Design leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all. It shifts and reshapes depending on the environment, the organization, and the stage of the product — and yes, the team you’re leading (or not leading). I’ve moved across consulting, startups, and now freelancing, and each role has asked something different of me as a designer and as a leader of people.
This post unpacks how design leadership evolves across these contexts — not just in how you drive design, but how you lead teams, build culture, and grow others.
Defining Design Leadership
Let’s start with the basics: Design leadership is not just about managing the work. It’s about creating clarity, setting vision, and building environments where great work can happen and people can grow.
It’s part strategic, part operational, and part relational. And it’s deeply contextual ... the way you lead in a consulting firm looks different than in an early stage startup or a solo freelance practice. But across all three, the heart of leadership stays the same: Aligning and empower people and product around purpose.
Consulting: Leading Through Influence and Example
The Role:
Consultants are often brought in as experts to provide guidance, strategy, and execution. In consulting, leadership is about influence ... helping clients see the value of design and nudging teams toward better user-centered decisions.
Team Leadership:
Consulting leadership is often about leading without authority. You might be managing a cross-functional internal team while also guiding a client’s team ... or coaching a junior designer while juggling exec workshops. There’s a strong mentorship component, and a lot of your impact comes from how you model thinking, collaboration, and storytelling.
Leadership Lessons Learned:
- Persuasion is key. You often need to sell the impact of design through data, storytelling, and clear business outcomes.
- Flexibility matters. Different clients have different needs, and being able to tailor your approach is essential.
- Teaching is just as important as designing. Many times, your role is to leave a lasting impact by enabling internal teams to think and operate differently.
- Listen first. With the need for quick action it's often hard to listen and give that space needed. It's important to listen first, then guide.
- Clear communication. Communicating clearly the goals, direction, and feedback is huge. Communication isn't about control, it's about guidance.
Startups: Leading by Building
The Role:
At a startup, the leadership lens shifts from influence to ownership. You’re not just guiding design ... you’re helping shape the product and company from the ground up. You’re usually hands-on, building early-stage UX while laying the foundation for future teams.
Team Leadership:
Even if you start solo, you’re likely laying the groundwork for a design team ... whether that’s hiring, defining roles, or setting standards. Leadership here is deeply personal: you’re creating a culture, often from scratch.
I’ve found that in startup environments, leading people means balancing vision with pragmatism. You need to give your designers room to learn, but also build guardrails so the business doesn’t veer off course.
It’s also a place where team development can be highly intentional. Every hire is a culture add. Every process you implement matters. The feedback loops need to be fast and often direct.
Leadership Lessons Learned:
- Prioritization is everything. You have to decide what’s critical versus what can wait.
- Business alignment is crucial. Design is not just about users, it has to drive business value and this can be a tough one.
- Speed doesn’t mean recklessness. Learning how to iterate quickly without compromising usability is a critical skill and one I'm thankful for learning while I was a consultant.
- Clarity in chaos. Any given day in an early stage company is chaos, providing clarity in direction and expectations with your team is so important.
- Culture isn't inherited. The culture of your team may be influenced by other teams within the org but your team's culture is something you shape everyday with how you lead.
Freelancing: Leadership in Autonomy
The Role:
Freelancers must lead both themselves and their clients. Unlike consulting, where you’re part of a larger firm, and startups, where you’re embedded in a team, freelancing means running a one-person business. Your success depends on how well you manage projects, set expectations, and advocate for good design.
Team Leadership:
Sometimes, as a freelancer you may lead a team. These teams may not be your typical design focused teams. It may be any collection of individuals that are working toward a similar goal. A leader in this role is focused on growth and evolution. Helping those they can, with whatever time they are given to improve on their ability to leverage creative thinking to solve problems.
Although not leadership in the sense of others, you are leading yourself. Staying focused, making decisions, managing your time and scope, and keeping your standards high without the usual support structures ... all of which takes leadership.
Leadership Lessons Learned:
- The business side of freelancing is just as important as the craft. Pricing, contracts, and client communication are essential.
- Self-discipline is everything. You’re responsible for your own growth and work-life balance.
- Personal branding and networking fuel success. Consistent visibility in your industry leads to better opportunities.
- Guidance is key. Freelance leadership is about guiding clients with confidence and care.
Comparing Leadership Across These Roles
| Aspect | Consulting | Startup | Freelancing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope of Influence | High (sometimes indirect) | Deep (focused) | Variable (depends on client) |
| Culture Building | Lead by example | Deep, hands-on | Flexible, relationship-based |
| Control Over Design | Low-High | High | Medium-High |
| Business Involvement | Advisory | Integral | Essential |
| Speed & Agility | Fast | Hyper-fast | Flexible |
| People Leadership | Coaching, mentoring | Hiring, team-building | Client & Self-leadership |
| Long-Term Impact | Varies by client | High | Depends on project |
| Support Structures | Shared/internal team | Lean, cross-discipline | Fully independent |
Key Takeaways: Growth as a Design Leader
- Leadership is about impact, not titles. Your influence comes from your ability to drive meaningful change, regardless of your position.
- The best leaders adapt to their environment. Understanding the unique demands of consulting, startups, and freelancing helps you develop a flexible leadership approach.
- Moving between these roles builds a well-rounded leader. Each experience adds a different dimension to your leadership style, making you more resilient and strategic in the long run.
- Empathy goes beyond the user. As a leader you must be empathetic beyond just the end user, it extends to the people you work with, lead, and serve.
- Practice makes you better (never perfect). Leadership is a practice, not a position. It's something you gain through experiences and through actions.
Your Leadership Journey
Design leadership is not a linear path. Whether you’re influencing executives as a consultant, shaping a product vision at a startup, or running your own business as a freelancer, the key is to embrace change and keep growing. You can be a leader fro many seat at the table ... and sometimes, leadership looks like listening more than speaking.
As you move through your career ask yourself something: What kind of leader does this role ask me to be? From there, be deliberate in how you approach those next steps.
I’d love to hear from you, how has your experience shaped your approach to design leadership? Let’s continue the conversation on LinkedIn.
Until the next volume, thanks for joining me.
Andrew Preble