REACH Conference Focuses On Successful Creative Leadership

HOW Design Live. You’ve heard the name. Likely you’ve attended or a friend or colleague has. (If you haven’t we’d love to see you in Boston in 2018!) We’ve super excited to share that we’ve recently expanded our portfolio and are producing all of our events under the umbrella of HOW Events. Our focus at HOW Events is the same as it’s always been – to equip creatives with the latest info and stay ahead of industry trends. We’re all about changing and evolving to meet your needs as a creative. Speaking of change…

The design climate is changing. You’ve seen the changes and you’re living through them. That’s old news, right? The question is “what are doing about it and who’s helping you along the way?” The trusted team behind HOW Design Live is here to help guide you through it and provide the tools you need to excel in this ever changing environment. We’ve designed an event just for this purpose – to help you take your strengths as a creative professional and apply them across your organization.

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Not all leaders are creatives, but in today’s world, all creatives really have to be leaders. No one understands that better than the HOW team. We know that design isn’t just about aesthetics anymore. It drives business innovation and strategic differentiation, and requires critical problem solving, and corporate leadership. Design has gone from a little-understood, under-appreciated discipline to an essential business function. Research shows that design-led companies outperform those that overlook design.

We know you’re being asked to step out of that comfort zone of managing design projects and into a leadership role where you’re being asked to implement design strategy across your organization. It’s time to step out and not just be a part of that bigger conversation, but be prepared to lead the conversation. You know what you’re doing. You know design. You’ve got the skill sets. REACH will help you take what you know and apply it across your organization. It’s about speaking the language – your language – in a voice that everyone at the table will understand. You’ll learn how to navigate the corporate environment, to communicate with peers in different business functions, to persuade and negotiate – all of which will enable you to have a positive impact on your company.

What does creative leadership look like? Creative leaders are hungry to learn. They get excited about applying their creative skills to solve problems related to sales or operations or product development. They’re flexible and adaptable. They set the stage for collaboration and they’re willing to engage colleagues across the organization. It’s about people. It’s about trust. Listening. Being empathetic. Encouraging. Supporting your team. Positive influence. Creative leadership looks like you.

The reality is that to be a successful creative right now, you need to constantly evolve—not only within your craft, but as a leader, too. At REACH you’ll hear from leading thinkers on the topics of leadership including author Gretchen Rubin, design icon Jonathan Adler, global creative director Stephen Gates, and John Maeda, one of the world’s foremost experts on design leadership. These are just a few of the compelling speakers.

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Here’s the deal. It doesn’t matter if you are already a creative leader or aspire to be one, you can always learn new ways to influence those around you. I’m a huge believer of being a positive influence in life and the impact we can have on those around us is one of my strongest motivators. I’m super excited to hear Sara Kalick share about Leadfully and the four capabilities great leaders exhibit. What she’s up to is pretty amazing. You need to hear about it. And act on it. It’s good stuff.

Oh. Did I mention it’s in NYC at the SVA Theatre? What a space! And, our Advisory Board for REACH is beyond amazing. You’ll recognize the names. Take a few minutes and check out their take on creative leadership. Debbie Millman, Ande La Monica and Santiago Carasquilla.

I seriously can’t wait to see you in NYC November 13 & 14 at REACH! It’ll change your career… and your life.

And speaking of career and life changing events… HOW Design Live is back in Boston April 30-May 4, 2018. Check out a behind the scenes article on the planning process. And join us in Boston!

 

Amy Conover is Content Manager for How Events, the umbrella organization that brings the creative community HOW Design Live and REACH and is broadening its scope with new conferences and events. She can be reached at Amy.Conover@HOWDesignLive.com