
Design yourself out of a job so youre ready for the next one
uxdesign.cc
Before taking your next role, figure out how and when you plan toleave.illustration by StorytaleEarly in my career, before I became a people manager, I would say that I knew it was time to leave a job when I was no longer learning. Learning my craft, new techniques or processes, how to manage clients or projects. As I grow in my career, I still want to learn, its a driving factor in each new role I take, but now Im much better at finding new things to learn without leaving a job. Now my focus is on teaching, what will I bring to a company, to my team in order to feel like Ive reached a level of success there, and know it's time to move on, from the role, the team, or thecompany.When I start a new job I immediately start the process of designing myself out of the role as soon as possible.Every company is different and what they need from you is as well. Sometimes you start, thinking youll spend your time building the team, or shepherding the product forward, sometimes you end up doing something entirely different What might those other things looklike?Establishing role standards for what is expected at each level of seniority, articulating the deltas between them to create a clear plan for growth and set expectations for performance reviews and promotionGrowing beyond legacy business metrics (funnels, basic click-through-rates, sales, cart value) into measuring actual user success, happiness, confidence, and frustration, atscale.Building links between functions, even successful products may still have chasms in the knowledge between the functional teams. Do engineers really know the design process? Do the designers understand how to read and interpret analytics dashboards. Respect, and eagerness to collaborate starts with understanding.What got you here wont get you there, when you join a team at an established company things could looks great, meetings may run smoothly, people get along, and its business as usual. Will that get you where you need to be as a company? If not, you may need to be the forcing function for process or organizational change.But upon learning more you realize the biggest impact you can have it something completely different, sometimes things that dont even feel likedesignillustration by StorytaleEarly in your career what are your goals? For many, its a specific title, a salary with a certain number of commas, a recognizable company name on your resume. These arent wrong, but youll get tired of them, I promise. One of the questions I ask when Im interviewing for a role or onboarding in a company is, what change in this organization would cause you to start looking for something new? Going into a role it's good to know what people consider core to their company and its culture, it's not that those things are unchangeable, but you have to be sensitive and intentful when planning changes in thoseareas.Challenge yourself now, what are your personal goal as a manager? For me its a team that wants me around but doesnt feel they need me. Its getting my top performers promoted. Its getting my most insightful team members to write, give talks, teach classes, and share their knowledge. Getting my most quiet and introverted to understand they can be leaders (and if they want, managers) as well, leadership isnt about speaking loudly in front of groups but in cultivating trust and influence.Further ReadingWhat Maslows Hierarchy Wont Tell You About Motivation by SusanFowlerHow to Motivate Your Problem People by Nigel Nicholsonillustration by StorytaleFor Individual ContributorsI would say to my team members, design yourself out of a job and well find you a better one. It can be scary for some people to take steps that could eliminate their own role, or make it no longer level-appropriate through process improvements or automation, they may be concerned about job security, of overstepping bounds, or simply not being recognized for the work outside the scope of their current assignedrole.Do the job of your manager (but ask first!), look at what takes up your managers time and figure out what parts of that feel like a step up in responsibility, visibility, or complexity for you, it could be logistical things like running a reoccurring crit, stand-up, or cross-functional sync meeting. Handling an intern programme or on-boarding process for new team members, taking the lead in planning an offsite, sprint, or other strategic team event. Take a more active role in one of these things, and then approach your manager in a 1+1 and ask if theyd be open to you taking it overcompletely. Let them know why you want to and how youll make sure they know the outcomes of it later. Focus on the win-win of them getting their time back to focus on something more appropriate to their skills and goals while you have the opportunity to work toward a stretch goal of yourown.Early in my career, especially at smaller companies you end up taking on every role; no Writer / Content Designer? That's you now. No Prototyper? also you. At bigger companies things tend to get more specialized, that doesn't mean you still cant step into the shoes of another function, find someone whos doing something interesting and ask to shadow them, see what they do, what tools they use, how they work with other function, and what their deliverables look like. Make sure to not miss any of the core requirements of your day-to-day job, and even if you dont decide to go down that path, youll always be better at working with that person and their function in thefuture.Real leadership has little to do with