Service Design Show

There is no way around it; you have to lead... Here's the elephant in the room: Being in a leadership position can be a lonely and isolated endeavor.

As service design professionals, we often find ourselves in situations where people look up to us on what to do next. They put their trust in us to set out the course and direction. Great, right?

Well, if you're the one who has to carry the weight of making the correct call each and every time, it can easily lead to unhealthy situations and potentially burnout. Not to mention that the challenges we work on are simply too complex to solve in isolation.

But it doesn't have to be this way, as our guest, Amelia Diggle, shares in this episode.

In our conversation, Amelia shares some unconventional leadership practices that promote collaboration, effectiveness, and even fun, from working out loud to deep listening and mindfulness.

Amelia's insights offer a much-needed, refreshing perspective on compassionate leadership.

As you'll hear, regardless of whether you hold a formal leadership role or not, you can inspire change by modeling positive behavior.

So please join us for the chat and what it takes to become a compassionate leader who achieves results.

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00:00 Welcome to Episode 188

05:30 Who is Amelia

08:00 Lightning Round

10:15 How we can be more collaborative leaders

13:45 Design having more influence

16:45 Leadership isn't collaboration

21:00 What to expect to do differently

22:30 What's "Working Out Loud"

27:00 How to get people to work on the right level

29:15 What to Avoid

35:00 Being Good at Listening

42:30 Am I Listening Enough

43:30 Dealing with a Loud Person

49:30 A Pivotal Milestone

52:30 Importance of having a Vision Statement

57:45 Piece of advice

1:00:30 Connect with Amelia

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Join our private community for in-house service design professionals.

⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Let's face it... In many organizations, human-centered design, unfortunately isn't yet woven into the cultural fabric.

This means that design often still needs to earn its stripes before it gets fully accepted inside an environment that's dominated by a different mindset.

And the stakes are high. Either design's influence grows, and investments shift toward it, or it risks fading into insignificance.

Right now, there's a strong debate going on in our field: How can we earn this respect without losing our design essence, the very source of our effectiveness?

​Scott Zimmer, our guest this week, brings a wealth of insights on what it takes to persuade organizations to make substantial (financial) investments in design. Through his experiences in executive leadership roles, he successfully championed design, building environments where it was regarded as an equal partner rather than a replaceable resource.

In this conversation, we delve into the strategies for building bridges between business and design, ensuring mutual understanding and appreciation.

As you'll hear, Scott offers practical, actionable steps to drive change within your organization, from the influence of job titles to crafting stories that resonate with your business partners.

So, if you're interested in learning what really moves the needle in favor of design from someone who's been at the very top, make sure you don't miss this one!

One key takeaway from my discussion with Scott is that we should hold firmly to our principles and not doubt the value we bring to the table.

We can be both brave and humble.

~ Marc

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00:00 Welcome to Episode 187

05:45 Who is Scott

09:00 Lightning Round

10:30 Designers seeking respect

16:30 Respect revered

18:30 How to earn the respect

26:00 Valuing what designers put into the table

30:15 What it means to be an equal partner

36:30 Making  a positive impression

39:45 The status quo

44:30 Bragging rights in your favor

47:00 Lessons learned

56:00 It's a bet

59:15 What's next for Scott

1:04:30 Final takeaway

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Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

This can't be true... It was a revelation that left Mauricio Manhaes in disbelief.

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00:00 Welcome to Episode 186

06:30 Who is Mauricio

08:15 Lightning Round

17:45 Being part of the decision-making

20:00 What Social Exclusion is like

23:00 Verbal hostility in the workplace

24:15 Realizing the issue: Workplace Bullying

31:00 Feminity and design

38:00 Journey mapping the issue

43:00 Taking ownership of the issue vs being the victim

48:15 What should be explored next?

52:15 The action plan: what we should do

54:15 Get in touch with Mauricio

55:00 How can we devise more ways

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-- Compilation of the main discussion points that emerged after the SDN --

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Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

It's the magic ingredient (and blind spot)...Trust. It's not a topic that gets much attention in the service design space, but it's the secret sauce you need to get people on board with your ideas. Trust is the linchpin whether it's your colleagues, clients, or CEO.

