web01.fireside.fm Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:28:56 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) The How This Works show - Episodes Tagged with “Coaching In Design” https://www.howthisworks.show/tags/coaching%20in%20design Thu, 14 Nov 2024 02:45:00 -0500 Talking shop with 100 people about their work and associated craft — exploring what they actually do, why they do it that way, and what changed along the way. Host Skipper Chong Warson sits down with folks to understand what's going on in their world right now. Season two explored product, design, and facilitation. The third season follows people actively building things right now. New episodes every few weeks. Part of How This Works co. en-us episodic What do people actually do all day? Skipper Chong Warson Talking shop with 100 people about their work and associated craft — exploring what they actually do, why they do it that way, and what changed along the way. Host Skipper Chong Warson sits down with folks to understand what's going on in their world right now. Season two explored product, design, and facilitation. The third season follows people actively building things right now. New episodes every few weeks. Part of How This Works co. yes subject matter experts, learn, learning, subject matter expert, expert, experts, amateur, professional, stories, story, lessons, lesson, work, home, education, educate, passion, passions, day in the life, walk in someone else's shoes, expertise, craft Skipper Chong Warson skipperchong@me.com Andy Polaine https://www.howthisworks.show/030-andy-polaine 09afb5cd-2af5-42b3-aeef-f5bd63ee7ed9 Thu, 14 Nov 2024 02:45:00 -0500 Skipper Chong Warson full 2 Skipper Chong Warson In this episode, Skipper chats with Andy Polaine about how he got started in the world of service design and his work as a design leadership coach 1:05:49 no In this episode, Andy Polaine, Dr. Polaine to some, talks about his career journey, starting with his background in film and interactive media, his transition into service design, and his current focus as a design leadership coach. Andy discusses his coaching approach, which is rooted in his experience as a designer, facilitator, and teacher. He also talks about some of what he's hearing from design leaders right now, emphasizing the importance of reading the room, even in a digital context, and how his work addresses common challenges faced by design leaders, such as imposter syndrome and the "leadership dip" — a period of uncertainty and self-doubt that can arise when transitioning into a leadership role. The interview also touches on the evolving role of design leadership in organizations and how designers can more effectively communicate the value of their work to stakeholders. * You can listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: https://www.howthisworks.show/030-andy-polaine (https://www.howthisworks.show/030-andy-polaine) * Or on Youtube: https://youtu.be/fdC1f-QcUMA (https://youtu.be/fdC1f-QcUMA) Some topics discussed: * Andy’s career began in the early '90s as an interaction designer, before "UX" or "user experience" were common terms * He studied film, video, and photography, transitioning into interactive media, which later led him to meeting Ben Reason at LiveWork and getting into service design * Andy was global Group Design Director of Client Evolution at Fjord and co-leads a Master’s program in service design in Switzerland * Fluent in German and having lived in Australia, Germany, and the U.K., Andy developed a deep appreciation for cross-cultural communication and how we use language * Andy describes his transition from filmmaking to design, drawn by the way multimedia integrates sound, video, and interactive elements — modes of storytelling persists today * Andy’s coaching focuses on supporting design leaders through a number of phases, including "design leadership dip," a period uncertainty common at mid- and advanced-career stages, which he helps leaders navigate * Andy shares his personal experience with imposter syndrome/phenomenon, emphasizing that it can affect anyone, regardless of background * Andy highlights the skill of “reading the room," focusing on empathy, active listening, and participant engagement * He discusses the nuances of digital coaching, using techniques like teleprompters and collaboration tools for increased effectiveness in virtual communication * Andy reflects on the future of design, noting that designers must focus on discernment and answering the question, So what?! * He concludes by emphasizing relationships, empathy, and plans for a book on the inner journey of design leadership, including "design leadership dip" * He talks about the "assembly line" approach to design, likens it to AI — where the subject matter is being treated as a mere tool for rapid prototyping rather than a process for addressing user needs, almost like the discipline is being treated like a GPT itself, which reduces designers to carry out prompts Stay tuned until the end where we hear a behind the scenes (bts) snippet, a peek into our lives today, where we wait for Andy's wife to open/close some doors as she's seeing a patient at home while we're recording. Special Guest: Andy Polaine. design leadership, service design, leadership coaching, design leadership dip, coaching reflections, imposter syndrome, imposter phenomenon, client interactions, team dynamics, emotional conversations, setting time boundaries, impact of AI on design, design challenges, cross-cultural communication, interactive media background, transition from filmmaking to design, reading the room, designer storytelling, value of design to stakeholders, assembly line approach to design, effective virtual communication techniques, empathy, future of design roles, "so what?" In this episode, Andy Polaine, Dr. Polaine to some, talks about his career journey, starting with his background in film and interactive media, his transition into service design, and his current focus as a design leadership coach. Andy discusses his coaching approach, which is rooted in his experience as a designer, facilitator, and teacher. He also talks about some of what he's hearing from design leaders right now, emphasizing the importance of reading the room, even in a digital context, and how his work addresses common challenges faced by design leaders, such as imposter syndrome and the "leadership dip" — a period of uncertainty and self-doubt that can arise when transitioning into a leadership role. The interview also touches on the evolving role of design leadership in organizations and how designers can more effectively communicate the value of their work to stakeholders.

