Tuesday, January 28, 9:00 AM
Think Like a CEO, Act Like a Designer: How to Win in the Boardroom
About the Workshop
Who Is This For?
- Design leaders at the manager level and above.
- Professionals reporting directly to C-suite executives seeking to elevate the strategic impact of design within their organizations.
Capacity
Maximum attendees: 10 participants for a personalized, highly interactive experience.
Pre-Workshop Preparation
- Enhanced Pre-Workshop Questionnaire
Participants will assess:- Confidence in influencing executives (rated 1–10).
- Specific organizational challenges (e.g., alignment, resource advocacy).
- Desired takeaways and long-term goals for their design leadership.
- Challenge Submission
Participants will submit a real-world situation where they’ve struggled to demonstrate design’s value.
Workshop Agenda
Duration: 3 hours
- Welcome and Context Setting (15 minutes)
- Icebreaker: Participants share a 2-minute pitch on their current challenge or goal.
- Introduction: Paul frames the session with the mindset: “You’re not here to fight for design’s value—you’re here to lead as a peer.”
- Clustering Challenges (30 minutes)
- Review pre-submitted challenges and group them into themes (e.g., communication barriers, executive alignment).
- Identify top themes to prioritize during the workshop.
- Identity Shift: Lead Without the Title (20 minutes)
- Exercise: Explore self-perception as a strategic leader.
- Discussion: Overcoming impostor syndrome and reframing leadership identity.
- Decoding the Executive Mindset (25 minutes)
- Content:
- What executives prioritize: risk, ROI, growth.
- How behavioural economics (framing, anchoring) influences decision-making.
- Exercise: Participants practice reframing a design initiative using executive language.
- Content:
- Facilitating Influence Through Conversations (30 minutes)
Learn how to:- Ask impactful questions that guide leadership toward insights.
- Navigate resistance and reframe objections.
- Role play: Participants practice steering real conversations with executive personas.
- Interactive Role Plays: Navigating Room Dynamics (45 minutes)
- Scenarios:
- Shadow executive exercises simulate power dynamics and group decision-making.
- Gamification: Points awarded for effective strategies, addressing objections, and securing alignment.
- Feedback: Paul and peers provide insights and coaching in real-time.
- Scenarios:
- Strategic Toolkit Building (30 minutes)
- Participants develop:
- A customized executive conversation framework.
- A one-page design impact report.
- A personal 30-day action plan.
- Participants develop:
- Closing and Legacy Reflection (15 minutes)
- Reflection: What legacy do you want your leadership to leave?
- Commitment: Participants share one actionable insight they will apply immediately.
Post-Workshop Follow-Up
- 1:1 Personalized Coaching Sessions (30 min)
- Focus: Refining strategies, addressing new challenges, or practicing for upcoming leadership engagements.
- Week 1: Draft an executive-facing pitch.
- Week 2: Practice reframing objections.
- Week 3: Present a design impact report.
- Week 4: Reflect and refine based on feedback.
30-Day Influence Challenge
Weekly micro-tasks to reinforce key lessons:
Key Features
- Storytelling Elements:
- Opening and closing with a hero’s journey framework to emotionally engage participants.
- Practical Tools:
- Templates, exercises, and examples.
- Role-playing featuring executive personas and common objections.
- Systems Thinking Segment:
- Exploring how to build influence across organizational silos before engaging the C-suite.
What you’ll walk away with:
- Mindset Shift: Participants will see themselves as business leaders who use design to drive strategic outcomes.
- Skill Development: They’ll gain confidence in leading conversations and aligning design with business priorities.
Practical Impact: Immediate tools and techniques to influence leadership and deliver measurable results.


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Tickets
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All prices are in USD
