From Designer to Leader: Design Leadership Foundations
Amanda George
Product Design Leader | Zillow, Meta
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The best leaders never left the work.
Most design leaders step into leadership the same way: great at the craft, so someone promoted them. What didn't come with that moment was a roadmap: a framework for feedback, a point of view to lead from, or any guidance on how to stop being the best designer in the room and start being the leader the room needs.
Teams are flattening, and the definition of leadership is shifting with them. Leaders are expected to stay close to the work, and the best design leaders never left it. They guide the craft, inspect the details, and hold a vision the team can build toward. It's a sharper system that rewards exactly the instincts that made you a strong designer in the first place.
Every week, talented designers hit the same wall:
🎯 How do I lead the work without becoming the bottleneck?
🌱 How do I grow people instead of just reviewing their files?
💼 How do I make the case for design in a language the business acts on?
Most advice is either too tactical (run a better 1:1) or too abstract (be more strategic), and neither helps on the Monday morning when you're holding a team, a roadmap, and a standard you refuse to lower.
What you’ll learn
Lead your team with confidence, raise the bar on design quality, and earn your seat at the table as a strategic design leader.
Build a personal leadership manifesto grounded in your values and principles
Make the mindset shift from great designer to effective design leader
Apply coaching frameworks to develop ICs and managers at every level
Create the conditions for psychological safety, trust, and high performance
Build quality rituals and rubrics your team can own and operate independently
Balance creative vision with the pace and constraints of real product work
Make the case for design in business terms that earn executive alignment
Build a stakeholder influence plan that strengthens cross-functional partnerships
Workshop agenda
The Leadership Gap
Why great designers stall when they step into leadership, and the four foundations that close the gap. Set your intention for the session.
Know What You Stand For: Leadership Identity & POV
The shift from best designer in the room to the leader the room needs starts with knowing what you stand for. Define your leadership values and principles.
Growing People on Purpose: Trust & Coaching
The strongest design leaders develop people deliberately. Apply coaching frameworks to develop ICs and managers at every level, and build the conditions for psychological safety, trust.
Break
15 minutes
Staying Close to the Work: Standards & Point of View
Leaders are expected to shape the deliverable, not just manage it. Stay hands-on and hold a clear point of view while building quality rituals and rubrics your team can own and run.
Leading Up, Across, and Beyond Your Team
Make the case for design in business terms that earn executive alignment, and build a stakeholder plan that strengthens cross-functional partnerships.
Break
10 minutes
Peer Exchange + Hot-Seat Coaching
Unfiltered discussion of what you're actually navigating, structured peer exchange, and live hot-seat coaching on the situations you brought with you.
Closing: Setting the Stage for What's Next
Turn the session into one concrete, personal action plan you can put to work immediately.
Learn directly from Amanda
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Amanda George
Product Design Leader | Advisor
Who this workshop is for
The Curious Senior Designer
You're great at the craft. Now you're wondering if people leadership is the next chapter.The Newly Placed Manager
You're in the role but still finding your way. You're leading on instinct and ready for a real framework.The Experienced Manager
You've been leading for a while. You're effective, but you know there's another level to reach.
What's included
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Live sessions
Learn directly from Amanda George in a real-time, interactive format.
Lifetime access
Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.
Community of peers
Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.
Certificate of completion
Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.
Maven Guarantee
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Frequently asked questions
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Reimbursement
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Everything L&D needs: email template, receipts, and certificate of completion.
Get reimbursedTeam discount
Learn with your teammates
Save 20%+ when 2 or more teammates enroll in the same cohort.
Save 20%+ with a teamPrivate cohort
Run a cohort for your org
A dedicated cohort with a custom schedule and curriculum, tailored to your team.
Book a private cohort$500
USD
12–4pm EDT