How Design Thinking Will Make You A Better Leader

Leadership has changed in today’s competitive market, with the need for a new “2020 leader.” For example, unilateral decision-making and bureaucratic red tape are things of the past. Now, the young and affluent age of employees want leaders who empower them. While providing workplace training and personal mentorship, leaders must also enable employees to grow within and outside the organisation. The leaders who thrive in today’s workplace are nurturing, intuitive and empathetic to employee needs. They are responsive to employees while also being firm in their actions. 

What is design thinking?

One of the best ways to develop modern-day leadership skills is by learning and using design thinking. Broadly speaking, design thinking describes the methods, processes and tools for creating human-centric solutions and experiences. One fundamental of design thinking is establishing a personal connection with the stakeholders in question. In regular process, designers seek and require a deep understanding of users’ needs by working to capture the essence of their experiences. The focus is on achieving a close connection with users to achieve the best results.

In particular, design thinking teaches us to engage with stakeholders by cultivating empathy and creating relevant solutions. These skills will help hone a more people-centric approach towards leadership. They will enable leaders to form connections with the next generation of employees, inspiring them to innovate and think of unique business solutions.

Most importantly, design thinking emphasises a collaborative approach to problem-solving. It puts the customer at the center of the innovation process and applies tools from the field of design for use in any industry. The simplicity of design thinking gives it the ability to adapt to needs across industries and organisational structure. Simply put, it is a new and people-centric way of thinking about leadership.

What can design thinking teach leaders?

Adopting a human-centric mindset can help cultivate seamless interactions between employee and leader. An investment in the employee journey can build long-term loyalty and trust. Using design thinking to dissect user or employee experience also reveals future trends. From a purely business perspective, it can also uncover new product markets, audience segments and customer service platforms that can lead to future growth.

On looking at the heart of your business problem, it becomes clear that design thinking can alter your leadership approach for the better. It serves both your business and your employees. Most importantly, it enhances your problem solving capabilities as a leader.

Encouraging Difference in Opinions

The aim of differing opinions is motivating options that are innovative and disruptive to traditional business models. While extreme opinions and solutions are rarely chosen, these are stepping-stones to practical solutions. When there is open dialogue between the employee and leader, something unique can be created within your business. For goal-driven employees, divergent thinking can generate unwanted ambiguity about where a project is heading. Design thinking, especially using an in-depth analysis of solutions, can help leaders guide their employees deal with their insecurities and worries.

Design thinking also encourages creativity along with teamwork and collaboration. Leaders should leverage these philosophies to create camaraderie amongst their employees. Furthermore, the solutions-based approach will allow leaders to motivate innovation while also being goal oriented.

In conclusion, design thinking can motivate multiple positive responses from the part of a leader. Through a collaborative environment with strategic and in-depth thinking about problems, leaders should adopt design thinking to create new leadership ideals and earn the respect of their employees. The leaders at Luxeveda are advocates of this approach. This unique approach is what sets our team apart and has proved to be beneficial to both the company and its employees.

If you have applied Design thinking in your leadership strategy, tell us how in the comments below!