My Personal Management Approach
My Philosophy on Design Management: Partnership, People, and Progress. AKA the Palmer P's
Partnership over Pixels
I’ll give you specific creative direction if you need it, but my default is to think long-term and build a more collaborative and thoughtful team culture that can adapt to challenges over time. Instead of providing direct solutions, I ask open-ended questions in order to identify the root cause.
When it comes to managing a design team, my approach is to focus on long-lasting relationships rather than immediate results. Imagine you're working on a group project. Instead of dictating what everyone should do, I believe in asking thought-provoking questions to help us collectively understand the real issue at hand. Why? Because the best outcomes arise when the team collaborates and truly understands the problem, rather than just executing tasks without deeper understanding.
People over Process
I double down on interpersonal aspect. With the right people, any process works. With the wrong people, no process works. Smart, kind, and generous human beings in a room can overcome most obstacles. On the flip side, no amount of process can make up for bad actors. Internal issues can usually be traced back to missing or broken relationships.
You've heard it said, "teamwork makes the dream work," and I wholeheartedly agree. No matter how good a game plan may be, it's the people on your team that will bring it to life. Picture a band; you can have the best sheet music in the world, but if the musicians don't work well together, the performance falls flat. When it comes to tackling challenges, I invest in fostering solid relationships within the team. When relationships are strong, obstacles become minor bumps in the road, rather than insurmountable barriers.
Progress over Perfection
Make incremental gains towards a big goal over time. I underscore the importance of building momentum rather than seeking an elusive "perfect" outcome, which is often subjective. I celebrate pragmatism and try to replace the fear of making mistakes with the excitement of making progress.
Perfection is a moving target. If we're always aiming for it, we'll never actually hit the bullseye. Imagine training for a marathon; you don't start by running 26.2 miles on day one. You build up stamina over time. I emphasize the significance of making small but meaningful strides towards our larger goals. I try to replace the dread of making a mistake with the thrill of achieving something, no matter how small.