There's a gap between how designers see themselves and how everyone else sees them, and that gap has consequences. In this episode, a seasoned design executive shares what it really means to be a good corporate citizen, why design isn't the center of the universe, and how to show up differently.

What if the biggest thing holding your career back isn't your design skills? What if it's the way you think about your role inside the organization?

My guest today has spent years leading design within large, complex organizations—places like Truist, 3M, and Rocket—where designers are easily outnumbered by scientists, engineers, marketers, and businesspeople. He's navigated financial realities most ICs never consider, managed situations that don't appear in any design curriculum, and had to advocate for design without assuming it's automatically the most important thing in the room. The conversation we had is one I've been wanting to have for a long time.

We got into what it actually means to be a "good corporate citizen," not in a corporate buzzword kind of way, but in a real, practical sense. We talked about the perception gap between how designers see themselves and how the rest of the team experiences working with them, why designers are sometimes seen as a speed bump instead of an accelerant, and what it looks like when someone on your team finally gets it. We also got into design systems as a business asset, the realities of design leadership that ICs rarely see, and a concept I've been thinking about for years: followership.

If you've ever walked out of a meeting frustrated, dissented in the Slack channel instead of raising your hand in the room, or wondered why your work isn't getting the traction it deserves, this episode is for you. Hit play.

Topics:
• 03:58 - Andy's origin story: raising his hand at 3M
• 05:30 - "Design wasn't the center of the corporate universe, it was a contributor to success."
• 09:32 - Defining corporate citizenship
• 11:15 - Why design education sets us up on the wrong foot
• 13:25 - The two disconnects: hallway dissent and the speed bump perception
• 17:22 - What it actually feels like to work with a designer who doesn't get it
• 19:00 - Stop playing defense on ROI: start pointing to the metrics the org is already tracking
• 21:10 - What a mature designer looks like: signals Andy watches for
• 24:10 - Pair prompting with PMs and building relationships through AI tools
• 26:00 - "You can't build great software without great relationships"
• 29:19 - Design systems as a moat for the organization
• 37:05 - Treating your design system like a portfolio piece vs. a business asset
• 40:52 - What ICs fundamentally misunderstand about leadership
• 44:00 - Context switching and the emotional weight of being a design exec
• 47:55 - The case for async feedback: never wait for the one-on-one
• 51:05 - Followership: having a point of view and showing up with swagger
• 53:45 - The Sully Sullenberger story: "my cockpit"
• 55:00 - "Own your shit."

Helpful Links:
• Connect with Andy on LinkedIn—

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You're Not the Center of the Corporate Universe with Andy Vitale

Beyond UX Design

You're Not the Center of the Corporate Universe with Andy Vitale