#138 - Designers as Change Agents with Maria Giudice

“I realized that design is about helping people make sense of the world. And I looked at the world differently then… treating everything like a design problem that's solvable [...] [Design leaders today] don't use the power that we have to engage people, to activate people, to help them believe in something bigger than themselves.”

Maria Guidice, author of Changemakers: How Leaders Can Design Change in an Insanely Complex World, joins Erin May and Carol Guest in this episode of Awkward Silences. Together, they examine the qualities of effective change agents and discuss how designers, researchers, and passionate folks can hone and apply these qualities to drive change within their organization. 

Throughout the episode, Maria draws on her experience leading global teams at Facebook and Autodesk and a decade of research into the interconnectedness of leadership, design, and change to offer practical advice on how to approach change through a designer mindset.

In this episode, Maria, Erin and Carol cover:

• What is a “changemaker”?
• The qualities of effective leaders and change agents.
• How designers can employ their skills to drive change at scale.
• Treating design as a mindset.
• Building support and working with people who share a creative and open mindset.
• Why we need to believe in progress and continuous improvement.

Highlights

00:04:23 – Design is about helping people make sense of the world

00:09:34 – Maria’s research into the connection between leadership, design, and change

00:13:50 – The importance of understanding people’s resistance to change

00:16:28 – What is a changemaker?

00:18:04 – Design as a noun, a verb, a mindset that can lead change at scale 

00:24:30 – Qualities of effective change agents

00:33:19 – Why Maria hates the term “change management”

00:36:12 – Embracing failure as a learning opportunity

00:39:46 – The importance of passion, purpose, and a belief in continuous progress

About our guest

For three decades, creative teams and business leaders have sought the provocative vision and mentorship of Maria Giudice, GEW DEECE. After founding the pioneering experience design firm Hot Studio and leading global teams at Facebook and Autodesk, Maria’s mission today is to build the next generation of creative leaders. 

Through one-on-one coaching, group coaching, and team-building workshops, Maria unlocks the potential hidden in executives and the people they lead. A popular speaker at design and business conferences, Maria is also the author of four design books, including Rise of the DEO: Leadership by Design, and most recently Changemakers: How Leaders Can Design Change in an Insanely Complex World.