Fulfilling Design Careers + Crafting Teams with Justin Dauer — DT101 E125

Design Thinking 101

Justin is an internationally-renowned design leader, author and speaker from Chicago. You'll often find him at AIGA's speaking events, he’s been interviewed in Forbes magazine and Medium's "Forge" publication, and he writes articles for Aquent, CEO World Magazine, and A List Apart. He speaks internationally on culture and design, and today on the show, we talk about values, aligned design, nurturing teams, and design leadership.

Listen to learn about:>> Discovering and leveraging our core values >> Why humility is the most important trait for a designer>> Building and nurturing teams >> Justin’s latest book, In Fulfillment: The Designer’s Journey

Our Guest Justin is an internationally renowned design leader, author, and speaker from Chicago. You'll find him often engaging with the AIGA's speaking events, interviewed in Forbes magazine and Medium's "Forge" publication, and penning articles for Aquent, CEO World Magazine, and A List Apart. He speaks internationally on culture and design, including keynotes at the UXPA International conference, Midwest UX, and St. Louis Design Week. Justin is also the writer of the celebrated book "Creative Culture," a former VP of Design at bswift (a CVS Health company), and the founder of design leadership consultancy Anomali.

Show Highlights[02:11] Justin’s design “Eureka!” moment in high school. [03:12] The Art Institute of Chicago and teaching himself how to code. [05:24] The most important part of being a designer. [05:50] From Me to We. [07:10] Justin talks about the writing of his latest book, In Fulfillment. [08:02] Transitioning from hands-on fulfillment toward mentorship and leadership. [09:46] Identifying the core set of values that lead us to feeling fulfilled. [10:29] Humility and design. [11:39] How Justin helps people find their core set of values. [12:03] Using the Make Meaningful Work platform. [12:55] What drives us to do what we want to be doing? [14:04] Knowing our core values helps create a healthier work environment. [14:55] Our core values are portable, no matter where we may work throughout our career and in any field. [15:50] Why humility is the most important trait for a designer. [17:25] Our energy pool is a finite resource. [19:06] How an organization’s website implicitly shines a light on what they value. [23:11] The best teams are diverse, inclusive teams. [23:52] Dawan talks about empathy theater and taking the next steps beyond empathy. [26:15] A Miro Moment. [27:44] Justin talks about nurturing teams. [28:15] Allowing for time to pause and connect within the workspace. [29:06] Dawan talks about the benefits of not being 100% occupied 100% of the time. [30:43] Supporting “real life” in our work environments. [33:26] We need to adjust how we work and our expectations about the “right” way to work. [34:57] Justin offers thoughts on how to make the hiring and onboarding process better. [40:05] How to design and nurture a better work culture. [42:22] Justine talks about some of the work being done by his company, Anomali by Design.[46:43] Justin offers some last words of advice for all of us about taking time to pause with intent.

LinksJustin on Twitter Justin on LinkedIn Justin on Medium Justin on Instagram Anomali By Design Anomali on Twitter Practical Design Leadership podcast The Essential Fusion of Culture & Design with Justin Dauer Make Meaningful Work

Book Recommendations

In Fulfillment: The Designer’s Journey, by Justin Dauer Cultivating a Creative Culture, by Justin Dauer

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