🧂5 ways to build leadership presence as a designer

The most successful designers I know have one thing in common: they see beyond the immediate design request and into the bigger picture.

Here’s what I mean. Recently, a client mentioned in passing that they had just closed a funding round while requesting a simple social media graphic. Two different designers responded in very different ways:

• Designer A jumped straight into logistics: “What dimensions do you need? Any brand guidelines I should follow?”

• Designer B began with recognition: “Congratulations! That must be such an exciting milestone for the team.”

Both responses led to the graphic being created, but only one led to a deeper conversation about the strategic projects the funding would enable—and ultimately to significantly more work.

The difference? Designer B understood that behind every design request is a business and a human moment worth acknowledging.

This mindset shift—from task executor to business partner—is what separates good designers from indispensable ones.

The growth opportunity hiding in plain sight

A design founder I know spent 10 years helping his second hire develop confidence in sales meetings.

Ten years.

This wasn’t about talent—both designers were incredibly skilled. It was about recognizing the opportunity to expand beyond pure craft into business partnership.

Many designers excel at the creative and technical aspects of their work. They’re detail-oriented, user-focused, and produce beautiful solutions. But often there’s untapped potential in the relationship and business strategy side of design.

The traditional path emphasizes:

• Building technical expertise to establish credibility

• Developing a strong portfolio to win projects

• Learning business vocabulary to sound professional

• Speaking up more to demonstrate leadership

• Having answers ready for every question

While these skills matter, they are just the foundation. The real growth opportunity lies elsewhere.

I discovered this while teaching design. A student presented her midterm work and couldn’t stop talking—nervous, filling every silence with words. Despite her talent, everyone could sense her discomfort.

That’s when it clicked: silence is also presence. The most confident people are comfortable with quiet moments. A designer who asks one thoughtful, well-timed question often creates more impact than someone who talks nonstop.

The insight that transforms everything

Service business is relationship business.

When that client shared their funding news, Designer B’s response was simple: “Congratulations! That must be such an exciting milestone for the team.”

That single moment of genuine recognition unlocked a conversation about bigger opportunities—and ultimately led to a project worth ten times the original request.

This is the transformation: from solving design problems to nurturing human connections. Clients aren’t just buying pixels—they’re investing in the experience of working with you.

5 ways to develop business partnership thinking

1. Recognize business moments, not just design requests

Every client interaction carries emotional and business context that extends beyond the immediate ask.

When someone says, “We need a graphic for our funding announcement,” they’re sharing a significant milestone in their company’s journey. They may feel excited, nervous about increased expectations, or proud of what they’ve accomplished. How you respond shapes whether you are seen as a vendor executing tasks or as a partner who understands their world.

The traditional approach treats every request as a design problem: requirements get gathered, specs clarified, and timelines established. Efficient, yes—but it can miss opportunities to deepen the relationship.

The business-partner approach adds one step: pause and consider what kind of moment this is for them. Are they celebrating a win? Navigating a challenge? Launching something they’ve worked toward for months?

This perspective shift transforms the interaction. Instead of diving into project details, you acknowledge the context: “Congratulations on the funding—that must be such an exciting milestone for the team,” or “This sounds like an important launch—what does success look like for you?”

Acknowledging victories, challenges, and milestones demonstrates that you care about more than the transaction. You show emotional investment in their outcomes and understanding of their business.

2. Host the room, don’t just present to it

The second development opportunity is learning to facilitate conversations, not just deliver presentations. As one mentor told me: “Walk into any room, grab a marker, stand at the whiteboard, and guide the discussion.”

Leadership for designers isn’t about being the loudest voice. It’s about being an excellent facilitator—creating an environment where the best ideas can emerge.

Many designers treat meetings as one-way presentations: show the work, walk through slides, wait for feedback. That keeps them in a reactive position.

Business partners think differently. They take ownership of the meeting’s success, not just their part of it.

Hosting means making sure everyone feels heard. It’s noticing when someone hasn’t spoken and inviting them in: “Sarah, I’d love to hear your perspective,” or “Michael, what do you think?” These small acts build trust.

It also means guiding conversations toward outcomes. When discussions circle endlessly, a good facilitator summarizes: “It sounds like we’ve identified three main concerns. Should we tackle them one by one?”

This mindset extends to the whole client relationship. You’re not just delivering design work—you’re orchestrating an experience that makes everyone feel valued and heard.

3. Master sequence and information flow

The third area is mastering sequence and flow of information—something designers already understand from visual hierarchy but often overlook in conversations.

Your design instincts give you an advantage: you know that order affects perception. Applied to client discussions, this means guiding them through a logical progression instead of overwhelming them.

Beautiful work sometimes gets dismissed simply because it was presented in the wrong order or without context.

Business partners think like storytellers. They consider what clients need to hear first to be open to what comes next. That might mean starting with business impact before showing visuals, or sharing research insights before presenting designs.

This sequencing also applies to managing expectations. Share small previews along the way, not just polished work at milestones. Build confidence gradually with sketches, strategic options, and progress updates.

The key insight: clients don’t just buy the final deliverable—they buy into your process. Thoughtful sequencing builds trust because they feel informed, not blindsided.

4. Think relationship timeline, not project timeline

The fourth opportunity is expanding your time horizon from project delivery to relationship continuity. Ask yourself: “How can I make this experience so positive that they’ll want to work with me again?”

As an individual contributor, success often means delivering quality work on time. But as a partner, success includes creating such a strong collaborative experience that clients become advocates.

This mindset affects how you handle challenges. When a client requests changes that could weaken the work, instead of pushing back immediately, you ask: “What’s driving this request? Are there user needs or business constraints I should understand?”

Often, this reveals new information and leads to better solutions.

It also changes how you communicate. Regular check-ins become less about status updates and more about alignment: “How are you feeling about the direction?” or “What questions are coming up from your team?”

And when the project ends, you don’t just hand off files. You follow up: “How did the launch go? What feedback are you getting?” This shows ongoing care and keeps you top of mind.

5. Show authentic authority, not performative expertise

Finally, balance confidence with honesty. Authentic authority builds more trust than pretending to know everything.

It looks like saying: “That’s a great question—I’ll research it and get back to you,” or “I haven’t worked in that industry before, but here’s how I’d approach learning about your users.”

The key is pairing transparency about limitations with confidence in your core strengths. You may not know their exact industry, but you know how to research, test, and translate insights into design.

Authenticity also means letting your personality come through. Many designers hide behind formality, but clients prefer working with humans, not robots. Your unique perspective and approach differentiate you.

The skill is calibrating. In early meetings, you may be reserved while learning their style. As trust grows, you can bring more of yourself. Some clients appreciate humor; others prefer formality. Adapt while staying true to who you are.

This authenticity should also shape how you present your work. Instead of framing every decision as the “right” one, explain your process: “I explored three directions. One was safer, but I chose this because it better addresses the user problem you described.”

That honesty shows judgment, not insecurity—and clients respect it.

Your natural advantages as a designer

You already have the foundation for business-partner thinking.

Designers are natural facilitators, editors, and empaths. You know how to create experiences, listen deeply, and iterate based on feedback. The opportunity isn’t to become “more business-y” but to apply these same strengths to relationships as well as pixels.

The most successful designers I know didn’t transform into something they weren’t. They became more intentionally human in their professional interactions. Clients worth working with recognize this difference. Sustainable design businesses grow from the relationships you build—not just the work you produce.

Share my newsletter

Loving my content so far? I’d appreciate if you can share my newsletter to a friend 🙂