Understanding the business side as a designer is a helpful skill to talk the same language when collaborating cross-functionally and discussing new product improvements.
In this talk you will learn strategies to develop a business mindset that helps drive impact, influence and collaborate better.
Understand how to communicate and manage conflict effectively. Learn to identify conflict triggers quickly, and tactics to confronting them. Turn conflicts into opportunities to establish stronger relationships, or navigate managing up in an authentic way.
Learn frameworks to manage pushback, or deal with difficult people and how to communicate better by choosing appropriate words. Conflict grows our resilience, evolving from a fear of conflict to a healthy respect for challenge.
Learn best practices for giving constructive feedback that has a positive impact and builds trust and stronger relationships.
Understand different communication styles and learn how to frame what you want to say and how to say it to help the other person learn or acquire a new skills.
How might we build trust in order to collaborate better cross-functionally and make our projects and teams successful?
Identify warning signs for when collaboration is shaky or non-existent. Understand and apply frameworks for how to build trust in order to foster collaboration in any team or project setting.
As a leader, developing strong relationships with people on your team (above, across and below) is vital to the team's success. How do you cultivate an active network of relationships inside and outside of your organization? How do you act to preserve relationships even under difficult circumstances or in a remote, socially distanced era?
This talk covers tactical guidance for how to build genuine relationships and cultivate a trustworthy network to exchange ideas and provide support to each other, even if you're an introvert.
Assessing yourself on your cross-functional skills is not easy. Analyze and reflect on the collaboration with your cross-functional team. What is currently working well, why? What are the bottle necks, duplications of effort, accountability gaps? This workshop will help you set goals to improve your collaboration and overcome obstacles.
Learn strategies and tactics to develop better collaboration skills, give and receive feedback, deal with conflict, set goals and metrics, design effective collaboration.
Complete the program alongside a group of peers who will keep you accountable and inspired.
Work the program around your schedule. Lifetime access to video lessons and a workbook.
MODULE
1
Director of Product Design, Gusto
DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED
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Experienced design leader with a proven track record of leading teams in high-growth companies to navigate complex projects and create meaningful, research, and data-driven solutions for the customer and company alike.
MODULE
2
Lead Product Designer, NETFLIX
DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED
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Great design gives Fonz life. Prior to joining the growth team at Netflix, he was a Design Lead at Coursera – the world’s leading online educational platform. As a founder and growth designer, he’s led product design at two startups and worked with some of the world’s most innovative companies. As a leader, Fonz focuses on balancing experience with spontaneity and intense creativity with the discipline and methodology of production.
Fonz’s passion is creating effective and successful experiences that engage, inspire and attract customers. He was a cohort member at First Round Capital’s Founding Designer Track and a cohort member at Floodgate Fund: Building Breakthroughs. He also is a Design advisor for a few venture firms and startups.
MODULE
3
Sr. Design Manager, Lyft
DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED
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Leslie Yang is a Sr. Design Manager overseeing product design teams for Safety, Customer Care and Payments. Prior to that she was Director of Product Design overseeing product design for the restaurant side of OpenTable. She's focused on growing design leaders that work at the intersection of user value and business impact.
MODULE
4
Lead Product Designer, Zendesk
DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED
Friday, December 13, 2024
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3:00 pm
With a solid background in design and technology and a focus on teamwork and collaboration, she has played a crucial role in designing and building numerous projects from the ground up. Jess is an enthusiastic mentor and educator who enjoys experimenting and offering practical advice. She has earned recognition in the industry for her dedication to her craft and remains committed to inspiring and supporting fellow creatives.
MODULE
5
VP Design, Khan Academy
DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED
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Michael is currently the Vice President of Design at Khan Academy where he directs product and brand design, and research. Prior to Khan Academy, Michael served as the Vice President of Design & User Experience at NerdWallet, where he led solutions designed to help people make the most of their money. Prior to NerdWallet, Michael held positions as Vice President of Design at Shopkick, a mobile loyalty platform, Chief Creative Officer for Fingerprint, a gaming platform, and Vice President of Product for the Alsop-Louie portfolio company, Kidlandia.
Michael was the Global Creative Director of Web & Brand at the educational toy company, LeapFrog Enterprises, where he led brand and user experience design. Michael spent four years in the San Francisco and New York offices of frogdesign, as Executive Producer and General Manager.
Michael holds a BFA in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and is an Adjunct Professor of Interaction Design at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Michael was the recipient of the UNESCO Design for Rehabilitation Award and has lectured, written, and taught on the subject of strategic design.
MODULE
6
Founder, RETHINK
DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED
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Julie is the founder of RETHINK - a community of over 10.000 senior product designers and design managers. She's currently creating learning programs to help design professionals become better leaders. Julie is exploring new attitudes towards designing for better education and learning experiences for design professionals.
Julie has over 14 years professional experience supporting business strategy and product design needs for Fortune 500 Companies as well as startups.
