Wait, do you really want to become a design manager?
As part of the free mentorship sessions I have been running for the past couple of years, there’s one question that frequently comes up:

“What do I have to do to become a design manager?”

The question often comes from designers who have been at a Senior level for some time, and are now looking to be promoted to a Lead/Manager role within their companies. They have been actively seeking that promotion, taking action, changing their behavior, taking on more responsibilities — but for some reason, their managers don’t seem to think they are ready to step up into that new position.

Instead of prematurely jumping into giving my mentees tactical advice on how to get that so-deserved promotion, I throw back another question at them that can often feel unsettling:

“Why?”

(Long pause, and then the emphasis)

“Why do you want to become a manager?”

The immediate response is:

“Because it’s about time! I’ve been a Senior for 4 years.”

Well, that’s not a proper why.

That’s why you think your company should promote you.

“I’m asking why you want to become a manager. What is the reason, deep inside of you, that makes you want that? What do you think you will like so much about being a manager?”
['Fabricio Teixeira']
['Design', 'Product Design', 'Visual Design', 'UX', 'Startup']