More ICs, fewer leaders: This Head of Design is feeling the pressure
A Head of Design messaged me on LinkedIn after seeing one of my posts. We’d never spoken before, but she asked if we could chat, so we set up a call.
She got straight to the point.
Head of Design: “Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m reaching out. I’ve never felt this… uncertain about my role, and I keep thinking I must be missing something.”
Me: “Missing something in what way?”
Head of Design: “Well, I’ve been a Head of Design for a couple of years now, and I always thought the next step would be towards VP. It was clear to me before, but now… I’m not so sure it’s even the right move.”
Me: “What’s making you question it?”
Head of Design: “It’s a mix of things. Externally, there’s all this talk about the push for ICs over leadership roles. And internally I can feel the shift too. There’s this pressure for everyone to produce visible results, fast. Lately, they’re asking me to get more hands-on with specific design outcomes, to ‘step in’ on projects, even though I’m here to lead strategy. Half the time, I feel like I’m just bouncing between tasks I don’t actually have control over, while my role’s supposed to be setting the bigger direction. It’s confusing.”
Me: “That’s understandable. Has it come up with your manager?”
Head of Design: “Not directly. The timing feels off, with the market being so weird, all the layoffs, and headcount freezes. It’s hard to talk about something like this when promotions are out of the question. I worry it would sound like I’m backing out of leadership.”
Me: “Backing out?”
Head of Design: “Yeah, like I’d be admitting I’m not up for it. It’s just… there’s all this talk about design engineers, AI, leaner teams. The company wants results they can see, so it’s all about execution, showing what’s been built. And meanwhile, I’m here leading but also questioning if I’m actually contributing enough.”
Me: “Do you think other leaders are feeling this too?”
Head of Design: “I’ve started reaching out to a few people I trust to feel it out. They’re feeling similarly uneasy. Most are sticking it out, but I get the sense that a lot of us feel the ground shifting. And it’s subtle, like we’re all expected to do more with less, to fill gaps we didn’t expect. The path to the VP level, if it’s even there, is a lot less clear.”
Me: “Yeah, I’ve been hearing that quite a bit. And it sounds like you’re feeling a real tension between moving up and maybe… moving back to the work?”
Head of Design: “Exactly. Moving up would mean finding some way to hold onto a strategy role, but that feels so abstract right now. Then there’s going back to IC, which would be closer to what I love, designing and solving real problems. But how do I even bring that up? It’s like admitting I don’t belong in leadership.”
Me: “It sounds like there’s this pull both ways, with no obvious right answer.”
Head of Design: “Yeah. I think what bothers me most is that I used to feel like I was building towards something, you know? Moving forward. Now I’m not so sure if I’m going anywhere at all.”
I’ve been noticing this trend among senior design leaders signing up for our mastermind groups.
We ask a simple question in our sign-up form:
“What specific challenges are you looking to solve by joining a mastermind, and how important is it for you to find a solution right now?”
The responses are raw, telling, and often echo conversations like this one.
How are you navigating the push and pull of career progression?
What’s one decision you’re wrestling with right now?
Hi, I’m Mindaugas.
I’ve spent the past decade working with designers from companies like Netflix, Google, Amazon, Intercom, and OpenAI. At On Deck, I built the Design Fellowship, and at InVision, I created design communities on a global scale. Before this, I was a design recruiter which enabled me to help 100’s of designers land their dream jobs.
Through thousands of conversations, I’ve helped designers navigate career transitions, land roles they didn’t think possible, get promotions, and understand what’s happening in the market.
Now, I’m building Coho, a private network for designers to have the kinds of conversations that change careers. Small, focused groups meet every two weeks to tackle challenges, exchange insights, and grow together.
Free career support
- In February, I’m hosting two FREE lightning lessons with Maven:
- Why Designers Get Stuck: Patterns from 1,000 Conversations
- Intentional Career Mapping: Future-Proof Your Design Path
Both are short, focused sessions packed with insights I’ve gathered from working with designers like you.
2. Free career navigation & layoff office hours
I also host free office hours for designers navigating layoffs or career transitions. Small groups of max 5 designers, honest conversations, every Thursday at 9am PST. Book a spot here.
