Remote Design Management

It's time to put those soft skills to the test and focus on your standard 1:1s. This will provide you the ability to "see" your people and observe their behavior. Of course, the business will always want to divert your attention, but you have 52 Leaders to focus on your people.

If you wish to avoid their weekly 1:1 session, never, ever, ever presume that everyone who reports to you will be "good." Also, don't forget about your team's regular rituals—more on that later. Keep in mind that you're the one in charge of developing your designers— making them better, stronger, and wiser. It's crucial to spend time with each designer to build them up so they're ready to crush it when they return to work.

Do not use team time to assess the status of a team member's work. When group dynamics are at work, people may behave differently.

Just because someone appears to be fine in stand-up doesn't imply they are. That is why 1:1 time is so critical.

Make use of team time to increase transparency in company activities. Assist in interpreting what is going on outside of your team. And do everything you can to keep anxiousness at bay throughout the week.

Don't hold a 1:1 meeting without documenting the conversation and any decisions made between you and the designer.