Two years ago, Nicole Burrow, now Design Director for Consumer Experience at Spotify, embarked on a significant life change, moving to Sweden to join the renowned music streaming platform. With over a decade immersed in UX design across global hubs like New York, London, and Singapore, Nicole was eager to return to Europe and contribute to a company whose product she genuinely admired and used daily. This dream role, leading the consumer experience design team at Spotify, has profoundly expanded her perspectives on leadership and team dynamics in unexpected ways. For those currently leading design teams or aspiring to leadership roles, Nicole’s insights, drawn from her talk at Leading Design London, offer valuable lessons. She draws a compelling parallel: the challenge of building a high-performing design team closely mirrors the complexities of creating a successful band. This begs the question: Can A Band Director Be Compared To A Manager in the corporate world, and what can we learn from this analogy?
From Solo Performer to Band Member: Embracing the Managerial Shift
“A group of people working in unison is a wonderful thing to behold. Done well, it ceases to be about you or me, one individual or another. Instead, you feel the energy of dozens of hearts and minds directed toward a shared purpose, guided by shared value.” – Julie Zhuo, The Making of a Manager
Julie Zhuo’s insightful observation in The Making of a Manager perfectly encapsulates the essence of a cohesive team. It’s a state where individual egos dissolve into a collective drive, fueled by a shared objective. For leaders, the daily endeavor is to cultivate this synchronicity within their teams. But how do we effectively reach this ideal state where the team’s collective output surpasses the sum of its individual parts? Much like assembling a band, it begins with strategically placing individuals in roles where their talents can best contribute. In essence, a manager, much like a band director, must orchestrate individual talents to create harmonious collective performance.
Playing the Right Instrument: Matching Skills to Roles
During Nicole’s tenure of just under two years, Spotify’s platform has witnessed an influx of millions of new users, and the consumer design team has doubled in size. This growth has been accompanied by the team increasingly embodying Zhuo’s ideal of unified action. However, such rapid expansion inevitably brings shifts in team dynamics and collaborative approaches. Just as a band must adapt its instrumentation and arrangements to accommodate new members and evolving musical styles, the design team at Spotify has had to refine its operational “sound.”
Building a successful band, or a successful team, necessitates ensuring each member is in the optimal position, playing their “right instrument.” For design leaders, this translates to guiding designers in identifying their desired career paths and equipping managers to support this process effectively. This guidance is crucial because, much like a band director must understand the strengths of each musician, a manager must recognize and nurture the unique skills of each team member.
“Y” is That So Hard? Navigating the Expert vs. Manager Path
As designers advance in their careers, they often encounter a critical juncture: choosing between an expert path focused on honing individual craft or a managerial path centered on leadership and team guidance. This decision point, often visualized as a “Y” in career progression, can introduce ambiguity regarding their role within the team “band.” Nicole acknowledges this personal experience, noting the inherent challenge of transitioning from a hands-on design role to a managerial one. The decision to move into management can feel like a step away from the creative forefront, potentially perceived as shifting from a lead instrument to a supporting role – a perception that holds a grain of truth.
Spotify’s “Y-shaped” career framework aims to provide growth opportunities for designers with diverse aspirations:
Alt Text: Spotify’s Y-shaped career path visually represents two distinct growth trajectories for designers: one towards expert specialization and the other towards management leadership.
While Spotify offers both expert and management tracks, Nicole focuses on the often-challenging transition from expert to management. She observes a common pattern among senior individual contributors and interviewees: uncertainty when faced with this career fork. This hesitation is understandable. The management path entails leading teams and projects, managing individuals, and generating impact through others. Conversely, the expert path emphasizes mastery of design craft, leadership through influence rather than direct management, and, crucially, delivering exceptional design work. Any thoughtful designer recognizing the magnitude of this decision will approach it with careful consideration, a sign that they are likely ready to embrace the complexities of managing others. This careful deliberation mirrors the thoughtfulness a musician gives to choosing their instrument within a band, recognizing the impact on the overall sound.
