Design + Agency
What a compelling combination that might make.
Among the most interesting things I heard this past week was a conversation between Chris Williamson and George Mack on the spectrum of “High and Low Agency.” The entire conversation is worth listening to, but if you don’t have time for that, this segment starting from 53:02 cuts to the heart of it.
In this moment, Mack expounds on Agency as characterized by four interdependent skills:
Clear Thinking
Resourcefulness
Bias-to-Action
Disagreeableness
Each of these deserves an essay of their own, and in total, I was struck by their interdependence — remove any one of the four and you have a very ineffective or abrasive person. As with any model of human behavior, balance is key.
I was first introduced to this term “disagreeableness” in a Malcolm Gladwell piece about “culturally acceptable” coaching strategy in ice hockey. I love it — the hipster streak in myself appreciates the permission to disagree with consensus and question norms that just don’t make sense. A trait often praised as genius in retrospect, but rarely appreciated in the moment. Disagreeable people can be disruptive and make people uncomfortable. Again, balance is key.
I am also struck by the overlap with tenets of Design Thinking — which has many definitions, but typically includes ideas of:
Empathy
Ideation
Prototyping
Iteration
This makes for a really compelling model for creative leadership.
What can happen if we reframe every circumstance with a resourceful mindset of “No problem is unsolvable”?
When we disagree that “the rules” apply to us or that the answer we’ve been given is the acceptable one?
What challenges will we choose to face with a commitment to empathy and clear thinking?
Prototyping and Iteration demand a bias to action by definition.
What can’t we do with this combination? Design + Agency. What aspect of life is not enhanced in some way by these mindsets?
Anyway, that’s my thought of the week. Enjoy the day! ✌🏻
Post-script: Elsewhere in the conversation, Chris affirms the act of writing and sharing one’s thoughts in a public forum, if for no other purpose than to clarify and improve your own grasp of those thoughts. Yes! That was a needed reminder of the reason I am writing this substack. Thanks for being part of that process. 🙏🏻