Nice Work: Big business feelings

Hey there,

I spoke at a design conference the other day—the first in-person one I’ve attended in a very long time. In a lot of ways, it felt like being back in the before times: great snacks, cool haircuts, loads of people excited to learn about new CSS features and accessible design techniques. The organizers were lovely. I met speakers I’ve long admired online. Stéphanie Walter even gave me a sticker with a raccoon on it (my love language).

But despite so many things feeling familiar, I couldn’t escape the sensation that something had changed.

The vibe has shifted.

One talk, ostensibly about designing humane experiences, turned into an exec from a big tech company telling attendees that companies can’t afford to care too much about responsible design anymore, now that interest rates have gone up. They then told the crowd to learn about finance if they wanted power. “The executive conversation doesn’t need to change,” they said. “You do.”

Another seasoned industry leader talked about the levels of disillusionment they’re seeing amongst designers lately—and argued that much of it comes from designers not learning enough about business, and getting frustrated at their companies as a result.

My talk was….a bit different. I called it “Hey designers, they’re gaslighting you,” and it was about the ways that designers are told to “prove their value” or “demonstrate impact” in organizations—by working more hours, by making more slide decks, by stretching themselves across six “pods” or seven “squads” or whatever terminology is currently in vogue in their companies.

And then, when that doesn’t work, they’re often told: You just didn’t do enough.

If you had just been more compelling. Demonstrated more value. Stretched yourself even thinner. Learned all the financial jargon. Then you’d have power. Then you’d have a seat at the table.

But the seat never seems to come.

***

The other day, a client told me that in the past, their superpower was always finding a new job when things got shitty. In a lot of ways, this willingness to jump ship had served them well. We could all use a little “you can always quit” energy in our lives.

But over time, they realized: everywhere is a little bit shitty.

This wasn’t cynicism talking. They weren’t saying that every company is awful, or that they’ve given up on advocating for humane working environments, or that there aren’t better and worse employers out there. What they meant was that all the companies they’ve worked for are wrapped up in the same system. It didn’t mean they needed to stop switching jobs, necessarily. It just meant they needed to accept that switching companies wouldn’t fix some of what’s broken.

Because the core issue isn’t some company. It’s late-stage capitalism. It’s an economic model where the only people who really matter are shareholders and investors, and where anything that gets in the way of profit margins can, and probably will, be scrapped.

You know what always gets in the way of profit margins? Treating humans like humans.

***

It turns out, I actually agree with those other speakers: Designers should learn more about business.

Not so we can elbow our way into the executive class, raking in cash while the world burns. But because we need to get more honest with ourselves and one another about the true incentives and priorities of our workplaces. We need to stop gaslighting our teams into overworking and burning out and beating their heads against the wall trying to make an organization care about things it literally cannot care about—not in a system where shareholder primacy rules.

It reminds me of what Ryan Rumsey wrote so eloquently a few months back:

I’m not gonna lie: It is painful to acknowledge how often the answer to these questions is a resounding yes. There’s often grief and sorrow wrapped up in the realization that no matter how hard you work, or how well you “manage up,” you can’t shift the fundamental incentives of a corporation.

But there’s also freedom in it.

Because the truth is, you will never prove your value to someone whose business model relies on not seeing it.

Once you accept that, it’s a lot easier to stop breaking yourself trying. It’s a lot easier to reclaim some of your precious energy for yourself, your community, and our individual and collective health and wellbeing. It’s a lot easier to make change where you can, and not take on the responsibility for things that were never in your control.

So this fall, I hope we can all start getting a little more clear-eyed about the realities we work within. Not so we can fall into disillusionment and cynicism—but actually, so we can avoid it. Because we have to accept reality before we can find ways to change it.

Yours in hopefulness,

Sara

Up next at Active Voice

Group Coaching for Content Leaders
Sessions start October 4. Facilitated by Jen Dionisio.

The content leaders we know are doing incredible work—shipping products, serving users, and supporting colleagues and teams. At the same time, you’re having to advocate for your value, being asked to do more with less, and facing the fear of layoffs and re-orgs. As coaches who were content leaders for most of our careers, we understand the challenges—and opportunities!—you’re facing. And we want to support you through it.

This fall, Jen is facilitating two small-group coaching cohorts specifically for content leaders—both people managers and senior ICs who are shaping their practice and mentoring junior staff. Each group will have six to eight participants, and meet every other week for 12 weeks. 

Workshop: Own Your Impact with StrengthsFinder
October 12 at 12pm ET. Facilitated by Rachel de Jong.

Growth doesn’t mean you need to become someone else. It doesn’t come from fixing what others think you lack. It comes from knowing who you are and choosing to build on your areas of highest potential. That’s the belief that drives Rachel de Jong. She’s a Gallup-certified Strengths Coach who has led hundreds of people through the process of understanding and applying their StrengthsFinder results. She’s also a content designer with years of experience working in tech companies—so she knows the kinds of challenges you face at work.

As part of this workshop, you’ll get a code to complete your StrengthsFinder assessment in advance. Then during the session, you’ll learn to use your results to show more impact and influence—in a way that feels more easeful and true to you.

EPISODE 11

You’re getting paid how much?!

Listen in for gaslighting so strong you can see it from space.