Mia is a design leadership coach, CEO of Design Dept. and founder of Within. As a former design leader at Pinterest, Square, and IDEO, Mia’s work is informed by her deep understanding of the unique situation creative leaders face in hyper-growth startup environments. She is specifically attuned to the challenges of design leaders in tech and, more importantly, their potential impact on individuals, teams, and organisations when their authentic leadership style is unlocked.

Mia started Design Dept. in 2016 to increase the impact of design and technology on the world around us — from our products and services to the organisations that shape our world.

The next generation will live beyond 100, which will require an evolution of how we think about our work lives and longevity. Could you work for 60 years? Or be so effective in the years you did work that you could retire for that long? We’re already hitting our upper bounds as leaders and makers — burned out and overwhelmed by red dots, fragmented calendars, and a plethora of communication channels. Our tools and implicit beliefs around work are sabotaging our ability to be the most resilient, creative leaders. It’s time to challenge our assumptions about what healthy organisations and environments look like and redesign creative leadership.

Change is inevitable. Whether it’s process, organisation, market, or even technological, we can’t avoid it. The challenge in leading through change is our ability to create an experience that helps our teams successfully transition from one state to another.

This workshop is crafted for any leader responsible for creating change on their team—from new processes to reorgs—and particularly important for hyper-growth startups/organisations. Highly interactive, this workshop includes activities designed to apply directly to your individual challenges. Through activities and group discussions, you’ll leverage your (and your peers’) design skills to craft an effective transition plan for an upcoming change in your organisation.

Finally, we’ll examine a framework for building resilience—as an individual and team. Leave with a personal plan to increase your resilience and some ideas on help develop team resilience to persevere through those inevitable change cycles.