Get Them Ready to Sign the Deal: Auditioning for Management Potential
Once leaders and designers have identified individuals with management potential, the “audition” process begins. It’s crucial to remember two key principles:
- “What got you here won’t get you there”: This well-worn adage holds profound truth. The skills and attributes that propelled a designer to individual success are often distinct from those required for effective management.
- Great designer ≠ great manager: History is replete with examples of exceptional designers who faltered as managers. Many have experienced the frustration of working under ineffective managers. Nicole emphasizes that this isn’t necessarily a reflection of the designer’s inherent capabilities but often points to a lack of adequate guidance and support from their managers. Leaders bear the responsibility to guide designers in discerning if management aligns with their strengths and aspirations and then to pave a path for their success. Just as a band director wouldn’t place a drummer in the lead vocalist role without proper training and assessment, a manager must carefully evaluate and prepare designers for leadership.
To facilitate this discernment process, Nicole proposes three pivotal questions for aspiring managers to contemplate:
1. Are you willing to relinquish control over the day-to-day details of the work?
This question probes a fundamental shift in mindset. It’s akin to asking a musician to step away from their primary instrument and conduct the orchestra instead. For designers accustomed to meticulous control over craft, relinquishing day-to-day design execution can be daunting. The shift away from laser-focused craft and direct responsibility for design output can trigger apprehension.
However, it’s vital to reframe the managerial role as a different form of design. Managers become architects of processes, team structures, and collaborative environments that optimize individual and collective performance. They leverage their design sensibilities to solve organizational challenges, fostering efficiency and creativity within the team. A band director doesn’t play every instrument, but they design the musical arrangement and guide the musicians to achieve the desired sound.
2. Are you comfortable with others receiving credit for successes and bearing responsibility when things go awry?
The managerial role entails a shift in credit and accountability. While managers are no longer directly executing most product design tasks, they remain accountable for the team’s overall output. This transition can be challenging for individuals accustomed to receiving direct recognition for their product contributions. The shift from individual contributor to manager often means diminished direct praise for personal design work.
However, the vicarious pride and satisfaction derived from the team’s accomplishments often outweigh the need for personal accolades. Witnessing designers thrive and receive recognition becomes a primary source of fulfillment for managers. A band director’s satisfaction comes not from personal performance, but from the collective applause earned by the entire band.
3. Do you possess a leadership style that prioritizes people over tasks?
Effective management hinges on empowering individuals to excel, rather than solely focusing on task completion. Managers must cultivate an environment where team members are motivated, supported, and enabled to perform at their peak.
The core objective of a manager is to optimize the capabilities of their team members. This involves delegation, mentorship, and fostering a supportive work environment. Aspiring managers must prioritize empowering their team over attempting to control every aspect of the work. A band director doesn’t play every note, but they empower each musician to play their part flawlessly, creating a harmonious and powerful performance.
These questions serve as initial checkpoints in a designer’s journey toward management. The mental transition is significant, akin to a musician transitioning from performer to conductor. While stepping back from the immediate spotlight, the manager’s behind-the-scenes role becomes profoundly influential.
From Garage Gigs to Stadium Tours: Scaling for Success
Once the team “band” is harmonized, ready to perform in sync, the focus shifts from initial formation to scaling for broader impact. Moving from small-scale projects to large-scale initiatives requires attention to other critical aspects of team development. Nicole shares three key lessons learned in this scaling phase:
1. Building the Culture of Your Band: Fostering a Thriving Team Environment
Cultivating a positive and productive team culture is paramount for sustained success. While universally recognized as crucial, maintaining a cohesive culture is also notoriously challenging, with personality clashes posing a constant threat to team unity. However, proactive measures can safeguard team culture and prevent internal discord.
Hire the Right People: Prioritizing Cultural Fit and Diverse Talents
For managers, talent acquisition transcends all other responsibilities. Recruiting the right individuals is the cornerstone of team building. Even with effective recruitment partners, the ultimate responsibility for hiring decisions rests with the manager. Nicole advocates for the principle from Jim Collins’ Good to Great: “When in doubt, don’t hire, keep looking.”
