My Journey to a New Way of Thinking

I haven’t written anything in a while because, as you’ll read, I’ve been busy making a huge transition.

Last fall, after nearly 30 years with the United Way—and nine years as CEO of the United Way for Southeastern Michigan (UWSEM)—I decided to step away from Detroit to develop new approaches to UWSEM’s work. A few weeks ago, I made my way across the country to join an invitation-only, ten-week program on design thinking at the Institute of Design at Stanford.

Designer and IDEO CEO Tim Brown defines design thinking as “a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s tool kit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements of business success.” The Stanford program is all about unconventional problem solving and helping non-designers to apply creative methodologies to huge, messy challenges.

I jumped at the opportunity to bring this perspective to UWSEM. After much discussion and reflection, the UWSEM board and I agreed that this was a worthwhile investment. I knew it meant taking a big risk with some heady implications for my team and for UWSEM as a whole. Thankfully, everyone involved—the board, my team, and my family—sees the same great potential for design thinking to advance UWSEM’s work for the benefit of the Greater Detroit area.

“We need to advance our work.”

As a way of perceiving the world and facing today’s challenges, design thinking fits in perfectly with the vision, mission, and values of UWSEM and it holds so much promise for nonprofits working in the trenches to benefit the communities we serve. I’ve long realized that doing right by Southeastern Michigan—including UWSEM’s community of clients, service users, and funders—will mean transforming our vision of Southeastern Michigan and thinking more creatively about its problems and potential. The UWSEM community and partner organizations have brought creativity and imagination to our work, but I hope we can go further to develop new ways of engaging and partnering with residents.

As we work together for social change in Southeastern Michigan, we need to put residents at the center instead of the institutions that serve them. We’ll need to combine empathy with a commitment to creative, solution-focused thinking if we’re going to turn around our failing schools and ensure that everyone in our community has basic needs—safe housing, healthy food, and quality health care.

“Acting to think, not thinking to act.” 

“Two hundred executives will arrive on Friday. You’re going to prepare for this work by teaching an intensive design thinking two-day bootcamp on Monday. Between now and then, you should be ready to present and lead your team.”

These were some of the first words I heard from my instructor during my first week at the d.school. Imagine, for a moment, that within three days of a ten-week program you’re told that you’re no longer a student, but the teacher to executives who came from all over the world to be part of this design bootcamp!

This program flips everything I’ve known about the education process on its head—no syllabus, no prescribed texts, no top-down instruction. I’m empowered to apply what I’ve learned and take action with the understanding that failure is welcome and should be used to inspire new solutions or insights. I’ll plan, think, and develop new skills while working with my classmates on challenging, hands-on projects. I’ll be “acting to think”—applying the principles of design thinking to large and complex projects—and not “thinking to act” —confining my experiences to the classroom, readings, and hypotheticals.

I’m transforming from CEO to student and teacher and I’m ready for all of the challenges and opportunities this change will bring. The prospect of what’s ahead is truly exciting.

Over the remainder of the program, I’ll explore the potential of new leadership strategies in mission-driven organizations and examine opportunities for design as an agent for transformation in Detroit. In the process, I want to share my journey through the Stanford design thinking program and reveal its potential for UWSEM’s growth and development.

Will you take this journey with me?