seniority, no matter what your role is, identifying something the company should be doing and isnt (or is doing and shouldnt) is a way that you can show leadership in your role, no matter how early in your career youare.Further ReadingArticulating your value as an individual contributor by CaioBragaMaintaining a growth mindset by EdOrozcoFor PeopleManagersWhat do manager goals look like? Shepherding a major project from concept to launch, growing a team in size, skill, or creating structure that helps get work done more effectively. Creating a safe and supportive space. These are just a few examples. For me, these tend to make the top of my list over and overagain:Identifying the big bets (and the critical small ones): As a manager, you need to be able to spot the opportunities that have the potential to significantly impact the company or team. But, just as importantly, its about recognizing those small, often overlooked projects that can provide immediate value, spark innovation, or refine processes. Both the big and small bets require careful thought, resources, and attention to execution.Finding who is bored and needs something new and challenging: Keeping your team engaged is one of your core responsibilities. People dont thrive in stagnation. Its important to stay attuned to the energy and enthusiasm of your team members. If someone feels uninspired or stagnant, its up to you to identify those individuals and work with them to find new challenges or opportunities for growth. This not only increases motivation but also helps retain toptalent.Identifying what parts of your job are appropriate to delegate: Effective delegation is a hallmark of strong leadership. As a manager, you cant (and shouldnt) do everything. The key is understanding which tasks can be handed off to others, whether they are operational or more strategic in nature. Delegating work helps empower your team, build trust, and also frees you up to focus on bigger priorities. Delegation doesnt mean abdicating responsibility, but rather giving others the space to grow while you concentrate on shaping the biggerpicture.Creating an environment where people feel safe to fail, and take on big challenges: A big part of your role is fostering a culture where risk-taking is encouraged, and failure is seen as an opportunity to learn. People are more likely to innovate and take on big challenges when they know its okay to fail and grow from their mistakes. You must lead by exampleshowing vulnerability and resilience in your own work, admitting when you dont have all the answers, and making it clear that trying and failing is a normal part of thejourney.Being okay with handing off some scary stuff: Often, as a manager, youll feel the instinct to protect your team or shelter them from high-stakes or difficult tasks. However, giving team members the chance to tackle challenging, sometimes intimidating, responsibilities helps them grow in confidence and skill. Stepping back and allowing them to take the reins builds trust, empowers them, and develops their leadership potential.Cultivating successors: As a manager, its your responsibility to not only build and strengthen your current team but also to prepare for the future. This means actively identifying high-potential team members and mentoring them into leadership roles. A good manager works themselves out of a job by cultivating successors who can step in and take over key responsibilities, ensuring that the team and the organization continue to thrive even after you moveon.Doing Your Managers JobEvery one-on-one you have with your manager is an opportunity to talk about what takes up their time and mental bandwidth. Its important to manage up and down. While youre focused on your own leadership responsibilities, dont forget that your manager likely has their own set of challenges and priorities. Understanding how you can help alleviate their burden or take on certain tasks can strengthen your relationship and demonstrate initiative. Ask them questions about what theyre struggling with, what projects need attention, and how you can help them make more strategic decisions. This transparency and collaboration make you more effective in your role and show that youre a valuable partner, not just a directreport.By understanding the nuances of your managers role and the pressure theyre under, youll become better at supporting them while also excelling at your own leadership tasks. A reciprocal relationship where both parties understand each others challenges and needs allows both of you to be more successful andaligned.illustration by StorytaleFind your motivation, here and elsewhereWork is a lot like dating. Each role, each company teaches you something new about yourselfwhat you like, what you dont, and how you collaborate with others. You get better at recognizing patterns in your own motivation, communication, and work style. Just like relationships evolve, so does yourcareer.When youre just starting out, motivation may come from tangible markers: promotions, titles, recognition. Over time, it shifts. The excitement of proving yourself fades, and what becomes more important is the impact youre making, the people youre mentoring, and the larger picture youre contributing to.You may notice patterns in the roles and companies that excite you. Some people stay in their first job or with their first employer for years, often out of comfort. But like any long-term relationship, it can lose its spark if growth isnt there. The trick is knowing when to move forwardwhen the job no longer challenges you or aligns with your evolvinggoals.Each