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Design leaders are business leaders. Time to operate like one.

For experienced design and organizational leaders who want to lead with more influence, navigate organizational dynamics with confidence, and be seen as the business leaders they already are.

Book a free discovery call

You have the experience. You have done the work. And yet something keeps getting in the way.

 

  • You are technically strong and have earned your seat, but you are not yet being seen with the strategic weight your role demands
  • You are visible to some stakeholders but invisible to the ones who matter most
  • You receive feedback that does not match your intent and you are not sure how to close that gap
  • You know what needs to change, but you are not sure where to start or what to do differently
  • You want to lead with more influence and less friction, without becoming someone you are not
  • You feel undervalued, excluded, or trapped in dynamics you cannot seem to change
 

The gap between how you lead and how you are perceived

Most leadership difficulties are not about skills. They are about patterns, ways of reacting, positioning yourself, and relating to authority that were learned long before the current job, and that now show up at the worst moments.

This work combines organizational insight with a psychodynamic lens. We look at the situation you are in, the patterns you carry, and the relationships that shape how you are perceived. So you can act from a position of strength and be seen the way you actually lead.

Design leaders are business leaders who have the gift of knowing design. The two are not in conflict, but organizations often treat them as if they are. Part of this work is learning to carry both, and to be seen carrying both.

Six sessions. One coherent arc.

Each session builds on the last. From session one we run a series of small experiments in real situations, new behaviors, new conversations, new ways of showing up. We review what is working, pivot when needed, and build from there.

What brought you here, and why now

We name what is really going on, not the surface complaint but the underlying challenge. We establish what to focus on, what progress looks like, and what is actually in your control.

The patterns that keep showing up

We look at recurring dynamics: situations that repeat, roles you find yourself in, moments where you feel stuck or reactive. We start mapping options you have not yet seriously considered.

How you hold authority and presence

We examine your relationship with authority, your own and others'. How culture and experience shape the way you claim space, or step back when you should step forward.

Where the real leverage actually is

We look honestly at what your current strategies are costing you. From here we identify where small shifts in behavior or positioning could create the most meaningful change.

What the experiments are telling you

We review what the experiments have surfaced: new realizations, what has shifted, what has not. We agree on adjusted approaches and new ways of showing up.

What you carry with you from here

We reflect on what has changed across the journey. You leave with a clearer narrative, a grounded sense of your options, and a set of practices that are yours to keep and build on.

This program is for you if

 

  • You are a senior designer, design leader, or organizational professional with significant experience
  • You are operating at VP or director level and want to increase your influence with senior stakeholders
  • You are seen as a strong design leader but not yet as a business leader and you know that distinction is costing you
  • You are navigating a difficult workplace situation and want to act strategically rather than reactively
  • You recognize that the pattern you are dealing with is partly internal and you are ready to look at it honestly
  • You want to build the kind of resilience that is about presence and positioning, not just endurance

Ready to be seen the way you actually lead?

The first session is an extended assessment. We will look at where you are, what is driving the situation, and design the rest of the program around what you most need.

BOOK

Full program

€1,920

€320 per session

All prices are exclusive of VAT.
VAT applicability depends on your country of residence and, where relevant, your business registration status. If you are unsure how this applies to you, get in touch before booking.

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One decision. Six sessions. Lasting change.

This is an investment in your ability to operate differently, not just in the current situation, but in every difficult room you will ever walk into. The full programme is paid upfront, giving you access to all six sessions and the continuity that makes the work effective.


Who you will be working with

Marzia Aricò has spent over 20 years inside large, complex organizations, first as a design director and Managing Director at Livework Studio, leading customer-centered transformation programs across Europe, the United States, and Australia for clients including adidas, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Xero. She is the founder of the Organizational Intelligence Institute, holds a PhD in organizational studies from Copenhagen Business School, and is the author of Design Leadership Chronicles. Her recent coaching clients include senior leaders at organizations including Volvo, Mango, and Capgemini.

She learned to carry authority before she felt she had it, to connect with resistant stakeholders as if the relationship already existed, until it did. Her approach draws on psychodynamic theory and on the belief that design leaders are, first and foremost, business leaders.