Design Leader Accelerator

New
·

8 Weeks

·

Cohort-based Course

Master the skills gap in Design Leadership to be seen as a business partner, confident manager, and visionary design leader.

Previously at

This course is popular

3 people enrolled last week.

Course overview

Grow as a Design leader

Product, UX & Content Design Managers seeking to grow and enhance their leadership practice, welcome home! This course, community and research-backed turn-key resources build scaled excellence, support you leading through change, and wrangle the overwhelm.


This is a "what got you here" (craft, leading the work) "won't get you there" (leading through others, business results, visionary leadership) moment for many. It's my mission to demystify what is needed to be seen as a business partner and be known for excellence in craft AND in leadership.


From overwhelmed → organized focus

From tactical work → strategic work

From feeling stuck → plan to Director-level

From self-doubt → confidence


Shift from feeling lonely and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and centered. Or set your sights on further impact at a Director level by demonstrating key skills consistently at scale that give you maturity other leaders won't have this quickly.

Who is this course for

01

Current Managers in design or product environments who want to close the gap to Director level leadership.

02

People Managers in UX, Content, or Product Design careers who want to lead in alignment to their values, with authenticity and impact.

03

Design Management job seekers who want to hone their message and carve a path to leadership roles.

What you’ll get out of this course

Shift from overwhelm to calm in your leadership

Take control of your schedule and ability to lead through impact by redesigning your time and week.

Assess your path to excellence, including promotion

Build off of your strengths to identify focus areas for your becoming "Director ready" or truly excellent in role.

Remove the top 4 sticking points and obstacles

Learn about common pitfalls to avoid, in a space where you can ask questions and identify key blockers or bumps that are in your way.

Get coaching and advice to become the leader you want

Shift towards the leader you want to be known as, with a vision for your team's impact.

Turn-key Guides & Tools for use with your Team

Each week, Alison will share a worksheet and tool for you to use in your leadership with your team. Each worksheet has a $59 value.

Course syllabus

9 live sessions • 10 modules • 15 lessons • 13 projects
Expand all modules
  • Week 1

    Jan 8—Jan 14

    Events

    • Jan

      8

      Mgr Accelerator LIVE Kickoff

      Mon, Jan 8, 5:00 PM - 6:15 PM UTC

    • Jan

      11

      Module 1: Live Group Coaching

      Thu, Jan 11, 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM UTC

    Modules

    • 1: Beginning With You

      To create a plan for skill development in this course, we will start by assessing your current position. Using various tools, you will evaluate your current values, feedback, and consider the future state you are aiming to achieve.

    • Live Recordings

      Live recordings for Module 1 will be available here

  • Week 2

    Jan 15—Jan 21

    Events

    • Jan

      17

      Module 2: Live Group Coaching

      Wed, Jan 17, 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM UTC

    Modules

    • 2: Setting the Stage

      Zooming out and considering the influencing factors at the company-wide, industry-wide, and macro levels allows us to understand the context in which our path forward exists. This enables us to identify and address any blockers or potential issues that may arise.

  • Week 3

    Jan 22—Jan 28

    Events

    • Jan

      25

      Module 3: Live Group Coaching

      Thu, Jan 25, 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM UTC

    Modules

    • 3 Leading Through Others

      Our first Sticking Point for aspiring leaders is continuously demonstrating the ability to effectively lead others on a larger scale. It requires more than just managing a team; it involves leading the delivery of impact through the successes of others. This shift requires nuance, clarity, and persistence.

  • Week 4

    Jan 29—Feb 4

    Events

    • Jan

      31

      Module 4: Live Group Coaching

      Wed, Jan 31, 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM UTC

    Modules

    • 4: Leveraging Your Ecosystem

      The second sticky point is network awareness, stakeholder management, and building meaningful partnerships to propel your progress. In this module, we will assess your ecosystem to identify hidden advocates or obstacles, and guide you on how to strategically shape your reputation.

  • Week 5

    Feb 5—Feb 11

    Events

    • Feb

      8

      Module 5: Live Group Coaching

      Thu, Feb 8, 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM UTC

    Modules

    • 5: Elevating Your Communication

      In this module, we will learn how your communication needs to adapt as you elevate and grow in leadership. This includes adjusting your style, substance, and addressing the appropriate "level" of communication in a room. By becoming aware and intentional of the necessary shift, you can consistently and effectively communicate upwards and with your team.

