49: Rest Is a Leadership Skill: What Most Design Execs Miss About Impact
Discover why rest fuels sustainable leadership. Explore how regenerative practices help design leaders avoid burnout, retain talent, and build resilient, high-impact teams.
32 - The Product vs. Design Battle Isn’t a Bug—It’s a Feature
Discover why tension between PMs and designers isn’t a flaw—it’s a feature. Learn how this creative friction fuels innovation, alignment, and smarter, more strategic product development.
#30: Stop Shielding Design Teams—Start Positioning Them for Impact
Shielding design feels safe but limits impact. Bust 4 myths and learn how collaboration, business fluency, and early alignment turn design from isolated craft into a true strategic catalyst.
29 - Beyond Aesthetics: Mental Models for Strategic Design Management
Great designers don’t just craft—they decide wisely. Explore how mental models like First Principles, Second-Order Effects & the Eisenhower Matrix help designers lead, align, and drive lasting impact.
27: Leadership Secrets No One Tells You—But I Will
Leadership isn’t about answers—it’s about better questions and brave humility. From Target to Venmo, I share lessons on visibility, boundaries, and leading with empathy in uncertain, complex spaces.
Transforming Design into Business Strategy: A Practical Guide for Middle Managers and Senior ICs
The real fight for design influence is in middle management. To drive impact, tie design to KPIs, revenue, and efficiency—positioning it as a business driver, not just a service or usability layer.
What High Performers Do Differently & How to Train Yourself to Become One
High performers aren’t just gifted—they train mind, habits, and energy. Backed by research, this piece explores patterns that drive success—and how you can build them to thrive in any field.
Balancing Speed and Safety: Building Trust in Expansion Mode
In high-growth orgs, psychological safety fuels innovation. Explore five ways to build trust—curiosity, guardrails, feedback, shared ownership & pauses—so teams take risks, learn, and drive real impact.
Building Bridges to Make an Impact as a New Leader
Starting a new design leadership role? Learn how to align design with business goals, foster collaboration, and empower teams to drive lasting impact. Build bridges that set the stage for success.
Designing AI for Equity: The New Imperative for Interaction Design
AI shapes the future—but often mirrors past bias. From hiring to pricing, it can deepen inequity. To build trust, we must design AI with fairness, transparency, and human oversight at its core.
Exploring New Frontiers: Equipping Design Teams with Tools, Tips, and Strategies for the AI Era
Design leader navigating AI-era challenges? Learn how to align with strategy, prevent headcount loss, and integrate AI—while proving design’s value and driving innovation with practical, lasting impact.
Your Career Is a Recipe: The Design of Mastery, Balance, and Growth
Growing up in India, kitchens taught me resilience and creativity. Like cooking, design leadership blends vision, adaptability, and care to turn simple ingredients into lasting impact.
Unlocking Talent Excellence - Tips for Senior Managers to Hire the Best Talent
Learn how senior managers can hire with empathy and strategy—from defining roles to onboarding. Explore inclusive job posts, witty interviews, and offers that attract top talent and drive success.
The Superpower of a Strong Design Team: Driving Growth and Transformation
Design isn’t just visuals—it’s a growth engine. Strong teams unite silos, simplify complexity, and drive faster, human-centered decisions that boost retention, brand equity, and business impact.
Cultivating Leadership Through Key Meetings
Three must-have meetings for design leaders: Daily Design Reviews, Skip-Level 1:1s, and Cross-Functional Reviews. They drive alignment, feedback, and leadership across teams for lasting impact.
Embedding Customer-Centricity into the DNA of Your Organization
Organizations must adopt a holistic view of the customer journey to embed customer-centricity. Design leaders align teams around a shared vision, integrating feedback and fostering collaboration. This approach drives growth, enhances brand loyalty, and reduces operational costs by proactively addressing issues across touchpoints, creating long-term value for customers and the business.
Harnessing Diversity: Lessons from a Design Leader
Resilience is built through challenge and identity. As an immigrant and design leader, adapting to new cultures taught me empathy, shaped my leadership, and helped me build stronger, inclusive teams.
Lessons on Leadership I learned from my first manager
Jean Cattell, my first design manager, shaped my path with fierce advocacy and heart. This tribute shares 3 timeless lessons she taught me—on autonomy, contribution, and leading with integrity.
Gaining credit - Our design journey into expanding Venmo
Go behind the scenes of the Venmo Credit Card launch—see how user insights, cross-team alignment, and innovative design turned complexity into simplicity and redefined how users engage with their finances.