Set clear short-term and long-term objectives

As a people leader, one of the most important aspects of my role is to set clear team objectives, either it is the break-down of wider business objectives or the objectives that can bring the team to the next stage.

It is vital that everyone in the team feel engaged when we defining the team objectives together and understand how each other's role contributes to the team objectives.

The short-term objectives should be specific, measurable and timely, whilst the long-term objectives should tie to team vision and organizational responsibility.

Build an open-minded and inclusive team culture

High performing design team usually has an open atmosphere and open-minded team culture and everyone feels included. From hiring talents in different spectrums to encouraging different voices during design critics, I value the diversity in the team to encourage learning from each other and bringing different perspectives to the table.

Also, the team will feel more assured to take experiments, foster creativity and learn from mistakes.

Drive for conflict-free work process internally and externally

We need processes to make things move smoothly. As a leader/manager, I encourage my team to explore better processes internally and/or with stakeholders through continuous conversations.

Depending on the level of impact, I may step into and provide clarity on new processes that require cross-team collaboration and work with my manager peers.

The processes discussed in my team cover wide topics, eg: design sign-off, team collaboration, design system building model etc, and what makes me proud is that my team members always volunteer support to each other and take ownership without being asked.

Practice situational leadership

To me, practicing situational leadership brings a lot of epiphany to my work and keeps my team performing well. On a daily basis, I need to motivate low performers, recognize high performers, coach junior designers, leave space for designers who value autonomy.

There are no best management tactics, but appropriate management tactics depending on the audience and situation.

Develop myself and my team

As a leader/manager, I want to develop my skill set, elevate my views, and challenge myself so that I can provide directions to the team. It is equally important to develop my team members, by finding their motivation, supporting with resources I can access, also let them take initiatives.

I particularly encouraged designers to grow own expertise so they can become experts in certain areas, then all together we will have experts in all types of disciplines. Also, when designers growing, their confidence level grows and the positive energy flows in the team.