In contrast, assuming someone is deliberately obstructive can quickly derail a conversation. Imagine a designer whose manager interrupts their process with critical feedback. Instead of assuming the manager doesn’t value their work, the designer could ask, “What concerns do you have about this approach?” This transforms a potentially tense exchange into an opportunity to gain insights and improve the project. ✅ Leaders, in particular, can benefit from approaching conflicts with the assumption that there’s always more to learn. In the world of design, where depth and creativity need to be nurtured, assuming that each team member brings valuable insights fosters collaboration and innovation. ✅ Instead of pushing to be “right,” leaders can ask, “What factors influenced your thinking?” to open up a more constructive discussion. ✅ By using assumptions to explore rather than judge, you not only defuse tension but also encourage trust and problem-solving, making difficult conversations far more effective. We're now going to assume that...you've got this. 😉 Love,
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Enabling senior design professionals to be more influential within their organisations. ✨ Author of this human and design character, published by BIS Publishers.📚
Can't live with them, can't live without them. Difficult conversations are those things we know we need to have from time to time and yet, most of us are experts at avoiding them. Until now... Let's look at the anatomy of a difficult conversation so we can better address them when they arise. According to author Fred Kofman, from his book 'How to Build Value through Values', a difficult conversation can be broken down into the following three elements: A bit more detail: 1. The It: When...
What if your confidence could be as unwavering as the clarity you feel when you truly know yourself? Clarity and confidence are deeply intertwined. When we understand who we are and what we stand for, we naturally develop the confidence to speak up and take action. But this clarity doesn’t come easy—it requires deep inner work, a willingness to ask ourselves the hard questions, and the courage to face the answers. A comment from a past Design Character student: “The stuff we work through is...
Are you always on, always available? Setting time boundaries often gets overlooked in today's ‘grind culture’. There are so many expectations about staying connected that we find it difficult to create healthy time boundaries. This then gives others permission to overstep them. So what happens when we do set time boundaries? Here's a timely story... We were recently running an on-site leadership workshop with a small team from a tech company. We went round the table and asked each of the nine...