s the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.” (Elon Musk, founder of PayPal and Tesla, in an interview with Mashable)
So, the following five lessons are dedicated to my team because thanks to them, I am becoming a better professional every day.
1. Listen and do not judge
Being a UX Designer as a profession, I have learned to have patience and to listen to the voice of the user and not to judge no matter what. Oh well, this mindset helped me, also, in my journey as a leader. You need to hear both sides (or multiple sides) of the problem and to find a diplomatic way to solve it. Also, it is vital not to judge anything and to try to be objective and, in the end, to find, together with the team, a solution.
I faced some new situations (e.g., misunderstandings, little upsets, getting out of the comfort zone, needs, etc.), and each time I listened. I tried to find solutions together with the colleague(s) (when it was necessary because sometimes, were cases in which my role was to listen and to be there, and I was). Sometimes it is not easy, especially when the situation is not easy to handle, but it is mandatory to be objective. It is compulsory to have respect for everyone involved because, in the end, you are a team, and a team is like a family, and in that family, you need to have a proper environment to evolve and to be safe.
✔ An activity that helped me to have a bond with each of the team members is a 1–1 call once a month. But, if during that month someone from the team feels that need to speak to someone about a problem or a success.
2. Feedback before anything else
Many people are afraid of receiving feedback and there was a time when I was, too, because we, like people, have a thin line between it’s something personal, and no, I need to improve something. And this may be the natural response because some people don’t know how to offer feedback. But, anyway, my team provides me feedback each time they consider providing it, and I am not afraid of it, I am happy that I am receiving it, even it is positive or constructive, each feedback is valuable for me. And, the best thing is my team is values feedback as well, we are open in this direction, and this helps us a lot in shaping the way we are working together.
✔ Each of us developed a behavior through which, when we need feedback or help, we are saying it. Also, each of us knows that when we need to share something with a particular team member, we are discussing that.
3. Team-work is vital
There is not I is we, and I am sure that, also, is an essential aspect of how a team works. We are making decisions together, we have brainstorming sessions, and we are discussing each time we need to add or change something. My team is open in discussions, and each person is having an essential role in it. Here, also, the complementarity of the mindsets and experience helps a lot. A happy team is a team in which you want to be.
✔ We consider that if we a team, all the decisions should be taken inside of the team, and each idea should be shared with the other colleagues. It is a healthy behavior that is helping us to succeed in our work and to meet the challenges prepared.
4. A leader is a guide, not an omniscient
When I was younger, I thought that to become a leader, you should be a guru in your area, know everything about what you are doing, have answers for everything, and so on. Well, a leader should be a guide, should be a friend, should be there for the team, should be a people-person, an advocate for the team. Yes, it is true, my team is coming to me for my professional advice in many situations, but also, they are coming to me to solve problems, to cover needs, to be a friend, to be the rational voice when it is needed and so on. And are many cases in which I am saying ok, I don’t know exactly how to do something, I am asking for help, for advice from someone with more experience than me. As a leader, you have a lot of things to learn, and you should be happy that you have someone to ask for advice. Also, as a leader, I am learning every day from my team. Each of them is different and has a different perspective (kudos to you all). For example, from the…:
- UX Writer, I've learned also how to have a human approach to the text, to be on the user's language.
- UX Designer, I’ve learned also many new ideations exercises and a new approach to deal with people during the design sprints sessions.
- UI Designers, I've learned about creativity and how important it is to bond with the end customers.
✔ An exercise that helped me is to draw a line, at the end of each day, I am taking time to reflect on what I did right, and I should continue doing that, and what I did wrong and I need to improve. Each day has a lesson for me.
5. Build trust and respect
Being a leader doesn’t mean that you are in the center of the Universe, being a leader is not a title, but a vouch that you are there for your team, trusting and respecting them. Also, these things must be mutual, and in my time, I found more than that, I’ve also seen a shoulder in harder situations and friendship and commitment.
✔ It is essential not to try to control your colleagues, and to have trust in their abilities, but also, help them know that you are there no matter what, and they can come to you when they need it.
There are many other things to mention that I have learned from my fantastic team. We faced some challenges, but here we are, stronger and focused on delivering quality work and thankful for each of us.
Through this article I want to say “thank you” to my team (Adriana, Andrei, Cătălina, Cristi, Lavinia, Setin, Vlad) for every moment we spent together, you are all my superheroes. Also, I say “thank you” to the Digital Division Manager (Gabi), who had trust in my skills and proposed for this position (even I do not agree too much with this word).
