Guiding leadership values for 2022

Excellent leadership skills are hard to find these days. However, I have been in and out working with great design leaders in the last decade of being a hands-on product designer, and these are some things that I have taken note of whenever I encounter some exceptional advice from them.

#1 People are more important than numbers

It’s nearly impossible to build something unique and breathtaking in today’s world without having a great team of individuals giving their all and making sure to bring their best every day. When working with your team, spend time appreciating them, and leaders need to make sure they have the best intentions in mind. People should be handled with care, empathy, and kindness even when numbers dip or things don’t seem to go our way. We need always to remember that real people are working behind all types of dashboards and numbers. Always show that we care for them.

#2 Start of the day

It is essential to start your day with joy, love, or peace. Without these secret ingredients, it is almost impossible to derive energy for work or family matters at hand. That’s why most people advise against using mobile phones in the morning first thing because it exposes us to the risk of unlikely 📰 news/content or even negative notifications that we shouldn’t be reading early on in the day to kill our spirits.

#3 Talk to people

Whether at work or otherwise, getting to know the people for who they are is essential. Talking to people helps you to deeper your relationship with them and understand the inner reasonings of a person and what you can do to help them. So often, I have realized that small things that I do in my control can help someone resolve significant issues and drive them forward.

#4 Meditate & keep learning

The more I meditate, the more I realize that I need it as an everyday force to improve my mood and become my daily driver. I always regarded meditation as something that I didn’t need in my life. Still, now that I have started doing it for 15–20 minutes a day, I know that the time I take to meditate during the day forces me to examine what’s truly important in my life and gain greater clarity.

#5 Know the why behind everything

“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.” — Steve Jobs

In design and everything we do in life, it is always a good idea to focus on doing certain things. It helps us to re-focus on what’s essential, reaccess our priorities, and change them if needed. But, unfortunately, most people forget about the why midway and keep doing the grunt work or following the herd for reasons they can’t explain. Understanding the why’s will allow us to let go of the ego within and uncover our true motivations.

#6 Dream bigger

“If Your Goals Don’t Scare You, They Aren’t Big Enough”

It goes without saying but always dream bigger. So before you jump into something new or decide to realign to something else, give yourself some time to find your true purpose and then go all in. Only when you put all your energy in will you have a chance to win indeed.

Management Style

I want to leave you with

“If you don’t have a system or you don’t have a belief of what you want to become as a team, as a leader, as the head coach, then it becomes very difficult for you to communicate that to the players. Coaching is leadership. Coaching is teaching. It isn’t just a separate issue. It isn’t just a separate singular vocation. It’s truly about being a good leader. It’s about being a good teacher.”

The four elements of leadership —

1. Management of the tension, which means you have a plan.
2. Management of meaning means you can explain the plan clearly and effectively.
3. Management of trust, which means you’re consistent without double standards. If you’re hard on one person, you’re hard on everyone.
4. Management of self, which means you are honest with yourself. If you make a mistake, own it and correct it.