Esko
@eskolehtme.bsky.social
I mainly write about UX design careers, leadership in design, and self-development. Much of my content is based on the struggles, lessons, and experiences I’ve accumulated throughout my career. www.tsoon.com
Shadowing is operational intelligence disguised as mentorship.
The whiteboard sketch solved our resource conflicts. The questions from shadows revealed the organizational gaps we couldn't see.
Has someone recently pointed out a blind spot you weren't aware of?
www.tsoon.com/posts/first-...
The whiteboard sketch solved our resource conflicts. The questions from shadows revealed the organizational gaps we couldn't see.
Has someone recently pointed out a blind spot you weren't aware of?
www.tsoon.com/posts/first-...
How shadowing turned a whiteboard sketch into organizational change
Hosting shadows crystallized my half-formed strategies and exposed organizational gaps I'd never have found alone.
www.tsoon.com
October 13, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Shadowing is operational intelligence disguised as mentorship.
The whiteboard sketch solved our resource conflicts. The questions from shadows revealed the organizational gaps we couldn't see.
Has someone recently pointed out a blind spot you weren't aware of?
www.tsoon.com/posts/first-...
The whiteboard sketch solved our resource conflicts. The questions from shadows revealed the organizational gaps we couldn't see.
Has someone recently pointed out a blind spot you weren't aware of?
www.tsoon.com/posts/first-...
These aren't insights I would have surfaced through retrospectives or surveys. Shadows ask simple questions that expose assumptions I didn't know I was making. They question things that seem obvious to me but are actually hidden dependencies or unspoken norms.
October 13, 2025 at 9:20 AM
These aren't insights I would have surfaced through retrospectives or surveys. Shadows ask simple questions that expose assumptions I didn't know I was making. They question things that seem obvious to me but are actually hidden dependencies or unspoken norms.
because designers didn't have a clear project understanding or got kicked around seeking information. Everyone was highly motivated but lacked the skills and guidance to work effectively together.
October 13, 2025 at 9:20 AM
because designers didn't have a clear project understanding or got kicked around seeking information. Everyone was highly motivated but lacked the skills and guidance to work effectively together.
But here's what I didn't expect: shadows reveal blind spots that regular feedback never does.
During these sessions, I discovered critical gaps in how we onboard designers to product teams. Because of unclear responsibilities and processes, we kept wasting weeks of valuable time.
During these sessions, I discovered critical gaps in how we onboard designers to product teams. Because of unclear responsibilities and processes, we kept wasting weeks of valuable time.
October 13, 2025 at 9:20 AM
But here's what I didn't expect: shadows reveal blind spots that regular feedback never does.
During these sessions, I discovered critical gaps in how we onboard designers to product teams. Because of unclear responsibilities and processes, we kept wasting weeks of valuable time.
During these sessions, I discovered critical gaps in how we onboard designers to product teams. Because of unclear responsibilities and processes, we kept wasting weeks of valuable time.
By the end of the day, we had a rough diagram showing how we balance team capacity across the organization.
That sketch, with minor tweaks to colors and details, became the artifact we now use.
We used to have 2-5 resource conflicts per quarter. Now we have zero.
That sketch, with minor tweaks to colors and details, became the artifact we now use.
We used to have 2-5 resource conflicts per quarter. Now we have zero.
October 13, 2025 at 9:20 AM
By the end of the day, we had a rough diagram showing how we balance team capacity across the organization.
That sketch, with minor tweaks to colors and details, became the artifact we now use.
We used to have 2-5 resource conflicts per quarter. Now we have zero.
That sketch, with minor tweaks to colors and details, became the artifact we now use.
We used to have 2-5 resource conflicts per quarter. Now we have zero.
I'd been thinking about our design team's allocation strategy for months, but this was the first time I had to explain it to someone without my context. The shadow asked how we prioritize work, and I grabbed a marker.
October 13, 2025 at 9:20 AM
I'd been thinking about our design team's allocation strategy for months, but this was the first time I had to explain it to someone without my context. The shadow asked how we prioritize work, and I grabbed a marker.
The designers who hoard credit create cultures where innovation is stifled.
June 26, 2025 at 7:29 AM
The designers who hoard credit create cultures where innovation is stifled.
They optimize for personal praise while their teams lose trust and breakthrough ideas die in isolation. The most successful designers I know have learned what Edison figured out: tie success to shared knowledge, not individual glory.
