How to stand out in a big team?

Break down key attributes with examples to help you stand out in your team. It is primarily focused on design teams, but can be used by anyone working in a team.

The success of a visual designer working for a design agency is NOT the same as the success of a first designer for a startup is NOT the same as the success of a Product designer in a design team of 100. As we switch projects, teams, companies, or roles, we need to adapt and understand how to have the most impact in a team.

To set yourself apart, you have to change your literal and perceived impact on the product, and the individuals around you.

My journey from associate to senior designer has given me the opportunity to learn and experience working in different situations, which I would like to share with you. Let’s get right into it–

1. Drive alignment

Ambiguity in project goal/direction, your role in the team, processes to follow, and determining the decision maker can leave individuals is a tough spot to doubt their own abilities. To no surprise, ambiguity is one of the top five reasons for employee burnout. The reason this is not brought up more often is that it’s very ubiquitous to every team/project at work; but not taught formally in school or other trainings.

You’ve got to be the driver for clarity — which means you’ll need to have context, answers to some tough questions, and know when to forego a part of the project. At each stage, you’ve got to create a source of truth that’s widely shared with the respective stakeholders, helping everyone be on the same page and inviting criticism early for any misalignment.

Example: If you see a customer problem that’s not addressed, you can bring the right people into the room and state the problem with context. Dive deep and align on what the problem is, and based on that, find the DRI who’ll be able to take the project further. Additionally, you can create a Slack post [or any shared communication channel] summarizing the decisions and next steps to make sure everyone knows what’s expected.

2. Help others shine

“Attributing and giving weight to other people’s contributions to your…