“Leadership has to come from everywhere, not just from the people at the top.”
— Stephen Gates
Former Global Head of Design and Innovation at Starwood Hotels, Citi, and WW⏐Advisor, Designer for Apple, IDEO, NIKE, NASA, Home Depot, and more
Stephen Gates
What do Metallica, Apple, and Citi all have in common? They turned to Stephen Gates to lead design. Stephen is a global design leader building world-class organizations that integrate research, data, and behavioral science with human-centered design methods to drive a long-term vision and near-term business impact. He previously worked at InVision, Citi, Starwood Hotels, WW, and McCann Erickson, building teams that created award-winning global advertising campaigns, multiple Fortune 100 brands, and innovative digital experiences. His work has received over 150 international awards. His app designs have been named one of the World's 100 Greatest Apps. HOW Magazine named him one of the most talented and influential creatives working today. Apple has featured his work in 10 keynotes. He shares what he has learned through his international speaking engagements and his award-winning podcast, The Crazy One, an in-depth exploration of issues that matter to creatives, including leadership, creativity, and career development, innovation, and more.
What Stephen Talks About
Herding Pink Elephants: How To Overcome The Barriers To Creativity And Change
Everyone wants to change the world but why do so few people actually do it? Every company wants to transform into something greater but why do three-quarters of those efforts fail? Stephen Gates will have an honest conversation about the challenges he sees in most companies, the real problems that cause them, and the solutions used to elevate the impact of design with companies of all sizes and maturity levels all over the world.
What you’ll learn:
Understand the biases that keep everyone from being consistently creative
Learn how to identify and overcome the cultural barriers that block you and your team from doing your best work
See how trust plays a central role to everything, understand the different critical behaviors everyone needs to invest in
Leadership: How To Become The Most Confident Uncertain Person
Leadership has to come from everywhere, not just from the people who sit atop of an org chart. So many of us have felt powerless or unsure of where to start. In this session we will look at how we can break down some of the barriers that may be keeping you from having an impact and stepping up to make a difference.
What you’ll learn:
Understanding the real challenges of leadership from anywhere in the organization
The 7 traits of great leaders and how you can make them a part of your process
How to stop executive interference in your team and creative process
Emotion And Creativity: How To Become Friends With Your Inner critic
Confidence, happiness, and trust are just a few of the emotions you need to understand to summon your creativity on demand yet they remain a mystery for many of us. In this session we will dive deep into the relationship between creativity and emotion to give you the tools to better understand your creative process, emotions and leadership style.
What you’ll learn:
Understand where your confidence comes from and how to keep it high through any challenge
See how happiness plays a bigger role in creativity than we think and some new techniques for how to consistently find it
How to use your emotions in your creative process and to grow your creative voice and leadership