  • Week 6

    Feb 12—Feb 18

    Events

    • Feb

      14

      Module 6: Live Group Coaching

      Wed, Feb 14, 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM UTC

    Modules

    • 6: Change by Design

      Change is the only constant, and as a leader, you not only set the tone for change, but there will also be times when you initiate and implement changes that impact your team, stakeholders, and network. Alison will share some key principles of change design and how to apply them to the changes in your world.

  • Week 7

    Feb 19—Feb 25

    Events

    • Feb

      22

      Module 7: Live Group Coaching

      Thu, Feb 22, 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM UTC

    Modules

    • 7: BONUS! Elevating Others

  • Week 8

    Feb 26—Feb 29

    Events

    • Feb

      28

      Module 8: Live Group Coaching

      Wed, Feb 28, 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM UTC

    Modules

    • 8: Design Your Next

      This module consolidates your learnings into a tangible plan for moving forward. It includes priorities for ongoing learning, leveraging your support system, and identifying what you need to achieve your goal.

  • Post-Course

    Modules

    • Wrapping Up

A pattern of wavy dots

get unstuck – remove the top four

obstacles to rise as a design leader

Meet your instructor

Alison Gretz

Alison Gretz

As a Design Leader, I have led global teams of humans in solving problems and creating solutions for the real world. I've built management teams from the ground up at Target, Shutterfly and Thomson Reuters. I created the first UX Manager position at Target, and then grew those Managers into Leaders who are now Director level and beyond.


Passionate about supporting whole humans at work, I gained an accreditation in coaching to compliment my leadership skills and hung a shingle as Design by Design, LLC.

Free resource

Email Mini-Course: Humane & Effective Reviews

Get to know your Coach & Facilitator through a no-cost mini course delivered to your email inbox. You will learn to:

  • Enhance Connection and Trust: Learn how to turn annual reviews into opportunities for building deeper connections with your team.
  • Streamline Your Process: Discover strategies to make review writing more efficient, leaving you more time to focus on what truly matters.
  • Foster Positive Growth: Equip yourself with the tools to provide feedback that inspires and motivates, rather than instills fear.


Get access to the mini-course

What people are saying

        If you need support with gaining stability, clarity, direction, and purpose for you and/or your team, I recommend seizing the opportunity to work with Alison! She’s also a lovely human with a great sense of humor and a warm personality.
UX Content Manager

UX Content Manager

Thomson Reuters
        Alison has done more for my career in 2 months than most of my leaders did for me in 2 years. She sees the potential and the passion in people and helps them achieve their best version of themselves."
Lead Designer

Lead Designer

Target
        her coaching and mentorship during our time together helped me mature as a leader.
Director

Director

Thomson Reuters
        She is a visionary, quickly builds trust, and empowers her teams to make change, mess up, and then try again."
Director of Operations

Director of Operations

Post Foods

Flexible Course schedule

1-2 hours per week
  • Self-paced videos & workbook

    You can go at your own pace and jump into topics that are most relevant to your growth ahead of the cohort.

  • Weekly Group Coaching

    live & recorded

    Each week, Alison will host a live cohort coaching call where we'll dig into REAL WORLD scenarios and transformation.

  • Community Q&A

    Always on

    Alison will host an intimate community where we can tackle more Q&A, weekly AMA topics, and peer mentorship.

A pattern of wavy dots
Join an upcoming cohort

Design Leader Accelerator

Cohort 2024

$585 USD

Dates

Jan 8—Feb 29, 2024

Payment Deadline

Jan 7, 2024

|

Bulk purchases

Join the Design by Design Mailing List

Get access to Leadership by Design, a twice monthly email newsletter from Alison.

Learning is better with cohorts

Learning is better with cohorts

Active hands-on learning

This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects

Interactive and project-based

You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams

Learn with a cohort of peers

Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I can’t make a live session?
I work full-time, what is the expected time commitment?
What’s the refund policy?
Can I expense this?
I'm unemployed and can't afford this, what can I do?
A pattern of wavy dots
Join an upcoming cohort

Design Leader Accelerator

Cohort 2024

$585 USD

Dates

Jan 8—Feb 29, 2024

Payment Deadline

Jan 7, 2024

|

Bulk purchases

$585 USD

New
·

8 Weeks