Doctor's Note

A mix of essays and commentary about design, innovation, technology, society, coaching, personal and leadership development. Since 1996.

How to deal with jargon

How to deal with jargon

This week’s coaching reflection is all about dealing with jargon and that feeling of having no idea what people are talking about in meeting (spoiler: …

The Work Never Speaks for Itself

The Work Never Speaks for Itself

“I hate politics, the work should speak for itself.” It’s a designer’s affliction. But the work never speaks for itself. In this …

Navigating Difficult Work Relationships

Navigating Difficult Work Relationships

Work is most often stressful not because of the amount of work part, but because of the interpersonal relationships. The idea of being …

Servant Leadership or Burnout Martydom?

Servant Leadership or Burnout Martydom?

The idea of “servant leadership” is quite popular, but in my design leadership coaching I often see this ending up as martyrdom and burnout. In this …

Developing presence and confidence in leadership

Developing presence and confidence in leadership

What do David Byrne, David Bowie and Beyoncé, all have in common? They’ve all used a persona to help them step into the energy of performing and give them …

How To Use An Experience Portfolio To Plan Your Career

How To Use An Experience Portfolio To Plan Your Career

Roles and titles are abstractions from the actual day-to-day work activities you do, but it’s easy to get caught in the trap of climbing a title ladder …

How rules set you free to give great feedback

How rules set you free to give great feedback

Rather than being constraints how can rules set you and your teams free? How can this help you give great feedback and raise the quality of design work from …