Networking events have never been my comfort zone. I often forget what to talk about and second-guess my every move. Despite feeling like a 7-year-old at theatre school, my curiosity about design leadership—a topic I've pondered for some time—compelled me to attend IDC. I wanted to understand what it truly takes to lead designers, where I might improve, and who could inspire me.

After overcoming the network anxiety, I engaged in many interesting conversations and talks at the event. Here are the key characteristics of design leadership I gathered from the people I met:

 is the director of the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art in London, and exemplifies empathetic leadership. He has been inducted to the Hall of Fame by Design Week Awards 2019 for his lifetime contribution to socially inclusive design, alongside Sir Jony Ive and Margaret Calvert. He is also a really nice guy. Not afraid to show his vulnerability and showing how to turn that into a strength and key component of design leadership. The way I could relate to him was a direct result of his willingness to share. Check out his book «Creative Leadership, Born from Design» to learn about his methods and beliefs.

Start with empathy

 is the founder and CEO of Cake, and POC, and many other companies. Cake recently went bankrupt, and Stefan shared openly about this and his reflections on the matter. Over dinner, he challenged the notion that craft alone makes a believable design leader. It’s much more valuable to add to the worldview of the designers you work with, to understand the business context for example. To guide the designers to look for answers to the questions that arise from the broader context. As to what he was going to do next, after Cake, he couldn’t quite tell me yet. (However, I’m pretty sure it isn’t sitting on the couch and drinking cognac.)

Intuition and authenticity are indispensable

By all means, to do something right you have to put in the work. Mona B. Riise, the host of IDC, demonstrated that hard work is essential. With her seamless stage presence, you could see and hear all the preparation that had gone into it. Example: she had found out by digging into Instagram that Rama wrote a bit of poetry and asked him to share an apt poem on building and tearing down our own walls.

Put in the work

, a designer of yachts for billionaires and former Rolls-Royce designer, embodies confidence and openness. Adriana Monk designs boats for billionaires, designed rolls Royce’s before that, and was born into Californian/Swiss design royalty. She is the kind of designer that can tell people what it will be, and not be questioned about it. In architecture we would call it a «Starchitect» She creates an environment where she can be lucky. And that’s a combination of building confidence - studying naval architecture, and learning to sail, before making the career move-, opening the doors to the right people yourself, and being open.

Build your confidence

who made me aware of IDC, and I was happy to meet again. We had a fantastic project earlier this year, and it was good to hear about the follow-up and the many new ideas for bringing the product concept further to market. Also, and not in the least, they won one of the big awards of the night: The international star award.

Be part of the community

, Chief Design at Flokk, believes that design leadership requires authority on the subject. Something that your team can look to and a vision that guides their efforts. This is the part that scares me most. Do I need to be a brilliant designer to lead designers? Because in that case I met a ton of people who’ll be leaders faster than me. While scary, I do think this is important to highlight, everyone on that stage is on top of their game. So, while it’s certainly not the only quality, it is a key part of the puzzle.

Lead with authority

The award show concluded on a bittersweet note - a beautiful homage to 

, one of Norway’s greatest designers. He was honoured with a posthumous honorary award, accepted by his son, and a minutes-long standing ovation. Lina (BeSafe, and one of the abundant old Stokke crew) told me one of the stories shared at Peter’s wake. How his wife had found a new job, and how his kids came over -seriously concerned- with the question when daddy would stop playing and get a ‘real’ job too. It’s the most wonderful testament to design. It captures an essence. But it is also a need. 

We need to play to feel complete and we are complete when we play together. This shared playfulness is what makes this such an easy community to become a part of.

Last, but not least – play!

I In the end, my initial networking worries were unfounded; IDC was a wonderful experience with a great group of people who all embodied different examples of great design leadership:

Empathy: Connecting with others on a human level strengthens leadership.

Intuition and authenticity: Guide us beyond technical skills, emphasising the importance of broader perspectives.

Hard work and preparation: non-negotiable for success.

Confidence: Build it by stepping out of comfort zones and embrace new experiences.

Community involvement: Enriches our professional journeys.

Authority in your field: Articulating a clear vision.

These lessons have shown me areas where I can improve and have reassured me that seeking inspiration and insights from leaders like Rama Gheerawo and Stefan Ytterborn is invaluable. I hope you find them useful too.

The components of great design leadership