Ep 21 Keynote: ‘Success is a choice’ from Adobe MAX 2016

Show notes

Stephen opens the episode celebrating the podcast’s 24th episode milestone, reflecting on the journey so far and introducing the week’s special content: a full replay of his Adobe MAX 2016 session titled “Success Is a Choice.”

He shares a brief recap of his experience at the conference:

• Delivered over 7 hours of content

• Hosted 2 workshops on design thinking

• Presented a solo talk to a sold-out audience in the largest room at the San Diego Convention Center

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Part 1: Who Is Stephen Gates?

Stephen offers context on his background to new listeners:

• Raised in a creative household (father: creative director, mother: soft toy artist)

• 25+ years as a designer, 15+ years leading teams

• Work featured in 9 Apple keynotes and various major media

• Former VP of Global Brand Design & Innovation at Starwood Hotels

• Current Global Head of Design at Citi

 

He also shares the inspiration behind launching The Crazy One podcast, born from a powerful moment with a young designer at the 15 Seconds Festival in Austria.

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Part 2: Why We Need Better Leadership and Creativity

Stephen confronts a painful truth: the sold-out audience wasn’t just a personal win—it was a sign of the leadership crisisin the design industry.

He underscores:

• 85% of financial success is based on personality, communication, and leadership—not technical skills (based on a Carnegie Mellon study)

• Leadership and creativity are deeply misunderstood and underdeveloped in most organizations

 

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Part 3: Redefining Leadership

 

Leadership vs. Management

• Management = Moving projects from A to B

• Leadership = Inspiring belief, building vision, empowering others

Anyone Can Be a Leader

• Title doesn’t define leadership

• Everyone (even interns) should lead from their position

What Leadership Requires

1. Perspective: Be both insider (in the trenches) and outsider (visionary)

2. Progress: Don’t feed “pink elephants”—tackle tough issues

3. Fear and Futility: Cultivate environments where failure is safe and belief is possible

4. Comfort: Growth requires embracing discomfort

 

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Part 4: How to Lead Effectively

 

Key Leadership Principles

• Obsess over fundamentals: You can’t innovate without basics

• Walk your talk: Say and do the same things

• Respect every creative process: Everyone creates differently

• Trust and confidence are your real products: Not just design

• Lose the luxury of a bad day: Emotional leadership must be consistent

Handling Resistance

• Excuses vs. Change: Stronger resolve than excuses

• Regular feedback: Use “Start, Stop, Continue” framework

A Leader’s Job:

• Question everything

• Define your leadership style

• Embrace your crazy: Be yourself, unapologetically—but don’t confuse that with being reckless

 

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Part 5: Leading Your Team

What Every Team Needs

1. Confidence that tomorrow’s work will be better than today’s

2. A leader who has their back when it matters

Culture Change by Design

• Every company is dysfunctional; the best design their culture intentionally

• Culture lives in:

  • Tools (e.g., no PowerPoint, more Sharpies)

  • Space (e.g., flexible, collaborative environments)

  • Norms (e.g., shared beliefs, accountability)

   

Shared Beliefs Framework

Five categories:

1. Learn – Stay curious, ask why

2. Collaborate – Creativity is a team sport

3. Ideate – A cover band never changed the world

4. Craft – Creativity is a blue-collar profession

5. Lead – Respectful, confident, not delicate

 

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Part 6: Rethinking Failure

Create a Culture of Failure

• Failure ≠ Failure: It’s a path to learning

• Celebrate failure to normalize it (e.g., “Belly Flop of the Week” award)

Key Distinctions:

• Mistake once = Learning opportunity

• Mistake twice = A choice

• Know when failure is acceptable vs. mission-critical

 

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Part 7: Demystifying Creativity

Lightbulbs Are a Lie

• Ideas don’t come in a flash—they’re earned through work

Creative Process Model

1. Problem – Solve the right one (not just vet a solution)

2. Inspiration – Look outside your industry, stay curious

3. Ideation – Run effective brainstorms

4. Implementation – Prototype early and often

Brainstorming Best Practices

1. Defer judgment

2. Encourage wild ideas

3. Build on others’ ideas

4. Stay on topic

5. One conversation at a time

6. Be visual

7. Go for quantity

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Part 8: Empathy and Prototyping

• Empathy is the superpower of great creatives

• Prototyping isn’t just for launch—it helps validate ideas at every step

• Types of prototyping:

  1. For research

  2. For learning

  3. For testing

  4. For launch

   

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Final Lessons and Closing Thoughts

 

Build a Talent Pipeline

• Great teams are like sports franchises—your best people will leave

• Grow leaders from within

Success Is a Choice

• Luck = Opportunity + Preparation

• You must choose the harder path and put in the work to be ready

 

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Resources and Follow-Up

• Website: podcast.stephengates.com

• Email: ask@stephengates.com

• iTunes Reviews: The only currency Stephen asks for—leave one if you liked the session.

 

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Outro

Stephen expresses deep gratitude for your time and attention, reminding listeners that time is the only true luxury we have.

Stay crazy.

Tagged as:
Adobe MAX 2016 e fostering creativity innovative strategies leadership blind spots leadership development organizational culture overcoming challenges professional development Stephen Gates Success is a choice team growth The Crazy One podcast