Download - 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