leadership lessons from design hell

“When you are going through Hell, keep going.”

4 June 1940: Battle of Dunkirk

Operation Dynamo: The Great Evacuation

338,226 Soldiers Were Rescued

68,000 British Casualties

290,000 French Casualties

June 10, 1940: Three Historical Facts

June 14, 1940: Paris Falls

June 23, 1940: Hitler Visits Paris

28 June 1940: Europe

“The Battle for France is Over.”

“Battle of Britain is About to Begin.”

“When you are going through Hell, keep going.”

How You Can Change the World?

DALLAS

HOUSTON

Why Leadership?

Research and Testing Expert

International Speaker

Writer of Books and Articles

Keynote Author on SlideShare

Addison Treehouse Mentor

SMU Instructor for UX

UXPA Dallas President

Coached Boy’s Soccer (104-12)

Conference Organizer

Ethics of Leadership

Ethics is not about: “Do This” and

“Don’t Do This”

Ethics answers this profound question:

“What makes me happy?”

“When you are going through Life, keep going.”

You are here!

Pride

Pride is believing you are better than someone else. Pride (or hubris) is the most common flaw in Greek tragedies and myths.

Dante and Virgil see prideful people must carry heavy rocks that force them to bow down and be more grounded.

How does a design leader account for pride in

themselves and their team?

Are You Really Doing These Things?

Usability Testing

User Research

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is

thinking of yourself less.”

Whose Shoes?

User Research

“Before you walk a mile in my shoes, you have to take

your own shoes off.”

Insights or Ammo?

Usability Testing

We talk about:

“Know Thy User.” We should also say:

“Honor Thy User.”

Envy

Envy is a jealous feeling or a very resentful longing for someone else’s possessions or qualities. It is when you covet what they have.

When Dante and Virgil meet envious people, their eyes have been sewn shut. They lose outer sight, but they gain insight.

How does a design leader handle envious people, especially gossiping?

Know the Nuances

Grapevine Gossip Discussions

Discussions are Positive

Discussions

Workplace discussions are usually:

• Friendly

• Informational

• Supportive

There are no character assassinations or bullying in these conversations.

Heated Discussions are Positive, Too

Discussions

Heated discussions are fine, when you:

• Use a respectful tone

• Listen to other viewpoints

• Focus on the problem, not the person

A heated discussion probably means you are working on a wicked problem.

“In a heated discussion, ask yourself this question:

Is it personal or personality?”

Grapevine = Rumors

Grapevine

Grapevine rumors usually run amok because of:

• Poor communication

• Changes in the workplace

• Wild guesses by the staff

Grapevine rumors can be very damaging and demoralizing. They can spread like wildfire, too.

Gossiping is about Envy

Gossipers want attention. They will:

• Adopt a confidential tone

• Impart details to undermine a person

• Do character assassinations

• Create a me-versus-them mentality

You probably hear more information than you want.

Gossiping

1. Don’t take it to heart.

2. Focus objectively.

3. Deal with it as a task.

4. Arm yourself with facts.

5. Review the context

6. Assess the sources.

7. Be a source of reassurance.

8. Confront the gossipers directly.

When You Get Targeted

1. Don’t participate in the gossip.

2. Ask gossiper about their motivation.

3. Focus on projects, not people.

4. Talk about competitors, not co-workers.

5. Tell gossiper you are prepared to follow-up with the targeted person.

6. Talk about the positive aspects of the person.

When Others Get Targeted

“The best revenge is massive success.”

Wrath

Wrath is a vindictive anger, where you seek to destroy a person. Wrath lasts longer than whatever provoked it.

In Dante’s Purgatory, smoke fills the eyes of wrathful souls. They find it hard to see and breath.

How does a design leader manage their own anger? And the wrath of others?

“I’m going to destroy Android because it is a stolen product. I’m willing to go to thermonuclear war on this.” --Steve Jobs, 2010

iReally?

“You cannot expect rational thinking from an irrational person.”

Rationalization

Justification Blame

Use Humor Tell a Friend Focus on Solutions

“Some people come into your

life as blessings. Other people come into your

life as lessons.” -- Mother Teresa

Sloth

Sloth is simply being lazy: mentally and spiritually. On Mount Purgatory, Dante and Virgil encounter:

• Lazy people that constantly move.

• Other lazy people jog and climb.

• The laziest run at top speed forever.

How does a design leader stay motivated? How do they keep their people engaged?

Manifestations of Laziness

Apathy Entitlement

Manifestations of Laziness

Giving Up Finger Pointing

Live in the Moment

Develop a Mission Driven Mindset

Change Behaviors

Develop Keystone Habits

Keystone Habits for Designers

Usability Testing User Research

Hard Work = Integrity

“Work is not punishment. It’s a reward that gives you

strength and pleasure.”

Greed

Greed is an insane desire to acquire (or possess) more than you need. It can lead to bribery, hoarding, and stealing.

Dante and Virgil see greedy people lie naked on the ground because they were concentrated on Earthly possessions.

How does a design leader handle greedy or

possessive people?

• I design everything $100

• I design, you watch $200

• I design, you advise $300

• I design, you help $500

• You design, I help $750

• You design, I advise $1,500

• You design, I watch $2,500

• You design everything $5,000

Design Joke on Facebook

Typical Sales Funnel

Give Time, Talent, and Treasure

Share Your Tools

Leaders Share Knowledge

“No one have ever become poor from giving.”

-- Maya Angelou

Gluttony

Gluttony is an over-consumption of anything to the point of waste. Gluttons consume too much, too fast, too soon, too wildly, and too expensively.

On Mount Purgatory, it rains garbage and the gluttons eat what they can find. Only one of them notices Dante and Virgil.

Millions Line Up for the Latest iPhone

140 Million Trashed Yearly

1,150,000

5 Phones Per Second

Enough to Power for Two Years

2016 2017

Are You Reducing?

Are You Reusing?

Are You Recycling?

Are You Restoring?

Are Your Designs Accessible?

“Nothing is a

waste of time, if you use the

experience wisely.” -- Auguste Rodin

Lust

Lust is an intense desire for fame, sex, money, or power. It is an unnatural craving we use to justify bad choices.

In Dante’s Purgatory, lustful souls twist and swirl in a tornado to symbolize their own lack of self-control.

How does a design leader handle temptations and distractions?

People Lust for Fame

We Reject Speakers Yearly

Greedy

Spiteful

Snob

Egotistical

Hateful

Insipid

“Silence cannot be misquoted.”

“The currency is in the conversations.”

Create Boundaries

Speaker Voting System

Code of Conduct Policy

Green Room Policy

Blacklisted a Few Folks

Kicked Out a Few Folks

Speaker Orientation

Speaker Studio to Critique

Slides to Help You Prepare

Greedy

Spiteful

Snob Intellectual

Egotistical

Hateful

Insipid

“When you are going to lead, keep leading.”

How to Lead at Work

“You don’t have to be a manager to be a leader.”

Rule #1

“Leaders are readers.” Rule #2

“Seek first to understand,

then to be understood.”

Rule #3

“Follow the ABCs:

Always Be Communicating.”

Rule #4

“Leaders are learners.” Rule #5

“Don’t mistake silence

for acceptance.”

Rule #6

“Leaders are listeners.” Rule #7

“Preparation determines

success.”

Rule #8

“Leaders build other leaders.” Rule #9

“When you are going

through Hell, keep going.”

Rule #10