Grow, Influence, and Lead as an Individual Contributor
At some point in your career you'll likely have to choose between Senior IC and Design Management roles. But what if you don't want to manage others? What if you'd rather continue as an expert contributor? Will you get bored and find your career stalling out?
In this talk Catt outlines the value of IC careers and how to make this track a reality within your organisation.
We'll then deep dive into Staff Designer / Principal Designer roles, a combination of team leadership and in-the-pixels design work, all without any direct people management. Learn how you can advocate for, grow into, and succeed in such IC leadership roles.
Take-aways
→ Know how to define and advocate for the value of ICs in your organisations
→ Understand Staff Designer roles and responsibilities, including how they differ from Senior Designers, to set appropriate expectations with teams and executives.
→ Enhance executive communication skills and cross-team collaboration to influence company vision and roadmap at a strategic level.
→ Develop effective time management and boundary-setting strategies to sustainably focus on high-impact, strategic work.
A talk for people at all stages in their career, from ICs looking ahead, to senior design leaders looking for meaningful career opportunities for their high performing team members.