Julie is originally from Romania and she lived and worked on three different continents Bucharest, Eastern Europe, Vancouver, Canada and San Francisco which taught her the importance of diversity in cultures and perspectives and how to thrive in the unknown, in environments where she can bring order from chaos, establishing systems and processes while upholding standards of high-quality.
MODULE
7
UX Design Manager at Google
DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED
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Aniruddha's experience spans across design consulting, startups, and design management & strategy. Currently, he is building design teams and influencing product design strategy at Shopify. Prior to that he supported to create a balanced talent marketplace at LinkedIn. Previously, he's worked with Airship where he lead design for the Mobile Wallet product.
What's included?
Our cohort-based programs have produced some incredible results for our participants. They create higher accountability, career growth, community connection, and deeper learning.
Kelly Griggs
Director of Product Design, Gusto
Experienced design leader with a proven track record of leading teams in high-growth companies to navigate complex projects and create meaningful, research, and data-driven solutions for the customer and company alike.
Testimonials
Working for small companies and large companies, I was either cobbling what I could or work with an existing model. As Figma continues to grow and do more, I found it hard to learn how to work smart in it. The workshop with Joey Banks + RETHINK covered a lot of actionable workflows and processes. The small group setting makes it easy to share, discuss and connect with other designers. Thank you for curating this lovely experience!
There was a high level of personalization that made this workshop stand out compared to others in the past. Frank Bach was incredibly vulnerable with the group about his challenges and how he overcame them. This combined with hearing how others were dealing with similar obstacles stood out to me.
In different companies I used to work at before, it was always challenging to collaborate in the best way, especially with developers. Throughout the years, tools like Figma have improved this process. However, it always feels like something is missing. With Joey Banks's workshop with RETHINK, I can more confidently say that it helped me systematize the way I think and also communicate my designs in a more structured way to developers. I found myself deeply engaged in his teachings until the very end of our meeting.
I was navigating the transition from Sr. to Staff level and looking to figure out how to grow without transitioning to management. Frank was transparent, clear, and concise in the way that he codifies his advice on how to expand your role within an organization. It articulated a lot of loose ideas that had been floating around in my head. I feel more confident and secure in my capabilities as a product designer that can lead without needing to go down the traditional management path.
Communities are tough to run. The advice I've received from Rethink's community has been very valuable and actionable compared to others. Last year I received great advice on how to advocate for a better raise, so it helped me make more money and feel empowered at work.
"I am more confident and comfortable being vulnerable at work, to advocating for myself and I have a much better understanding of how to engage in discussions about career promotions with my manager. It is important to always be advocating for where you want to be. In this program, I got a toolbox of resources and lots of support from design leaders like Frank Bach and the community."
I am very glad my manager encouraged me to take this course. I more recently was promoted as a Design Product Lead and Imposter Syndrome really sunk its claws deep. Being part of this immersive workshop felt like "Design Therapy" with fellow designers. I now know I'm not alone in this journey. Creating a safe space together, Frank and our cohort have already provided the awareness of this Lead Foundational Toolkit I didn't realize I had within me all along.
I took the UX leadership workshop with Courtney Kaplan. I found the workshop to be full of useful guidance, interactive conversations and frameworks for improving my design leadership presence. The ongoing follow-up coaching workshops and discussion forums have been especially powerful for me to check back in and hear from peers in a similar space.
RETHINK's coaching programs are the most thoughtful and structured I have ever experienced. They matched me with the best mentor I could have ever asked for.I am forever thankful for the structure that was put in place to foster fruitful conversations and to connect more meaningfully allowing a friendship to grow from it.
“Developing Confidence to Influence and Lead, with Frank Bach helped me ask those hard questions, understand perspective in my career and how to value my diverse background.”
Becoming a RETHINK member has been the best boost for my career as a design leader, helping me build my brand across the industry. I was able to leverage the resources on the platform, connect with the design community and get shared perspectives from other leaders on design management and more. I found a safe space for connecting with the community in a meaningful way. It has helped me to foster meaningful relationships, some of them turned into a friendship
Becoming a member of and mentor with RETHINK has been such a boost to my confidence as a growing manager. I was inspired by an in-person event in SF to become a mentor, which was scary and exciting as someone transitioning from IC to manager. I was so nervous to take on that role with other senior designers, but Julie and her team created a perfect match — so perfect, in fact, that I ended up hiring my mentee after the program ended and I consider her a close friend!
Since then, the RETHINK community has been an incredible resource for me. I love that I can turn to this group of talented and vulnerable leaders when I need inspiration or help with the struggles of managing a remote creative team. I really can't say enough good things about RETHINK!
I didn't have the mentorship or support I needed for career growth. I longed for a design community outside of the design team at work. I felt like I was hitting a dead end. I don't have a traditional design background and was tired of justifying my design experience and skills. The workshop validated I've come a long way as a designer in the short period of time I've practiced. My previous experience made me a better designer. I also have learning and growth to do and I was given the tools to improve.
