Early in my career, I found myself part of a burned out, weary-eyed, and slightly stinky design team at 11:00 PM scrambling to develop an idea for an early morning presentation. The authority in the room kept pushing, "What else do we have? Let's dig up old sketches! Let's try a new color palette!"
There was no mention of going home and coming back early. No rest for the weary. No redesign of the system when it didn't work last time. More grind was expected to create better work.
That was my experience working at a consulting agency, and it was that day I decided I would never lead a team the same way.
After a decade of partnering with organizations to create meaningful learning experiences, we've forged a better path. Here are 10 key lessons that have shaped how we do things at Desklight.
1. Empathy Is Everything
The most effective learning experiences start with deep understanding. We've learned to begin every project by asking: What does each person REALLY want to work on? Do they authentically love this work? Can they grow doing it? More importantly - do they want to? When we truly understand our learners' needs and motivations, we create experiences that resonate on a deeper level.
2. Freedom Fuels Creativity
One of our earliest and most profound realizations was that rigid schedules kill innovation. We've built our practice around the idea that everyone should manage their own time and energy. Need inspiration? Go to a museum. Feeling stuck? Take a walk. Real creativity doesn't punch a time clock.
3. Learning Happens in Small Moments
The old model of marathon training sessions is dead. We've seen how bite-sized learning experiences, delivered at the right moment, create lasting impact. Sometimes a 5-minute micro-lesson can be more powerful than a 5-hour workshop. Learning should fit naturally into the flow of work and life.
4. Make In-Person Time Count
When we do bring people together, there needs to be a compelling why. We've learned to design in-person experiences that maximize connection, collaboration, and breakthrough moments that can only happen face-to-face. Every gathering should have a clear purpose that couldn't be achieved any other way.
5. Every Meeting Needs a Purpose
We've banned the "status update" meeting. Instead, we approach every gathering with clear objectives and outcomes in mind. We call them "reviews" because this term insists on a plan and an agenda. Every minute spent together should drive real progress.
6. Predictable Leadership Builds Trust
Today's teams want leaders who understand the freedom to change minds, identify desires, and define individual work styles. Leaders who lead from the bottom up, not top down. Who don't pretend to understand everything but celebrate their own learnings and the pivots their team wants to make.
We call this the "forecast test" - can your team predict how you'll respond to situations? When leadership is predictable, teams feel empowered to innovate and take smart risks.
7. Celebrate Progress, Not Just Outcomes
At your funeral, no one will talk about all of the excellent solutions you came up with for projects, but they will talk about how you treated people. Culture is built in small moments of recognition. We've created systems to celebrate both big wins and small efforts, understanding that acknowledgment fuels motivation. A simple "I see you" can be as powerful as a formal award.
8. Always Share Your "Why"
We've learned to voice our intentions clearly, using phrases like "because" and "so that" to ground our decisions in purpose. This transparency builds trust and alignment through clear communication. Everyone wants to hear your why - it's not only more human to share it, it grounds everyone in their own intentions.
9. Practice What You Teach
If you're teaching innovation, your team should benefit from those same principles. If you're designing learning experiences about inclusion, your own practices should model those values. This through-line between external work and internal culture has become a cornerstone of our practice.
10. Use Clear, Accessible Language
Every industry has its jargon, but complex ideas don't require complex language. We've learned to communicate with clarity and simplicity, making our work accessible to everyone. The best ideas can be explained simply, and the most sophisticated concepts deserve the clearest expression.
Looking Forward
The future of learning is human-centered, flexible, and deeply connected to real-world impact. These lessons continue to evolve and shape our practice. We're excited to keep learning and growing to bring learning to life in ways that matter for people and organizations.
Want to learn more about our approach to learning design? Get in touch with sarah@desklightlearning.com to set up a 30-minute complimentary consultation with our team.
