CREATIVE LEADERSHIP, ALIGNMENT, AND INSPIRING EXECUTIVE LEADERS
The strength of teams that collaborate well is that the joined effort exceeds anything any individual could possibly accomplish on their own. Making sure synergies between contributors take place, that all ideas have a fair chance to be heard, and that teams and leaders feel inspired to act, is what true creative leadership is about. 

CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
Shared understanding
Shared ownership
Radical candor
​
Creative Leadership as an enabling function for others to thrive.
The key benefits of strong creative leadership are the ability to facilitate engagements, effectively communicate the value of design, as well as inspiring people on all levels in an organization. To create a collaborative environment so everyone can do their best work.

Why:
  • Consistency in practice within programs/projects and across programs/projects. 
  • Support elevation of customer experience.
  • Substantiate the value of design and design process.
  • Inspire and mentor staff.

Outcome:
Joint ownership in quality of content. Effective decision making.
Content visibility, alignment, and strategy.
Failure-friendly culture, welcoming risk taking. 
Culture of positive critique. Candor! ​​

Case study:
BOEING 777X
Planting a seed.

What:
Development of overarching interiors strategy, design philosophy, and support of advanced R&D programs and industry partnerships. Making sure Teague and Boeing were ready to develop a market-leading 777x plane interior.


​How:
  • Ramping up to a five-year long design development for Boeing’s 777X, I helped Teague to be ready as an organization by establishing a core competency around Human-Centered Design, Research and Strategy, and Creative Direction. This included strategic hiring and deliberate capability development.
  • In addition to functional responsibility, I facilitated the creation of a design direction for the 777X, and consolidated the approach into Design Drivers and Design Enablers.
  • ​In order for Teague and Boeing to align around technology roadmaps and target interior features, I established an Advanced Concept Program that allowed the teams to iterate and learn in core areas of interest.

Insights:
Having a clearly articulated vision, a method to engage with stakeholders across departments, and a compelling story about the future state, is key when aligning thousands of people around a mission.

Outcomes: 
  • ​​A detailed interiors strategy and design direction focused on delivering value to Boeing and its customers.
  • Alignment across Boeing’s marketing, engineering, and Teague’s design functions.
  • Enthusiastic feedback from airline customers and Boeing’s suppliers.
  • New revenue opportunities and differentiation capabilities due to the unique design approach on the 777X.
  • Permanently established an Advanced Concept program.
  • ​Further developed capability at Teague using Design Thinking and Human-Centered Design.
​​