Difficult conversations with my manager and stakeholders came easier when I applied the framework I learned through the workshop. I was able to ask the hard questions to understand what was specifically holding me back from growing and identified what was out of my control. It gave me the confidence boost I needed to start looking for a new job. After working with Courtney Kaplan & RETHINK I was able to land a product design role on a new design team. I absolutely love my new team and the work culture. I am working on impactful projects and feel confident as I navigate a new company culture and product team.
I became more self-aware about my skills and how to approach areas of improvement.I learned how to properly track my work, measure my progress and ways to manage my career growth.
I was in the process of preparing for job interviews, and the storytelling tactics we learned about both data visualization and presentation frameworks really helped. I am now in charge of driving a new initiative for my team, and the storytelling skills I learned from the workshop has been immensely helpful in terms of getting the team on the same page and excited about the vision. I really enjoy the diverse background and experience of the speakers as well as the breadth of the topics we covered
RETHINK programs gave me great insight into the next steps of my career, as well as many resources to help carry me through the next few months.I feel like I left the program with exactly what I needed - a plan to upgrade my career over the next few years.
ACCESS OUR MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITY
You have to make difficult decisions every day with imperfect information on problems you’ve likely never faced before. Learn from the experience and mistakes of other product and design leaders who’ve been there, done that.
Access a flexible curriculum and program that will enhance your perspective on better collaboration. The program is fully on-demand to give you the opportunity to do it at your own time. To solidify what you're learning and apply the frameworks and concepts in action we provide activities and give you the opportunity to join live group coaching sessions.
This program is designed to facilitate peer learning and interaction. Going through a program, you will connect with a group of curated design peers facing similar challenges like you is the best way to ensure transformation for your career. We're keeping the cohort small to ensure you master the concepts we're teaching, learn and get support from peers.
Get personalized feedback from other learners in intimate design peer groups. For the 6 weeks programs you get matched with a small group of 2-4 design peers with complementary skills and knowledge for mentorship and ongoing structured meetings for peer learning, to support you and keep you on track to achieve your goals.
Join our member-only community. Get 1 year access to Leadership Circle where you'll continue to be supported via ongoing events and accountability after the program.
Ask Questions
Get support on your challenges
Build your network
This program is structured as: “Learn → Practice → Get Feedback". Each week you get a worksheet to practice, actionable methods and tactics to summarize the concepts and help you immediately put them into action.
Frameworks, worksheets and resources
Lectures, homework and practice sessions
FAQs
To make the most out of this program recommend to set aside 2 hours a week to listen to the curriculum, complete the homework. Once every two weeks you'll meet with your mentor and your group.
- Program Curriculum: Our program curriculum is pre-recorded for you to take it self-paced.
Watch at your own time. Recommended 1 hour per week.
- Mentorship: Meet with your Mentor and group on Zoom. 1 hour/ every two weeks. A total of 3 meetings.
- Apply the Concepts: 20 - 30 minutes / week to reflect on materials and practice on your own.
You are welcome to put into it as much time as you can. This is an investment in your career growth.
Our program curriculum is pre-recorded for you to take it on-demand, self-paced. This gives you time to finish the program at your own time. There will be 6 recorded sessions with videos one per week, for 6 weeks.
Occasionally we may host group coaching sessions an opportunity and a safe space for you to discuss your challenges with a design expert. We announce those sessions ahead of time and you may RSVP to join if you can.
Attending the program is an investment of $1,395 USD which includes access to all workshops from the program and an annual membership to access RETHINK Leadership Circle. If your company would like to purchase 8 or more tickets, please contact us at hello@rethinkhq.com. We can provide an invoice if needed.
Yes. Many of our program applicants are able to expense the program tuition to their company. The return on investment compared to a conference or other opportunities is much greater. You get structured content, hands-on learning, lasting community, and actionable strategies to help you develop practical leadership skills for effective collaboration with your cross-functional teams. Contact hello@rethinkhq.com for further questions.
Yes. A certificate of completion is available after the program. That requires you to do all the activities and exercises required in the program and listen to the 6 modules of the program. Contact hello@rethinkhq.com for questions.
We offer scholarships for underrepresented groups or people who need financial support to attend. This is possible because of partnership with Pinterest and also kind people who donated to the scholarship fund: Aniruddha Kadam, Al Hertz, Liz Heidner, Shara Rosenbalm. If you need financial support to attend this program please reach out to hello@rethinkhq.com.
You’ll have lifetime access to the program materials to help you successfully lead and influence at work.
Starting with the 6-week program, you’ll also have access to Leadership Circle, the talk recordings from the events in the program, member-only events, and our community for ongoing support for a total of 12 months.
Leadership Academy is a 6-week professional growth program investing in the next generation of design leaders. After you apply, your application will be reviewed and you will find out in 5 - 7 days if you qualify. You'll receive next steps and a link to pay for the program.
When the program starts, you'll get matched with a mentor and a group of 2--3 design peers to for mentorship, accountability and discuss challenges.
Additionally, you'll be part of our Leadership Circle for 12 months. There you'll get to connect with other design leaders, and peers for advice, guidance, accountability, and much more.