Session Recap: Creating a Framework for Design Leadership with Katharina Koberdamm

Her Design Leadership Framework isn’t just another model—it’s a reflection of real-world challenges and how to navigate them with structure and clarity.

While the framework itself is valuable, what resonated most during the session were the practical ways leaders can use it to make their day-to-day better: from assessing their team’s maturity to managing stakeholders, to building a roadmap that actually sticks.

Key Learnings and Applications for Design Leaders:

✅ Use it as a team assessment tool. Many attendees shared that they often struggle to zoom out and understand what their team needs. Katharina showed how her framework can be used to spot gaps—whether it's in operations, strategy, experience, or team development—and identify areas for improvement. It’s not about checking boxes; it’s about having the right conversations at the right time.

✅ Anchor strategy in reality. One of the most practical takeaways was around setting team strategy. We often talk about "vision" as an abstract thing—but it needs to be grounded in the work. By mapping your leadership efforts against the framework, you can build a vision that’s not just inspiring, but executable. Several attendees said this gave them a new language to explain what they were already doing—or hoping to do.

✅ Make stakeholder engagement more intentional. We talked a lot about trust and visibility. Katharina shared simple ways to build stakeholder relationships both formally (one-on-ones, alignment sessions) and informally (quick chats, being visible in the business). These relationships matter when design needs support—and more often than not, design leaders are asking for support too late.

✅ Break the cycle of reinventing the wheel. One surprising insight? How often design leaders create bespoke solutions for problems that have already been solved elsewhere in the org. Operations, HR, product—all of them have processes and tools we can adapt. Katharina encouraged everyone to collaborate outside their design bubble and treat other teams as partners, not obstacles.

✅ Use it to coach and grow your team. Beyond strategy and ops, the framework also works well as a coaching tool. It gives structure to conversations around career development and makes expectations visible. Several participants said it would help them in upcoming performance reviews—especially for newer managers looking to lead with more clarity.

The conversation also touched on the emotional side of leadership—how hard it can be to feel credible in a new role, and how frameworks like this can bring clarity during uncertain transitions. Nat shared her own experience of working with the framework and how it helped her articulate not just what she had achieved, but where she wanted to grow.

The session wrapped with a reminder: becoming a strong design leader isn’t just about knowing what to do—it’s about learning how to prioritize, communicate, and stay aligned with the broader business while still championing good design.

Interested in experiencing the framework? Katherina will be joining the Leadership Ateliers both in Lisbon and Berlin. You can save €100 using the code APRIL during the next 2 weeks.