online course & community
manager fundamentals
gain the skills needed to get your first manager position, and quickly excel.
thrive in your first management role with the skills, knowledge and roadmap you need to succeed.
gain critical skills to succeed as a manager
- give & receive effective feedback
- step up to broader influence
- manage up with confidence
- elevate your communication in the business
- delegate strategically with impact
define your leadership
Design-folk lead differently, through deep empathy muscles and care for their teams. Define your unique leadership plan, envision what your leadership CAN be, and create your own path.
remove the “you’re not ready” feedback
I hear it frequently in my coaching practice from aspiring 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
no one teaches you how to be a manager
Different skills than what made you a successful designer are needed as you step up into management. I’ve helped hundreds of managers grow into brilliant design leaders.
be intentional in your leadership growth to unlock ease and confidence
feeling stuck →
a map forward
Have more impact by stepping up from craft leader to manager.
self-doubt →
self-confidence
Lead without questioning your worth and abilities.
loneliness →
belonging
Up-skill with peers experiencing the same growth, facilitated by Alison.
“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 on the same journey
introducing
manager fundamentals
a two-week bootcamp designed to grow you as a Manager
“This course helped me set and focus my goals, have confidence in delegating tasks, approach giving feedback with radical candor, and understand how to promote the value of design to my co-leads in product and engineering in the right ways.”
Design Manager, Thrivent Financial
“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
I made SO many mistakes as a first time Manager! Now, 15ish years later, I’m bringing my experience growing Management teams in Design, and my Certified Coaching skills together to help YOU thrive!
Let’s Design your Leadership together.
18+
Years in Industry 👵🏻
400+
People I’ve Directly Led 🤯
100%
Happy Coachees 🤩
this is for you if:
🪜 you are ready to get to the next level
🚀 you’re an aspiring Design Manager (CX, UX, UXC, UXR)
🌱 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
“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
