Have you thought about becoming a manager? What does it take, and how to move from your individual contributor role into a people managing role?
Being a people manager is not a goal for everyone. But for some ICs, this is an aspiration. With the right mindset and skills, you will find it interesting, challenging, and rewarding. It also comes with new responsibilities. Let’s talk about the transition from ICs to people managers.
Taking the Oxford Women’s Leadership Development Program pushed me to examine how we develop people. In the past, I have been advocating how we need to utilize people’s superpower vs. trying to focus on room for improvement. But there is nuance to this general statement. For example, I was looking at a designer on a design team. What if a […]
Finding a mentor is rarely easy. However, as a person who has been in both roles, I can say it is beneficial. I’ve learned new skills, built long-lasting relationships, and expanded my professional network by being a mentor and mentee. So, whether you are a mentor or a mentee, it is worth the effort and time you put into it.
I recently came across John Cutler’s posting and thought it was interesting. There are always two sides to the coin. I enjoy how John called it out as “It really is about what people are ‘feeling’.” On this subject, Zhiyuan Zheng on our product team recently did a presentation that resonated with me. He says, look over the behavior but […]
When it comes to mitigate “Swoop and Poop” management style, many folks focus on how to avoid it. It is absolutely important. However, in this post, I want to focus on the aftermath. — How to deal with it when it does occur.
Recently I posted a question on LinkedIn to the design community: What is the strategy to achieve left, while the organizational structure is like the right. The question generated over twenty-two thousand views, and more importantly, it generated an excellent discussion. My intention for posting the question is not for the answers, but to do a pulse check. The debate […]
What does an ideal design organization structure look like? No one has a magic solution. In this blog, I am raising the challenge for design leaders and design operation leaders to join the conversation.
Coming off the DesignOps Summit always fills me with excitement for a brighter future for design. Having been facilitating and participating in the DesignOps summit for the past few years, seeing more and more people getting into the designops fills me with joy.
There is no other field I’d rather be in, and there is no other work I’d rather be doing at this moment.
Care personally, challenge directly. A skip level 1 on 1 meeting is a place for conversation. For both people to benefit from these meetings, stay organized, stay prepared, follow through when appropriate. A reflection from reading the blog post by Lighhouse.
Culture vs. cult. Three letters make all the differences. When we evaluate candidates during the hiring process, there is very often a call for “Culture fit”. Unfortunately, a “culture fit” can quickly allow the “similar-to-me bias” to creep into the process.
Having a team culture doesn’t lead to employee happiness. However, having a team culture that is inclusive, diverse, and open is the foundation of employee happiness.