That's why, in this week's episode, we dive into what it truly takes to cultivate a deep sense of trust with those around us. The good news? You likely already have all the skills required.

While trust is universally important, it's especially relevant for us as service design professionals. Most of the time, we do not control the budget or have full decision-making power. We're heavily reliant on partners to turn insights into action. It's fair to say that building partnerships is a daily necessity for effective service design.

The challenge (and frustration) arises when we struggle to secure genuine buy-in within these partners. Sure, we can get heads nodding in agreement when we present our plans or ideas. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. To make a real impact, you need people willing to invest their scarce time, money, and attention in your vision. That's the kind of buy-in that drives change.

And trust, both in you and your ideas, is the key to achieving this level of commitment. So, how do you go about building this trust?

Our guest in this episode, ​Dr. Heather Walker​, has been guiding professionals on this very journey, and in this episode, she unveils the key skills needed to get buy-in for your ideas. She also sheds light on common pitfalls professionals encounter when pitching ideas and how to maintain resilience in the face of rejection or setbacks.

This conversation delves into aspects often overlooked in the everyday discourse around service design—knowledge you need to become a more mature, well-rounded, and influential professional.

I believe this episode couldn't have arrived at a better time. Heather is not only a knowledgeable expert but also deeply invested in your success. She's your biggest cheerleader.

Enjoy the conversation, and keep making a positive impact!

~ Marc

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00:00 Welcome to episode 185

07:15 Who is Heather

10:00 Lightning Round

17:15 Why it's on the agenda

23:00 Common mistakes in Buy-in

29:15 Why do we skip the why?

31:00 The consequences when you fail to communicate

35:30 Handling rejections

43:30 Figuring out your way to communicate

50:30 Influencing people in consuming information

57:00 Dealing with Disappointments

1:03:00 Celebrate your wins

1:06:30 Why you should celebrate your small wins

1:10:00 recommended resources

1:12:15 Piece of advice

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--- [3. Selling Service Design with Confidence ] ---

For more information and instructions on how to apply, head over to ⁠⁠⁠https://www.servicedesignshow.com/confidence/

It's not a walk in the park... In fact, calling it challenging is a major understatement.

What we, as service design professionals, often need to tackle some could described as brain surgery. But I bet they didn't teach you that in service design school. They certainly didn't for me.

But why the analogy to brain surgery, you ask? According to our guest, Perrin Rowland, who serves as the Chief Experience Design Officer at one of New Zealand's largest banks, a significant part of our role involves rewiring the organizational neural pathways.

This rewiring is necessary because many established organizations lack the infrastructure needed to fully leverage the potential of design. It's simply not their modus operandi; it's not how they've reached their current status (quo).

Consequently, these organizations don't align with the core design principles, which leads to misaligned beliefs, behaviors, and practices. This misalignment often results in disappointment when design attempts to work its magic in an unprepared environment.

But here's the crux: we can, and indeed must, do better. Even if you don't encounter it daily, remember that those who benefit from our services rely on us to make them more human-centered.

So, how do we build the infrastructure necessary for organizations to prioritize their customers' needs as diligently as they do those of shareholders or regulators? With starting from scratch not being an option, we're left with the challenge of reshaping the existing foundation and pivoting from there.

Yes, it's tough work. And yes, sometimes it's okay to let off steam. It's all part of the journey. Tune in to this conversation with Perrin, and you'll get what I mean.

I must say that Perrin's energy in this conversation is absolutely contagious. If nothing else, you'll walk away with a renewed appreciation of the complexity of the role of service design and brain surgery.

Enjoy the episode, and as always, keep making a positive impact!

- Marc

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00:00 Welcome to episode 184

10:15 Who is Perrin

13:45 Lightning Round

18:45 About the topic/book

21:15 Why we need to rewire the pathways

25:30 What's missing?

29:30 How to reframe this

34:15 How to make it work

38:15 Bottom-up approach and top-down initiative

42:15 Importance of having a taxonomy

45:00 How do you go about changing the processes

47:30 Does this convince them to make the investment

52:45 The value in trust

59:15 What's next?

