You've spent years mastering your craft. You lead projects, mentor juniors, and deliver consistently. Yet the Director and VP roles keep going to others. Here's the uncomfortable truth about why courses won't help.
The Leadership Gap Courses Can't Fill
At the leadership level, design skills are table stakes. What separates design managers from design executives is an entirely different skillset that no course can teach: executive presence, organizational influence, and the ability to position design as a business driver.
What Director and VP Roles Actually Require
Companies hiring design leaders look for people who can:
- Build and scale high-performing design teams
- Navigate executive politics and influence C-suite decisions
- Translate design impact into business metrics
- Establish design infrastructure and maturity
- Represent design at the leadership table
- Create a vision that aligns design with company strategy
The Personal Brand Factor
At this level, your reputation precedes you. Executive roles often come through networks, speaking engagements, and industry recognition. Building this presence takes strategic, personalized effort - not generic course content.
Why Mentorship Works for Leadership
1:1 mentorship with someone who has navigated the path to design leadership provides what courses cannot: personalized guidance on your specific situation, organization, and goals. A mentor can help you identify blind spots, build executive presence, and strategically position yourself for the roles you want.
If you're a senior designer ready to lead at scale, explore our design leadership mentorship program.
