John Maeda on leadership

There is a lot we can learn from industry legends and their journey to becoming the icons they are today.

We held a live interview with John Maeda, VP of AI and Design at Microsoft. John is a legendary design and technologist and Former President of the Rhode Island School of Design. Check out these 3 leadership tips we summarised for you and watch the full interview to find out more: 👇

Know your business 💸

One of the many anecdotes that John shared with us holds a very valuable piece of advice for designers: Know your business!
The problem, John believes, is that in the creative field, we are taught that “money is bad." But having an interest in business is crucial for creatives. When designers control capital, they can control what they make, which means they can effectively communicate the value of design. 

Stay Curious 🌈

“When I stop being curious, it’s over for me." For John, learning has no limits. Even after all his successes, he argues that he is not done yet. He is always focused on what’s next, keeping up with AI and the latest developments. And how does he stay curious? Believe it or not, he spends his time scanning YouTube, TikTok, X and Threads.  

Good leaders listen 🙉

“If you are a leader your job is not to say a lot but to listen a lot." For John, this looks like a constant “call and response” to understand what people’s needs are. 

Let us know what was your favourite lesson from John! 💛

And if you want more leadership insights check our Executive Programme For Design Leaders.

Want to take your career to the next level?

Learn Business Strategy, Finance and Leadership hands-on from industry legends at Pentagram, WPP, Zaha Hadid Architects, Saatchi & Saatchi, Google, Amazon, and many more on our Design Leaders programme.