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How Can Design Thinking Help You Raise Your Leadership Bar?

As the leader of a team – or multiple teams – of employees, you’re charged with a variety of responsibilities.

Overall, each of these responsibilities leads back to one thing:

Ensuring your organization carries out its mission statement in full.

While leadership is traditionally seen as a position in which concrete thinking takes the helm, a more creative approach to leadership can be incredibly beneficial to everyone involved in the process.

In adapting design thinking – that is, applying the creative thinking process typically used by designers to the way in which you operate your business – you can bridge the gap between abstract ideas and practical application of these ideas.

In this article, we’ll explain some of the main benefits the use of design thinking can have on your organization.

Top 3 Benefits of Design Thinking For Leaders

1) Thinking as an Outsider

When approaching any area of your business, it’s all too easy to fall into a biased way of thinking.

This is mainly because, well…you’re an expert in your field, and you know your organization like the back of your hand. It’s incredibly difficult to see things from the perspective of someone who doesn’t know all that much about your industry or your company.

Design thinking enables you to shift your perspective in order to “re-learn” all the things about your organization that you take for granted. In doing so, two things will happen:

  • You’ll begin to question why certain things are always done a certain way
  • You’ll become more open to other ways of solving problems

By approaching familiar concepts and problems from a new perspective, you may end up opening your eyes to a more effective way of doing things moving forward.

2) A Convergence of Perspectives

Similarly, to the last point, design thinking also inherently makes you more open to the various perspectives of your numerous employees.

Not only does this enable you to truly listen to and learn from these individuals, but it also enables you to communicate these various learnings to the other members of your team. In turn, those who may be responsible for distinct roles within your organization will gain a better understanding of the role others play within the company, enabling them to work together more effectively and efficiently.

By bridging this gap, you’ll also be better able to proactively deal with disagreements and discrepancies among team members, and help each member of your team find common ground to stand on.


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3) See the Whole Picture

To further expand from the previous sentiment, design thinking enables you – and your team – to connect even the most minute task to your company’s overall mission.

In doing so, you’ll be better able to “de-silo” your team members, ensuring they all begin to truly gel and work together toward a common goal. Rather than simply focusing on their own tasks and responsibilities, each team member will begin to take ownership of the entire process, lending their skills and expertise wherever necessary in order to reach the aforementioned common goal.

Lastly, design thinking will also help you and your team look past your immediate goal, as well. While it’s definitely important to focus on the current task at hand, it’s also important to think about why accomplishing your immediate goal is essential to the overall mission of your company. By adapting the iterative process of design thinking, you’ll always be ready to anticipate “what’s next.”

Are you building a strategic team?

With a hands-on approach and a history of building lasting relationshipsThe Panther Group is a full-service firm with an innovative approach. Contact us today to learn how we can help you find top employees.

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