This month our Head of Interaction and Service Design, Dan Healy, gave a talk at the UX Scotland conference in Edinburgh. We asked him to share more on his talk and the impact that it had at the conference.
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I was delighted to be making my third speaking appearance at UX Scotland. It’s a great conference with a diverse range of talks, workshops and lightning talks by designers in the public and private sectors.
This year there were representations from private-sector organisations such as Pinterest, Netflix, Monzo and Natwest. From the public sector side of things in attendance were the Government Digital Service, the Ministry of Justice, Home Office and the NHS.
My talk was called Being the Grown Up: The One Habit of Highly Effective Leadership. With 25 years’ experience in user-centred design I’ve learned a lot about why adopting a grown-up mindset is key to the trickiest parts of leadership.
The essence of my talk was a simple but important approach to leaning into leadership challenges. Ask yourself “what would a grown up do?” By channeling your inner grown-up and embracing maturity, responsibility and focusing on others you get this amazing lens to tackle almost any leadership challenge.
Key takeaways for effective design leadership
People who came along to my talk said that they left with a clearer idea of what leadership really is, along with practical strategies and useful frameworks. I shared real-world examples of how I’ve handled tough leadership situations, showing how an “allocentric” (other-focused) approach can be a leadership superpower.
Tackling tough situations: my real-world examples
I went into specific examples of where asking “what would a grown up do?” was a game-changer for me. Here’s a snapshot of what they looked like.
Designing conversations for intended outcomes
This means planning out difficult conversations like performance reviews that might lead to someone leaving your organisation. For example, it’s essential to make sure as a leader, you’re aware of how dropping someone a simple ‘do you have a minute?’ message could fill them with terror!
Visible leadership in remote contexts
In today’s now often remote world, I’ve found that a grown-up leader proactively connects, communicates clearly and makes sure everyone feels like they belong. During COVID-19, I made intentional efforts like daily virtual rituals, to keep my team connected and feeling safe, even when we were apart.
Becoming an accidental leader of organisational change
Sometimes you find yourself leading big organisational shifts. My grown-up response involved taking ownership of cultural transformation through design leadership.
Strategies, tips and frameworks
Beyond those examples, I offered some big-picture strategies for adopting a grown-up mindset that include:
- focusing on the outcome, not just the emotion by acknowledging your feelings, but don’t let them run the show
- practicing active listening and empathy and really trying to understand others points of view
- communicating clearly and respectfully by being straightforward and treating everyone with dignity
- taking responsibility and own your decisions and actions, the good and the bad
- being proactive, not reactive and try to anticipate problems and deal with them before they blow up
- being accountable, that means owning it, even when it’s uncomfortable or a bit scary
Leadership and thinking beyond titles
Throughout my talk I made it clear that true leadership isn’t about having all the answers or just telling people what to do. Instead, for me it’s about:
- empowering others and helping them grow
- taking responsibility for all actions without ego
- having a positive influence and serving a bigger purpose
On the flip side, micromanaging, dictating and looking for personal glory are definitely not leadership.
The power of allocentric design leadership
My grown-up approach to leadership is fundamentally allocentric, which means it’s focused on others, not on me. I believe allocentric leaders put their team’s needs and growth first. Understanding the wider impact of their decisions and aiming for collective success. This is how you build truly effective and sustainable teams.
I also shared some practical tools, like the Rock, Tree, Heart, Star framework for personal reflection on strengths and areas to grow. Don’t forget the Accountability Ladder to help foster discussions about accountability within teams.
Ultimately my presentation at UX Scotland was a reminder that embracing your inner grown-up with maturity, responsibility, empathy and an other-focused view is the habit that builds a strong foundation for truly effective leadership.
By consistently asking myself “what would a grown-up do?” I find I can navigate challenges with intention, build connections, make thoughtful decisions and lead with a much greater impact.
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