In the early 2000s, Google was experiencing a management problem. The perception was that management was just frustrating the employees and actually keeping them from being productive. So, for a brief season, the organization implemented a flat org chart with nobody serving in any form of “middle management” role.
This approach resulted in such a mess that Google went back to a semblance of the way things were before. And in 2008, the company undertook “Project Oxygen” to survey how to best revive its management structure and breathe life back into the organization.
What Google learned from that project helped redefine its internal leadership culture, and it revived a culture that had perhaps grown stale.
In your design profession, maybe you are struggling with how to put into words what you need from those leading you. Or maybe you’re someone who doesn’t see themselves as a “people person” and is wrestling with how to best lead the team you’re in charge of.
Either way, the eight crucial points that Google identified from its Project Oxygen can apply to design team leaders and members alike. Check them out.
1-A great leader is a good coach.
The best coaches in any industry are able to draw upon multiple leadership approaches to bring out the best in terms of team productivity. They encourage and support. They challenge and push. They know when to nurture and when to chew someone out. They show patience when they train and teach. They know how to treat everyone on the team differently based on their individual needs. They’re able to put the right people in the right seats. They emphasize team success over individual performance.
A great leaders knows that the team can’t do anything without great players, so they get out of the way and let people excel in their natural gifts.
Another thing: They hold people accountable. They call out potential and help people reach it, even if that person can't see it in themselves. They give away the credit and take the blame. They articulate vision, set goals, and chart a course.
Most importantly, they know that the team can’t do anything without great players, so they get out of the way and let people excel in their natural gifts.
Are there things on this list you’re naturally adept at? Are there things you need to work on? Are there things you need to ask your leaders to do for you?
2-A great leader empowers the team and doesn’t micromanage.
A leader that empowers teammates provides clear vision and expectations, and allows a designer to use their best judgment on how to achieve strong results. These leaders must be available to answer questions and provide guidance at project milestones, but they are secure enough to allow others the freedom to make mistakes—because it’s a learning process, after all.
Nobody comes fully developed, and everyone benefits from having a mentor to pour into them. It’s encouraging and uplifting to know that someone cares about your potential enough to spend the time to help you grow. But it’s demoralizing to feel like you don’t even have the freedom to try or to breathe on your own.
3-A great leader expresses interest in and concern for team members’ success and personal well-being.
Humans inherently desire to be part of a community and to feel recognized and accepted. And few things feel better than the comfort of knowing others are looking out for you and have your back.
People stay drawn to a team because of the relational connection and sense of community that exists.
Knowing this, a leader might ask: Am I invested in helping people reach their potential and make a difference, or am I only concerned about what they can do for me?
People stay drawn to a team because of the relational connection and sense of community that exists.
Sometimes when leaders fall short, they're unintentionally leading their teams as they've been led. Maybe their direct leader didn't invest in them personally, and they have felt the sting of that.
When that’s the case, leaders can seek out others they trust and admire and ask for their help or feedback. This can help break an unhealthy cycle of leadership.
4-A great leader is productive and results-oriented.
When someone is operating in their sweet spot, the fruits of their labor are evident to those around them. And for leaders, that can mean a gut feeling that everything is well with them and their team.
Notice though, according to the Google study this quality of a leader is below other items on the list. This fact probably highlights the importance of not being a results-first team.
When leaders focus instead on creating a healthy, positive, supportive culture, it's naturally easier for those on the team to jump “all-in” to get the necessary results, because they can likely intuit that they’re part of a healthy team where they are valued. And as a result, they don't quickly burn out.
5-A great leader is a good communicator, listening and sharing information.
A good communicator doesn’t have to be a good orator. Maybe their strength is in being an excellent conduit for information and relationship.
Do they paint clear pictures of expectations, so the team constantly knows where they are in relation to their goals? Or maybe they expertly share the "why" behind the "what" so that the team is able to fully understand and embrace the vision.
An excellent leader-communicator might ask: Do I allow people to freely give feedback, and do I give it myself properly without fear of hurting others through constructive criticism? When I am asked questions or given feedback, do I listen with an open mind or do I rush to discredit or disregard what I hear?
6-A great leader helps with career development.
Everyone has next steps both professionally and personally.
Strong leaders are concerned with helping team members identify those steps and reach associated goals, even if it's not in their personal best interest.
Team members will grow from leaders who are personally invested in learning and growing themselves.
7-A great leader has a clear vision and strategy for the team.
Nobody wants to feel like they're running in the wrong direction. There has to be clarity on where the end zone is in order to score a touchdown.
Does everyone know where they are going and why, so they can all work together?
As such, strong leaders may ask themselves: Am I able to identify goals for the team and the path necessary to reach them? Does everyone know where they are going and why, so they can all work together? Do they know how their roles intersect and why it’s so important that they focus on the specifics of their job?
In essence, this is about making sure everyone is on the same page.
8-A great leader has key technical skills that help them advise the team.
It’s so interesting that, in an organization like Google, this was the lowest-rated feedback item for how to define a great leader. Technical chops were way behind other items when team members clarified what they were looking for.
As the oft-repeated saying goes, "A great leader should never be the smartest one in the room."
This suggests that, to lead teams well, leaders don’t have to understand all the nuances of every facet of a project. But they do need to have the drive and initiative to seek out answers and bring them to the table. They must be driven to learn and to implement new vision for the team.
The best leaders will surround themselves with people more talented than they are. As the oft-repeated saying goes, "A great leader should never be the smartest one in the room."
Yet, in many industries it's hard to respect a leader who hasn't "earned" their role/title through performance. And for many designers, feeling the weight of needing a certain amount of “street cred” to fall back on is a familiar one.
However, to grow as a leader, one must oftentimes focus more on developing others on the team than showcasing their own capabilities.
In the end, the best leaders and coaches realize that they can do nothing by themselves. They know they must have a great team in order to be successful—that the entire team must be unified in the march towards success.
Whether you’re leading a design team or leading developers at Google, the basic hallmarks of a great leader remain the same.
