In 2022, we launched the Design Leadership Series — FREE Webinars from the top creatives at Huge Inc, Massive Music, Lumsden Design, and others. They will share insights on becoming a better leader for your team, building a company culture and skill you need to get promoted to top positions.
Our third guest is an amazing Callum Lumsden, Founder of Lumsden Design. He shares insights from his 30-year career designing for incredible spaces such as MoMA and the V&A. Including tips on how to build company culture as well as building relationships and partnerships. Our top highlights are below. To hear more of his wisdom watch the full recording on our Youtube Channel.
To run successful projects it's crucial to build partnerships with clients. You need to trust each other and work as a team. Aim for long-term professional relationships and get to know your clients better. One way to do it is to invite them to your studio. Clients love meeting designers. They will understand the process better and your team will get to know them. Another way is to constantly stay in touch — invite clients to talks, dinners, events. And one more great tip from Callum: pitch ideas before your clients ask for it. They will love it!
While a lot of people will want to partner up with you, you need to stay cool-headed. Choose your business partners carefully. Surround yourself with people you trust. First of all, investigate their backgrounds. The design world is relatively small with everybody knowing everybody, so just ask around. Secondly, check if you share the same values. Lastly, look for people who are better than you and have experiences you don’t have so that you would complement each other.
Junior talent is the future of your business. Make sure to guide them and help them grow into brilliant professionals. Inspire them with things that inspired you: books, movies, exhibitions. Encourage them to be curious about what is going on in the world. Mentor them and ensure they are in a good place. And most importantly, make a commitment to them that they can progress to higher levels in your team.
Your working environment is not an office — it's a studio. Make it a place where people want to be. Make it safe — talk things through, show trust in your staff, and inspire them with trust in you. Have a spot for the whole team to sit all together and chat. Spark creativity: arrange team events, masterclasses, have lunch all together once a week. Be sure to not make overworking part of your culture, encourage your team to have their private life. Get your team to share experiences outside the studio: visit museums, galleries, concerts and share their impressions.
It's also crucial to always stay human and have a dialogue with your staff. Callum's advice on delivering bad feedback is to go for a coffee, talk things through, share your own mistakes. Try to make the conversation comfortable, but make sure you are taken seriously. Make a deal to get back to the issue in some time to check on the improvements that have been done.
And if someone in your team has lost motivation, invite them to lunch and ask how they're doing. Or help them to have some fun! Buy them tickets to the theatre, send them on holiday.
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