Leadership Lessons from a Design Guru: Notes from Our Book Talk with Bruce Mau

Book club this month was a real delight. We heard from Bruce Mau, author of MC24: Bruce Mau's 24 Principles for Designing Massive Change in your Life and Work.

Watch the video of the highlights here!
 
In the book, Mau maps out his methodology and process for design, which has touched a wide range of projects in various industries. The 24 principles are both practical and thought provoking.
 
The first principle is: “First inspire. Design is leadership. Lead by design.” I have dedicated the past two decades to leadership development. This principle resonates with me because it gets to the core of leadership, which is about inspiring others.

As a leader, how are you inspiring others to think big and have the confidence and courage to act on their ideas?
 
During the talk, Mau shared that leadership is having the ability to envision a future and systematically execute the vision. Design has a methodology of leadership. It's about changing the context. It's about applying design principles to work through our most complex challenges.

See what I mean by inspiring others? 

What I’ll remember most about the session is that he’s a great storyteller and speaker. Here are just a few of the ‘Mau-isms’ that stuck with me:

• We need to put LIFE at the center of design. Not HUMANS.
• Definition of ‘Sketch’ – Low resolution ideas, fast and cheap.
• Inspiration is the key. You can’t just TELL a client your idea. You must INSPIRE.
• On listening – I need to take responsibility for what someone HEARD, not what I SAID.
• The quality of a design is the quality of your life.
• We need critical thinkers, not cynical thinkers.

 
I received the book as a birthday gift and will be going deeper into his concepts and the world of design. If you missed it, check out the video recording (30 min). So intriguing!

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