June 26, 2025 at 7:29 AM
They optimize for personal praise while their teams lose trust and breakthrough ideas die in isolation. The most successful designers I know have learned what Edison figured out: tie success to shared knowledge, not individual glory.
Two seasons later, public speaking became second nature. The fundamentals I learned now impact everything I do — from mentorship to stakeholder meetings.
The fundamentals you learn will always serve you, regardless of changing tools and contexts.
The fundamentals you learn will always serve you, regardless of changing tools and contexts.
June 13, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Two seasons later, public speaking became second nature. The fundamentals I learned now impact everything I do — from mentorship to stakeholder meetings.
The fundamentals you learn will always serve you, regardless of changing tools and contexts.
The fundamentals you learn will always serve you, regardless of changing tools and contexts.
Surprisingly, this "devil's advocate" exercise revealed new opportunities and perspectives I'd missed while stuck in my perfectionist loop. As Charlie Munger wisely says, "Invert, always invert."
Sometimes, looking at your challenge upside down is the only way to see it clearly.
Sometimes, looking at your challenge upside down is the only way to see it clearly.
May 20, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Surprisingly, this "devil's advocate" exercise revealed new opportunities and perspectives I'd missed while stuck in my perfectionist loop. As Charlie Munger wisely says, "Invert, always invert."
Sometimes, looking at your challenge upside down is the only way to see it clearly.
Sometimes, looking at your challenge upside down is the only way to see it clearly.
Instead of continuing to tinker with code and compile never-ending feature lists, I deliberately tried to convince myself why the idea would fail, examining market size, customer profiles, and business models for fatal flaws.
May 20, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Instead of continuing to tinker with code and compile never-ending feature lists, I deliberately tried to convince myself why the idea would fail, examining market size, customer profiles, and business models for fatal flaws.
By translating design into business language, we've evolved from a "beautification" function to a driver of measurable outcomes, proving design's value one customer journey phase at a time.
May 9, 2025 at 7:34 PM
By translating design into business language, we've evolved from a "beautification" function to a driver of measurable outcomes, proving design's value one customer journey phase at a time.
The payoff will be significant — imagine quantifying lost opportunities in monetary terms and prioritizing design work based on business impact rather than subjective opinions.
May 9, 2025 at 7:34 PM
The payoff will be significant — imagine quantifying lost opportunities in monetary terms and prioritizing design work based on business impact rather than subjective opinions.
By tracking specific measurements like CSAT trends for experience, completion rates for business value, and bounce rates for technical performance, we know exactly where to focus our efforts. The biggest challenge is connecting these data points with real-life customer journeys.
May 9, 2025 at 7:34 PM
By tracking specific measurements like CSAT trends for experience, completion rates for business value, and bounce rates for technical performance, we know exactly where to focus our efforts. The biggest challenge is connecting these data points with real-life customer journeys.
Your leadership style carries the DNA of everyone who led you—knowing this gives you the power to choose which influences to keep.
May 2, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Your leadership style carries the DNA of everyone who led you—knowing this gives you the power to choose which influences to keep.
This reflection helped me create psychological safety for my team and transformed my decision-making approach. Read and try this yourself: www.tsoon.com/posts/leader...
May 2, 2025 at 11:57 AM
This reflection helped me create psychological safety for my team and transformed my decision-making approach. Read and try this yourself: www.tsoon.com/posts/leader...
The exercise from the book "Care to Dare" showed how my godmother's style of sharing stories rather than giving direct advice had become my leadership ideal—though I still struggle with "taming my advice monster."
May 2, 2025 at 11:57 AM
The exercise from the book "Care to Dare" showed how my godmother's style of sharing stories rather than giving direct advice had become my leadership ideal—though I still struggle with "taming my advice monster."
If you've faced similar challenges in demonstrating design value or driving organizational change, I'd appreciate your thoughts on whether this focused approach resonates with your experience. Any feedback or additional perspectives would be valuable as we refine our strategy.
April 25, 2025 at 2:55 PM
If you've faced similar challenges in demonstrating design value or driving organizational change, I'd appreciate your thoughts on whether this focused approach resonates with your experience. Any feedback or additional perspectives would be valuable as we refine our strategy.
This post details our practical approaches, struggles, and the evolution we experienced over several years - aspects I could only briefly touch on during the presentation.
April 25, 2025 at 2:55 PM
This post details our practical approaches, struggles, and the evolution we experienced over several years - aspects I could only briefly touch on during the presentation.