I get an offer as design lead. What to do?

It's exciting when you get the offer. But it's also disorienting. Lots of big questions: Can I do it? What does it mean to be a design lead?

Being a design leader is a different game.

It's exciting when you get the offer.

But it's also disorienting. Lots of big questions: Can I do it? What does it mean to be a design lead?

Different game

There are two career paths for product designers in most organizations. The first one is the individual contributor (IC) path. The second one is the managerial path. These two are different games to play. There's a huge gap. You will never feel ready when you want to transition from IC to a design leadership role.

Design leadership

What do they do? Develop the team to execute the design work so your company creates a good product and business outcome.

Develop team, designing org., manage design execution

There are three aspects to focus: 1) Developing the team, (2) Design the organization and the workflow, and (3) Managing design execution. While each company has different expectations toward the design leader, these 3 are fundamental for the design leader.

Developing the team means that you're dealing with the hiring strategy. You'll consider the talent retention strategy to keep your best talent in your company. But you also deal with firing strategy. You will think about growing the existing team members. That is the least fun part for me, but it's critical.

Designing the organization involves placing the right people in the right team. For example, you should allocate a capable designer to the priority initiative. How does the reporting line work? If you have 3 design managers, should they all report to you? It defines how your team operates and executes their day-to-day work.

Managing design execution is the most important thing. You must translate the company OKR to the initiative; usually, you collaborate with the other functions. Finally, you should ensure the execution is high quality so your team can produce a good product with great usability, outstanding visual design, and a delightful experience.

Hopefully, this gives you some idea. Now, actions you can take in this situation.

Action 1: Is it for you?

If you take the design leader role, you will no longer do the design work. You will solve different problems. Is it for you? Usually, it's hard to answer this. So I usually recommend asking for a trial period—usually 3 months. By the end of that period, you can decide whether it's for you.

Action 2: Observe the problem and propose it

Most people who get the offer would be unsure. And they often will ask their boss: "Hey, what do you expect me to do if I become a design leader?" That won't work. Your boss offers you that position because you can figure that out.

Here's a better move: Observe the problem with the abovementioned aspects. Then, you go ahead and write a document about it. Propose it to your boss. That's a productive conversation.

Speaking of becoming a design lead. One crucial skill is Product Strategy. If you’re interested, join my next live workshop: Product Discovery