Company Culture
For “old kind” leaders, leadership was a known entity. Leaders were powerful. Their organizations ran like well-oiled machines—efficient and productive. They followed best practices, knew all the answers and pointed the way. They created the vision and determined the strategy. And they told others what to do. The old
Brand Community
The low-down: Jo-Ann Tan and the team at +Acumen are on a mission to provide anyone, anywhere with the skills and community to drive social change. They're breaking down the traditional barriers and systems that have prevented great ideas from being shared with those who could most use
Brand Community
The low-down: In his Hopscotch 2017 keynote talk, R/GA VP and Executive Creative Director Mike Rigby details how his life as a designer has transformed from creating brand identities and winning awards to recognizing design and branding as a means of affecting real, lasting change. It's a
Company Culture
Dylan had it right: the times, they are a a changin'. The business landscape today has fostered widespread disruption and change at unprecedented scale—how will you choose to react? What steps can leaders take to help their teams embrace change as a driver of creativity and innovation? New
Leadership
Here’s a scary thought. The world may never again be as calm and predictable as it is today. We are living in the future Alvin Toffler predicted in his 1970s book "Future Shock." But you knew that already. With change comes new technology. New distractions. Constant dinging,
Company Culture
You have the power to design your career. From where you’re sitting, maybe it doesn't seem that way. Maybe you’re looking at a strict corporate hierarchy. A boss that never asks you your opinion. Or you feel like you don’t have enough experience to make
Company Culture
Last week I finished Phil Knight’s new autobiography about his life building Nike into the world’s leading athletic brand. It made me realize that I’ve developed a bit of a habit over the past few years. I love reading startup stories. I find myself voraciously reading as
Brand Community
This June, 330 design leaders from around the country gathered in Raleigh for the AIGA leadership retreat. A retreat that celebrates a year of success for over 70 individual chapters of AIGA and fosters a bold conversation around the future of design. Every year this leadership retreat is held in
Leadership
“Are we ready to lead?” I was delighted to hear Julie Anixter pose this question in her opening remarks earlier this month to 300 designers who’d gathered in my hometown of Raleigh for the annual AIGA Leadership Retreat. AIGA is the largest professional association of designers in the world
Leadership
There is a paradox about leadership. On one hand, it is always in flux. Jennifer Morgan, President of SAP North America captured the new reality recently when she noted that “change has never moved this fast and it will never be as slow again.” Not only is change ever present,
Leadership
For more than 30 years, David Burney has been a business owner, corporate executive, and Johnny Cash enthusiast, but most of all, he's been a designer. Recently, he started thinking about the next stage of his career. And decided last fall to begin taking courses at George Mason
Leadership
Alexander Isley inspires us. Yes, he was named one of the most innovative designers in the past 50 years by his peers. Yes, he’s won all kinds of awards. The fact is, Alexander Isley does straight-up great work. His firm, Alexander Isley, Inc., is dedicated to engaging people'