Leading any team is a huge responsibility. You have the ability to impact on each individual and the product in significant ways. The job isn't for everyone, and no matter how great of a leader you are, mistakes will be made along the way. A difference between great and poor leaders is how they learn from their mistakes and come back better. Want to make leadership more difficult? Go from leading a team you are very comfortable with to a brand new team with a different dynamic, for a short period of time, and especially when there is high external expectation and pressure to succeed. The entire operation can get out of sync if you aren't present and leading for the right reasons. These are just a few lessons host Benjamin Carcich learned during his stint making Champions for League of Legends at Riot Games. As discussed in this episode, Ben shares how he tried to shift the paradigm from a climbing quality bar when developing a champion, to a more holistic view, focusing instead on maximizing player value over time. He quickly realized that the orientation of the team had to be adjusted, which created a tug and pull within disciplines and team members. Ben discusses how he dealt with these situations and what he learned along the way. Listen in to hear a story coming from a place of humility with great insight into what it means to be a leader and how to make a bigger and better impact while leading. Topics discussed in this episode:

• What was the motivation for the champion team

• What does quality mean when developing a new champion

• Importance of game first vs graphical fidelity first

• What player value actually is

• Impact on delivery when quality is focus

• Knowing when to stop improving a game asset

• What makes a valued champion

• Lessons learned in how to lead

• Challenges in moving between two very different teams

• Core responsibilities as a leader

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