job is just a chapter in your career story, and youre the one writing it. The key is to keep evolving, to stay connected to what drives you, and to be open to new opportunities that align with that. Whether its finding new challenges within your current role or seeking something entirely different, remember: motivation is not static. You get to define what success looks like as yougo.illustration by StorytaleHand off the scary stuff, not just the boringstuffI once heard being a Manager likened to being a janitor It's your job to do the things that need to be done, but that no one necessarily wants to do. Preparing for emergencies that may never happen, ensuring the mental space the team occupies is ready for anything, and doing the cleanup (backlog, documentation libraries, onboarding materials, processes, and contact methods, are always up-to-date and relevant) that keeps a team running smoothly.Its not always about success, sometimes its about trying! Its ok to fail, its ok to take the wrong path, its ok to waste time as long as youre learning from your mistakes. As a manager it can be tempting to be the one in the front of the room, representing your teams achievements, being the one who answers the hard questions from executive leaders, after all you have the most training, know these stakeholder better than anyone on your team, and you trust yourself. Dont do it! Step back, and shine the light on your team, be the note taker sitting at the edge of the room, sit in the eyeline of the people on your team presenting their work, there to offer a calming smile, a reminder to pause, breathe, and take theirtime.Role playing, and rehearsing presentations can be helpful mentally preparing your team members for difficult or challenging things they need to in the course of their work, but the reality is they may never get over their nerves (you might not either) and thats ok. Dont protect your team from every opportunity to get hurt or scared, instead, prepare them as best you can, and be there for them when they needyou.illustration by StorytaleLeave a legacy, but also leave someroomWhen choosing to leave a team or a company it can feel like you need to spell out everything for your successor, but being too detailed and too prescriptive can cause patterns to ossify. Its always a bad sign when you ask why things are done a certain way at a company and the only thing people can answer is its just the way its alwaysbeenWhen I worked at Google we had a saying that was a response to someone asking what the Google way of doing something was, wed say, whats the best way to do it? What we meant was that when you hire smart, creative people, making those people conform to some standard way of doing things didnt make any sense. Instead, every hire is an opportunity to improve, learn, and grow from that persons experience and expertise, no matter if theyve been working for 15 years or just graduated the month before. New ideas come from inviting people to try doing things differently, sometimes they work sometimes theydont.So how do you leave just the right amount of guidance? Unfortunately there is no formula, every team is different, but Ill outline some best practices.Make sure the team has evergreen goals and motivations, not just a roadmap and a mission statement. Work with your team to define a plan that is durable enough to weather changes to annual planning cycles, the whims of changing tech landscape, and the comings and goings of teammembers.Set up processes that improve quality, and are self explanatory, no one likes process for process sake. If youre clear about what the goal of a process is then later, people can improve on it, with the intent of getting even closer to the original goal of the processitself!Ensure people feel trusted and empowered, constantly reinforce that you, their manager, are not there to police them, to reprimand them, but to create an environment for their success, their growth, and to be their biggest champion. While it will be a shock, and possibly even hurtful to them when you leave, if they feel empowered, they will continue to create the environment that you fostered even withoutyou.Plan short and inspire long. So much can change in a company and with the product landscape in a very short time, finding the right balance between annual planning (too long!) and quarterly planning (too brief) is critical, work with your team to define longer term vision (multi-year), but plan work towards those goals at a much shorter timespan.Wrapping it allupAt the end of the day, the journey of being a design manager is about evolutionboth for yourself and the teams you lead. Its not just about building processes or hitting milestones; its about creating an environment where your team can thrive without you, where you can step away and see them continue to grow. Your impact is measured not just by what you accomplish, but by how you set others up forsuccess.Remember that the goal isnt to hold onto a job forever but to build a foundation that allows you to pass the torch smoothly, knowing that youve created something sustainable. Embrace the messiness of it allprocesses will fail, things wont go as planned, and there will be moments of doubt. But thats where growth happens. Both for you and yourteam.So design yourself out of a job, but also design in a way that leaves room for the next chapterone where you can look back and feel proud of what youve built and excited for whats tocome.Design yourself out of a job so youre ready for the next one was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
0 Comments
·0 Shares
·42 Views