Lead like yourself.
Build like a team.
Lead like yourself.
Build like a team.
The DLS Archetypes turn fuzzy leadership talk into practical patterns you can use to ship better work, develop your people, and navigate change.
Lead like yourself.
Build like a team.
The DLS Archetypes turn fuzzy leadership talk into practical patterns you can use to ship better work, develop your people, and navigate change.
Find my Archetype
Takes ~8–10 minutes
Lead like yourself.
Build like a team.
The DLS Archetypes turn fuzzy leadership talk into practical patterns you can use to ship better work, develop your people, and navigate change.
Lead like yourself.
Build like a team.
The DLS Archetypes turn fuzzy leadership talk into practical patterns you can use to ship better work, develop your people, and navigate change.
Find my Archetype
Takes ~8–10 minutes
Your blind spots are
predictable.
This is a snapshot of your default operating mode at work—how you make progress under pressure and ambiguity. The goal isn’t to box you in; it’s to name your strengths and close blind spots by practicing the other modes.
Know your edge
Identify your leadership moves under pressure, the patterns that make you effective and the blind spots that trip you up.
Find Your Complement
Discover which archetypes naturally balance your weaknesses. Stop flying blind on partnerships that actually work.
Ship Smarter
Use your archetype at work: pair intentionally, map your team's gaps, and turn friction into productive tension.
Find my Archtype
Your blind spots are
This is a snapshot of your default operating mode at work—how you make progress under pressure and ambiguity. The goal isn’t to box you in; it’s to name your strengths and close blind spots by practicing the other modes.
This is a snapshot of your default operating mode at work—how you make progress under pressure and ambiguity. The goal isn’t to box you in; it’s to name your strengths and close blind spots by practicing the other modes.
Know your edge
Identify your leadership moves under pressure, the patterns that make you effective and the blind spots that trip you up.
Find Your Complement
Discover which archetypes naturally balance your weaknesses. Stop flying blind on partnerships that actually work.
Ship Smarter
Use your archetype at work: pair intentionally, map your team's gaps, and turn friction into productive tension.
predictable.
The archetypes
A framework of identities that shape how design leaders think, decide, and create impact.
Anchor
Ally
Architect
Cultivator
Pathfinder
STABILITY · CLARITY · STANDARDS
Anchor
Holds the line so principles and quality endure under pressure.
Anchor
Grounded
Superpowers
Sets crisp bars for craft, accessibility, and risk
Makes ambiguous decisions legible
Calms chaos; steers to the plan
Watch-outs
Can slow bets with over-policing standards
Defaults to “No” when signal is thin
Growth Moves
Experiment fast with sandboxes and guardrails
Co-create standards with product/eng to speed, not stall
In the crunch: Define the MVP quality line, kill rework, keep recovery visible.
Anchor
Ally
Architect
Cultivator
Pathfinder
STABILITY · CLARITY · STANDARDS
Anchor
Grounds the org in quality, reliability, and decision clarity.
Anchor
Grounded
Superpowers
Sets crisp bars for craft, accessibility, and risk
Makes ambiguous decisions legible
Calms chaos; steers to the plan
Watch-outs
Can slow bets with over-policing standards
Defaults to “No” when signal is thin
Growth Moves
Experiment fast with sandboxes and guardrails
Co-create standards with product/eng to speed, not stall
In the crunch: Define the MVP quality line, kill rework, keep recovery visible.
Anchor
Ally
Architect
Cultivator
Pathfinder
STABILITY · CLARITY · STANDARDS
Anchor
Holds the line so principles and quality endure under pressure.
Anchor
Grounded
Superpowers
Sets crisp bars for craft, accessibility, and risk
Makes ambiguous decisions legible
Calms chaos; steers to the plan
Watch-outs
Can slow bets with over-policing standards
Defaults to “No” when signal is thin
Growth Moves
Experiment fast with sandboxes and guardrails
Co-create standards with product/eng to speed, not stall
In the crunch: Define the MVP quality line, kill rework, keep recovery visible.
How it works
Take the Quiz
Answer realistic leadership scenarios. No personality fluff — just how you actually lead when it matters.
01
Get your Archetype
See your superpowers, watch-outs, growth moves, and which archetype naturally fills your gaps.
02
Take Action
Use your result to introspect, find complements, plan areas of growth - at DLS25 and beyond.
03
Find my Archetype
Stability
Clarity
Anchor
Alignment
Influence
Ally
Systems
Orchestration
Architect
People
Culture
Cultivator
Exploration
Vision
Pathfinder