Some topics discussed:

  • Andy’s career began in the early '90s as an interaction designer, before "UX" or "user experience" were common terms
  • He studied film, video, and photography, transitioning into interactive media, which later led him to meeting Ben Reason at LiveWork and getting into service design
  • Andy was global Group Design Director of Client Evolution at Fjord and co-leads a Master’s program in service design in Switzerland
  • Fluent in German and having lived in Australia, Germany, and the U.K., Andy developed a deep appreciation for cross-cultural communication and how we use language
  • Andy describes his transition from filmmaking to design, drawn by the way multimedia integrates sound, video, and interactive elements — modes of storytelling persists today
  • Andy’s coaching focuses on supporting design leaders through a number of phases, including "design leadership dip," a period uncertainty common at mid- and advanced-career stages, which he helps leaders navigate
  • Andy shares his personal experience with imposter syndrome/phenomenon, emphasizing that it can affect anyone, regardless of background
  • Andy highlights the skill of “reading the room," focusing on empathy, active listening, and participant engagement
  • He discusses the nuances of digital coaching, using techniques like teleprompters and collaboration tools for increased effectiveness in virtual communication
  • Andy reflects on the future of design, noting that designers must focus on discernment and answering the question, So what?!
  • He concludes by emphasizing relationships, empathy, and plans for a book on the inner journey of design leadership, including "design leadership dip"
  • He talks about the "assembly line" approach to design, likens it to AI — where the subject matter is being treated as a mere tool for rapid prototyping rather than a process for addressing user needs, almost like the discipline is being treated like a GPT itself, which reduces designers to carry out prompts

Stay tuned until the end where we hear a behind the scenes (bts) snippet, a peek into our lives today, where we wait for Andy's wife to open/close some doors as she's seeing a patient at home while we're recording.

Special Guest: Andy Polaine.

Links:

]]> In this episode, Andy Polaine, Dr. Polaine to some, talks about his career journey, starting with his background in film and interactive media, his transition into service design, and his current focus as a design leadership coach. Andy discusses his coaching approach, which is rooted in his experience as a designer, facilitator, and teacher. He also talks about some of what he's hearing from design leaders right now, emphasizing the importance of reading the room, even in a digital context, and how his work addresses common challenges faced by design leaders, such as imposter syndrome and the "leadership dip" — a period of uncertainty and self-doubt that can arise when transitioning into a leadership role. The interview also touches on the evolving role of design leadership in organizations and how designers can more effectively communicate the value of their work to stakeholders.

Some topics discussed:

  • Andy’s career began in the early '90s as an interaction designer, before "UX" or "user experience" were common terms
  • He studied film, video, and photography, transitioning into interactive media, which later led him to meeting Ben Reason at LiveWork and getting into service design
  • Andy was global Group Design Director of Client Evolution at Fjord and co-leads a Master’s program in service design in Switzerland
  • Fluent in German and having lived in Australia, Germany, and the U.K., Andy developed a deep appreciation for cross-cultural communication and how we use language
  • Andy describes his transition from filmmaking to design, drawn by the way multimedia integrates sound, video, and interactive elements — modes of storytelling persists today
  • Andy’s coaching focuses on supporting design leaders through a number of phases, including "design leadership dip," a period uncertainty common at mid- and advanced-career stages, which he helps leaders navigate
  • Andy shares his personal experience with imposter syndrome/phenomenon, emphasizing that it can affect anyone, regardless of background
  • Andy highlights the skill of “reading the room," focusing on empathy, active listening, and participant engagement
  • He discusses the nuances of digital coaching, using techniques like teleprompters and collaboration tools for increased effectiveness in virtual communication
  • Andy reflects on the future of design, noting that designers must focus on discernment and answering the question, So what?!
  • He concludes by emphasizing relationships, empathy, and plans for a book on the inner journey of design leadership, including "design leadership dip"
  • He talks about the "assembly line" approach to design, likens it to AI — where the subject matter is being treated as a mere tool for rapid prototyping rather than a process for addressing user needs, almost like the discipline is being treated like a GPT itself, which reduces designers to carry out prompts

Stay tuned until the end where we hear a behind the scenes (bts) snippet, a peek into our lives today, where we wait for Andy's wife to open/close some doors as she's seeing a patient at home while we're recording.

Special Guest: Andy Polaine.

Links:

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