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Summary
In this insightful talk, Allison Rand hosts Kevin Fan, who recounts his unique career path from mechanical engineering in the nuclear power industry to design leadership at Nike and later as a co-founder of a multidisciplinary innovation platform within Boston Consulting Group. Kevin introduces the core concept of leadership existing on a spectrum between gatekeepers—who often maintain compliance and control—and servant leaders who nurture and empower their teams. He stresses the importance of servant leadership in design operations to foster diversity and inclusion, create psychological safety, and drive market-relevant innovation. Through examples and a developing seven-point rubric, Kevin outlines how servant leaders set clear vision, embrace risk tolerance, establish objective feedback, and cultivate diverse teams. The discussion also touches on challenges in large organizations, including government agencies, where gatekeeping and silos hinder innovation. Both Allison and Kevin agree on the critical responsibility of design leaders to lead courageously, dismantle exclusivity, and champion culture design and systemic change to keep design organizations relevant and responsive.
Key Insights
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Leadership in design falls on a spectrum between gatekeeping and servant leadership, influencing team dynamics and innovation.
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Gatekeepers often emphasize compliance, protect legacy structures, and can unintentionally stifle creativity and inclusion.
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Servant leaders set clear visions but delegate and empower teams to shape direction and innovate.
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Hiring for potential rather than comfort zones promotes diversity and fuels organizational growth.
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Design operations inherently embodies servant leadership by supporting teams often unnoticed until failure.
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Multidisciplinary collaboration from day one accelerates innovation and market responsiveness.
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In large or governmental organizations, innovation often struggles against cultural inertia and risk aversion.
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Clear success criteria and objective evidence reduce subjective gatekeeping and favoritism.
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Servant leaders must balance empowering teams with leading decisively and setting direction.
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Design's unique power lies in storytelling and understanding audience diversity, positioning it as a driver for diversity, inclusion, and systemic change.
Notable Quotes
"Design operations is a servant leadership function; you only get noticed when things go terribly wrong."
"It’s all too easy to navigate to protection mode once you establish a design studio in a large organization."
"A gatekeeper manages risk by lining up the team to their rubric; a servant leader takes chances on their people."
"Hiring for potential rather than comfort zone diversity is a gamble worth taking."
"Evidence has always been a wonderful guiding rail — clear objective data can cut through organizational politics."
"Organizations get siloed as they scale, but the market demands multidisciplinary collaboration."
"We have to be a little subversive with a good heart to empower non-designers to contribute."
"Leadership requires courage to educate others and push for change even if it’s exhausting."
"Clear success criteria codified by servant leaders help remove subjectivity and favoritism from team decisions."
"Design has an innate superpower — telling authentic stories that align with diverse audience needs."
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