In situations of understaffing and workload pressures, the temptation to settle for a “good enough” candidate can be strong. However, a mismatched hire can have detrimental ripple effects on team dynamics and culture. Managers must approach team composition strategically, recognizing that each new member influences the overall team ecosystem. Just as a band director carefully selects musicians to complement the band’s sound and style, a manager must hire individuals who align with and enhance the team’s culture and capabilities.
Furthermore, building a diverse team encompassing varied perspectives is crucial for robust decision-making and creative problem-solving. A team comprised solely of “lead singers” lacks the necessary balance for harmonious collaboration. A blend of talents, skills, and viewpoints is essential for creating a high-performing, synergistic team.
Welcome to the Band: Effective Onboarding and Integration
Once exceptional individuals are recruited, effective onboarding is crucial for seamless integration. Research from Jobvite indicates that a significant portion of employee turnover occurs within the first 90 days of employment. Structured onboarding programs can dramatically improve retention rates, increasing them by up to 82% according to Glassdoor.
Alt Text: Spotify Design’s Trello onboarding board provides new team members with a structured overview of the team, their responsibilities, team rituals, and a task list for their initial weeks.
Spotify Design utilizes a Trello board to provide new starters with a comprehensive overview of the team, their projects, team rituals, and initial tasks. Beyond task-oriented onboarding, the people-centric aspect is equally vital. This includes scheduling introductory meetings with cross-functional partners, team lunches, and pairing new hires with a “buddy” for day-to-day support.
Another element in fostering a sense of belonging is team “swag.” Providing team merchandise can reinforce a sense of community and shared identity, signaling immediate inclusion within the group.
Alt Text: A collection of Spotify-branded merchandise, or “swag,” including t-shirts and other items, symbolizing team membership and fostering a sense of belonging.
Cultivating a strong sense of community is a key cultural objective for Spotify Design managers. Even seemingly minor details like seating arrangements can significantly impact team cohesion, particularly within Spotify’s squad model. Initial seating arrangements, with designers dispersed individually among engineering-heavy squads, hindered designer interaction and collaboration.
Alt Text: A diagram depicting a previous seating arrangement in Spotify Design, characterized by designers being individually dispersed within larger, engineering-focused squads.
Alt Text: Diagram illustrating the current seating arrangement in Spotify Design, featuring designers clustered in small “design hubs” situated within their respective product areas, promoting collaboration.
Recognizing the limitations of this dispersed arrangement, Nicole restructured the seating to create small “design hubs” adjacent to their respective product teams. This shift fostered increased interaction, collaboration, and a notable improvement in both the creativity and quality of design outputs, alongside enhanced team morale.
Give Them a Stake Early: Empowering New Members with Meaningful Contributions
Following onboarding, the next crucial step is to empower new team members with meaningful, impactful projects. Aligning their creative passions with team needs and assigning high-impact tasks early on fosters a sense of investment and demonstrates the direct contribution of their individual efforts to the company’s success.
2. Fine-tuning Your Team: Optimizing Processes and Collaboration
Nicole outlines key refinements implemented at Spotify to elevate team performance from functional to synergistic. Three pivotal improvements include product design briefs, streamlined work planning, and enhanced transparency in the design process.
Product Design Brief: Establishing Shared Understanding and Purpose
Ensuring team alignment and contextual understanding is paramount. The introduction of a collaborative product design brief, developed jointly by designers and product counterparts, ensures a shared understanding of the “why” behind each project before ideation commences. This collaborative brief clarifies the problem being addressed and its business significance, establishing a common foundation for hypothesis development.
Alt Text: A visual example of Spotify’s product design brief, highlighting its structured format for collaborative definition of project objectives and context between designers and product teams.
Planning and Tracking Work: Enhancing Visibility and Prioritization
Managing numerous concurrent projects requires effective organization and tracking. Utilizing a Trello board provides a centralized platform for tracking projects in progress, ensuring team focus remains on high-priority initiatives.