1:00:15 Closing thoughts

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--- [ 3. Selling Service Design with Confidence ] ---

For more information and instructions on how to apply, head over to ⁠⁠https://www.servicedesignshow.com/confidence/

What's the impact? What happens when you can translate the value of service design in a way your business leaders understand?

[ 1. Episode Guide ]

[ 2. Selling Service Design with Confidence ]

For more information and instructions on how to apply, head over to ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/confidence/

It feels like an absolute no-brainer... Involving our users in the design process.

We've all seen the outcomes of services that neglected this step. In the best case, these services that looked great on paper just get no adoption in the market. In the worst case, they cause harm to certain communities.

Within service design, we know that co-designing solutions is a way to minimize this risk greatly and to deliver services that meet the needs of our users. Yet, involving users in a meaningful way is easier said than done. The challenges can be overwhelming, like ensuring that co-design happens before the key decisions are made.

So, what does it take to good co-design? Well, in this episode, Marc sat down for a chat with Emma Blomkamp. Emma is a respected expert in our industry around anything and everything co-design. Emma's insights on good co-design go beyond processes, touching on its often-overlooked mental aspects. Because knowing the right steps in a co-design process is meaningless if it leads to burnout.

We explore how to cope when things don't go as planned, maintaining a light approach around loaded topics and finding the support for creating deeper, more human connections. All in all, it is an inspiring conversation for when you want to do justice to the people you're designing for while also taking care of your own mental well-being.

It's easy to forget that we sometimes need to take a break and reflect on our own practice to develop a clear perspective on what good looks like. I'm grateful that Emma reminded me of that.

Enjoy the episode, and keep making a positive impact!

- Marc

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In this episode, we dive deep into DesignOps and its rapid adoption by leading companies worldwide. Personally, I'm a strong advocate for DesignOps. I feel it holds the potential to unleash, or at least significantly contribute to, the full power of design within organizations.

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Imagine not just designing one service... But shaping your entire organization so that it keeps improving the services it offers, continuously. Yes, it's a much bigger challenge, yet the reward of creating a highly service-oriented organization is immeasurable.

But let's be real, redesigning an entire organization isn't a task for the faint-hearted. You're tinkering with an established system that has steered the company for years, propelling it to where it is today.

In my view, we don't have a real choice though. How much longer can we design services that eventually fall short of their potential due to organizational roadblocks? Continuing this way not only wastes time and money but also breeds frustration. Your hard work might not have the desired impact, causing doubt to loom over service design's legitimacy as a field with stakeholders.

They say that you eat an elephant one spoon at a time. In our context, if the elephant is the challenge of reshaping our organization to be more service-centric, where do you start?

Enter "The Service Organisation," a freshly published book. It's making waves in our community for a reason, and I couldn't resist inviting the author, Kate Tarling, to share her insights on the Show.

It turned into a great conversation about how decisions are made, funds allocated, and workflows orchestrated within an organization. If you're keen on doing good service design, at scale, this episode is your golden ticket.

For me, Kate's insights are once again a testament to the monumental effect seemingly simple actions can have.

Enjoy and keep making a positive impact :)

- Marc

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Join our private community for in-house service design professionals.

https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

What does the good life mean to you? And can you design for it?

I had the pleasure of speaking with Diana Albarran Gonzalez recently, who firmly believes in the power of design to shape a better future for individuals, organizations, and our planet.

She challenges the prevailing Western-centric and industrial philosophies that often prioritize extraction and exploitation over our collective well-being.

To transform our design practice and prioritize the greater good, we must embrace diverse perspectives, ways of knowing, and cultural contexts. These alternative approaches may not always be viewed as objective or scientific, but dismissing them limits our potential to create a positive impact.

So in this week's episode, Diana shares her insights on enriching our current design practice by integrating multiple perspectives. Discover how this shift can be liberating, empowering and align your solutions with the local cultures and environments.

Conversations like these help me to break free from echo chambers. It's great to be reminded that design extends far beyond familiar faces and best-selling books.

I hope you'll enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

- Marc

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