online course & community
design leader accelerator
gain the skills needed to be seen as a business partner, confident manager, and visionary design leader.
Design Managers are feeling underwater and lack the support to succeed. We’ve created this course for you to quickly gain strategic leadership muscles, and get the support you deserve.
gain strategic leadership muscles to succeed
- learn to lead through others effectively
- leverage stakeholder ecosystems
- lead through change with poise
- elevate your communication in the business
- delegate strategically with impact
lead in alignment to your values to feel more confident
Designers lead differently, through deep empathy muscles and care for their teams. This style of leadership is emerging, and unlike the managers we had earlier in our careers. This can make it hard to envision what your leadership CAN be, and create your own path.
remove the “you’re not ready” feedback from your boss
I hear it frequently in my coaching practice from Managers in Product & Design:
- budgets are tight this year so they’re not able to promote you (again)
- criticism of visibility and influence, when you’ve been busy knocking goals out the park
- everyone who gets ahead seems to look and act the same
“I wanted to become more adept at design leadership by learning how to position myself with some of the other people I collaborate with daily. I found the prompts and discussions very helpful as it provided a lot of strategy for myself moving forward.”
Staff designer, Horizontal
Alison Gretz
2x VP of Design & Exec Coach
THERE’S A PROBLEM
WHAT GOT you here won’t get you there
Different skills than what made you a successful designer are needed to unlock influence and authority across a business. Through my experience as a leader, I’ve mapped out the common pitfalls and gaps, and I want you to have these skills too. You are not alone!
be intentional in your leadership growth to unlock ease and confidence
feeling stuck →
a map forward
You’re excelling in your current role and craft, but you know you desire more impact.
self-doubt →
self-confidence
You are tired of questioning your worth, or even feeling gaslight by your superiors.
loneliness →
belonging
You crave expert guidance and mentorship to navigate your career confidently.
“I feel much more confident in my decisions, know what some of the biggest areas of growth are that I can focus on, and I also have several deeper questions around my career that I will be taking the time to thoughtfully reflect on and answer this year.”
Design Manager, Thrivent
find belonging with a peer group
join a cohort of peers who have walked in your shoes
introducing
design leadership accelerator
an online, self-paced course enhanced with coaching & community
“An incredibly rich learning experience for aspiring or current leaders in design! This course gives concrete strategies and tools for seemingly every aspect of leadership from grounding yourself in your goals and values, understanding and navigating the current state of the design industry, to setting boundaries, managing through change, ultimately defining specific next steps to take after the course, and a lot more.”
Design Manager, Thrivent Financial
you’ll walk away with
01
A renewed sense of confidence and clarity on what leadership and management mean for you.
02
Knowledge and skills to leap the four pitfalls of rising design leaders.
03
Expertise in team management that goes way farther than a 101 or basic training.
04
A broader network of fellow rising design leaders who empathize with and share your experiences.
05
A realistic map and plan for Designing Your Next, from MVP to reaching your long-term goals .
06
Countless tools from course workbooks for future reference and learning.
“Alison is a fantastic coach who raises thoughtful questions to help the group figure out the answers for themselves instead of giving it to them. Her workbook exercises are ones I haven’t encountered and challenged me to really dig deep.”
Design Manager, Flywheel.io
Hi!
I’m Alison gretz
Following a 18+ year in Design, most of it leading fellow humans, I wanted to pull together all that I had learned to share with you. My passion has always been in sparking the possibilities of growth in my teams and work – and now I hope I can do that for you. Let’s Design your Leadership together.
Alison Gretz
2x VP of Design & Exec Coach
18+
Years in Industry 👵🏻
400+
People I’ve Directly Led 🤯
100%
Happy Coachees 🤩
this is for you if:
🤩 you haven’t had a true Design Leader in your court
🧐 you feel like you’ve hit a ceiling
🪜 you are ready to get to the next level
🚀 you’re an aspiring Design Manager
🌱 you want to grow towards management
this not for you if:
🤩 you nailed getting to VP or above already
👾 you have no interest in leading fellow humans
🧠 you don’t like self-paced learning – you set your pace
“Alison helped me find the confidence I had deep down but needed help to uncover. She is truly a calming and comforting presence. Her coaching style allowed me to dig deep without feeling any pressure to have all the answers. I’ve grown immensely through this course and for that I’m so grateful.”
Course Alumni, Horizontal Digital