Open Up the Design Process: Fostering Cross-Functional Collaboration and Feedback
To prevent insular design approaches, Spotify Design emphasizes transparency and cross-functional engagement. Showcasing design work, inviting non-designers to critiques, and sharing design decks on internal channels facilitates broader feedback and ensures diverse perspectives are incorporated into the design process.
Alt Text: A photograph capturing a design work showcase during Spotify Design Days, an annual offsite event, demonstrating the team’s commitment to open and collaborative design practices.
3. Preventing Burnout: Prioritizing Team Well-being and Sustainability
Just as bands require breaks from rigorous touring schedules to prevent burnout, design leaders must prioritize team well-being and sustainability. Self-care and proactive measures to mitigate burnout are essential for both individual managers and their teams.
Build Your Own Internal Board of Directors: Seek Support and Mentorship
Management can be isolating. Leaders often find themselves in positions where they are responsible for guiding those around them, necessitating a strong support network. Building a trusted network of peers, including fellow design managers and leaders from other disciplines, provides a valuable sounding board and source of advice. Learning from the experiences of other departments, such as engineering, which often tackles similar scaling challenges, can offer valuable insights.
Be Vulnerable: Embrace Transparency and Shared Decision-Making
Challenging the expectation of infallible leadership, Nicole advocates for vulnerability and transparency. Involving the team in decision-making processes fosters engagement, motivation, and empowerment. Open communication and shared problem-solving can also contribute to increased team retention.
Show You Value Their Input and Constantly Seek Ways to Improve: Foster a Growth Mindset
Effective leaders demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement and value team feedback. Openly acknowledging limitations and inviting input encourages honest feedback and fosters a growth mindset within the team. Simple phrases like “This is just my two cents,” “Of course, I could be wrong here,” “What am I missing?” and “What do you think?” encourage open dialogue and collaborative learning. Modeling a growth mindset encourages team members to embrace continuous learning and improvement.
Take Care of Yourself: Prioritize Self-Care for Sustainable Leadership
Recognizing the importance of self-care, Nicole emphasizes scheduling self-care activities as non-negotiable appointments. Prioritizing personal well-being is essential for sustained leadership effectiveness.
Alt Text: A visual reminder to prioritize self-care, depicting a person relaxing with a face mask, emphasizing the importance of personal well-being for sustained performance.
Get Support from Design Ops: Leverage Operational Expertise for Team Enablement
Recognizing the value of specialized operational support, Nicole highlights the crucial role of Design Ops. Design Ops functions can significantly accelerate team development by supporting culture building, enhancing work visibility, streamlining onboarding, and strengthening team rituals. Spotify Design benefits from the expertise of Cliona O’Sullivan, a leading Design Ops professional, who has demonstrably amplified the team’s effectiveness.
What Does Your Band Need to Get to the Top of the Charts? Leadership Lessons Revisited
A band’s success hinges on each member understanding their role and contributing effectively. Appreciating that some crucial roles operate behind the scenes, away from the spotlight, is essential. Similarly, in the corporate world, effective management often involves operating outside of direct recognition, focusing on enabling team success.
Reflecting on the band analogy, it becomes clear that a band director shares many parallels with a corporate manager. Both roles require orchestrating diverse talents, fostering collaboration, building culture, and guiding their teams toward shared success. While a band director focuses on musical performance and a manager on business objectives, the underlying leadership principles are remarkably consistent.
The next time you witness a band performing, remember the extensive behind-the-scenes effort contributing to the final performance. From technicians to designers to support staff, every role is vital to the overall success. Similarly, in management, finding fulfillment away from the direct spotlight, in enabling team achievements, is a hallmark of effective leadership. Embracing the “behind-the-scenes” nature of management, and deriving pride from the collective accomplishments of the team, is a rewarding aspect of leadership. Just as a band director takes pride in the band’s performance, a manager finds satisfaction in the team’s achievements, even if their individual contributions are less visible.
Thank you to my band of designers at Spotify for showing me every day how rewarding it is to be a design lead!
Credits
Nicole Burrow
Senior Design Director. Nicole is an American living in Stockholm. When she’s not obsessing over every design detail at Spotify, she’s probably obsessing about her next great meal.
