Much has been written and talked about when it comes to the true value of design. Leaders do best with design when they understand how it works, set it up for success, and habitually monitor its results.

Most early-stage companies hire their first design leader at the wrong moment, in the wrong shape. Each stage demands a different shape of design function, and the most common hiring mistakes are mismatches between stage and shape.

Hiring a designer is easy—if you’re a designer. Design training allows us to separate timelessness from trend, strategy from bullshit. To further complicate things, the value of design changes as an organization matures.