Some of KeepTruckin’s design team. We’re now a team of 19 spread across US and PK.

Note: This was originally published on UX Collective — one of my favorite design publications on the web. It was added to the KeepTruckin Design Blog to coincide with its launch in April.

I remember feeling a mix of unease and excitement when Khushnood, our design lead, shared he’d like me to manage KeepTruckin’s growing product design team in Pakistan.

I was uneasy because I hadn’t formally managed a team before. Sure, I do coordinate with freelance writers for PriceOye’s product pages, but that is an ad-hoc affair. This felt more high-stakes, and I did not feel ready.

What if I failed?

But I was also excited because this was wholly new territory, and exploring newer territories helps me grow fast and feel engaged.

Now more than a year later, I’m happy to report there was no catastrophic failure, though there were many teachable moments.

Today, I’d like to share key lessons from my first year as a design manager. I hope they’ll benefit both first-time managers, as well as individual contributors looking to collaborate better with their manager.

Key principle: strive to be a leader, not a manager