In our season finale, we decided to do what any self-respecting podcasters would do: look back at our transcripts with the help of our robot overlord ChatGPT and see what patterns emerged. What we found might surprise you—or at least make you want to rethink everything you thought you knew about leadership.
The Six Leadership Lessons That Actually Matter
Here are the big takeaways from our season one deep dive, but trust me, the stories behind these lessons are where the real magic happens:
Lesson 1: Leadership Starts Before You Feel Ready Turns out, imposter syndrome isn’t a bug—it’s a feature! Every one of our guests talked about feeling terrified, unqualified, or like they’d accidentally wandered into the wrong room. I share my own story about my voice quivering when I first got on stage.
Lesson 2: One Invitation Can Change Everything Most leaders joined leadership because someone simply said, “Hey, wanna help out?” Victor’s story about being asked to just attend one meeting is perfectly simple. Brian’s tale about complaining his way into leadership? Classic AIGA move. But wait until you hear how Erik’s timeline got completely rewritten when he found his old membership cards...
Lesson 3: Retreats Aren’t Just Events—They’re Origin Stories Grand Rapids gets mentioned more than a midwestern weather report, Miami apparently involved people sitting on beds (and in bathtubs), and Denver? Well, let’s just say the timing of marijuana legalization was... interesting. But what Paul said about “there was something in the water in Grand Rapids” will give you chills, like it did for me.
Lesson 4: Real Leadership Is Small, Messy, and Generous Forget the corner office power plays. Real leadership happens at the check-in table, in hallway conversations, and when someone asks for help with their portfolio. Kristine Johnson’s quote about spotlighting people who do amazing work quietly? Yeah, that one hits different. And Wendy’s strategy for learning everyone’s names at the check-in desk is genius.
Lesson 5: This Community Is the Product Plot twist: turns out we’re not just here for the design critique. Amanda’s revelation about how collaboration from community moments taught her to lead better explains everything. Plus, Erik admits something about portfolios that might shock you (spoiler: nobody was showing them off).
Lesson 6: Full Circle Moments Make It Worth It The person who got invited yesterday becomes the person doing the inviting tomorrow. Amanda’s story about her boss Kim Baer pulling her in, then Amanda turning around to encourage others? Chef's kiss. And when Josh Silverman offered to help Erik with his job search during our podcast interview... well, let’s just say the community shows up in real time.
The Lobster Situation (Yes, Really)
Somewhere between lesson four and Erik’s beverage situation, we ended up in a deep philosophical discussion about crustaceans in buckets as a leadership metaphor. How did we get from “leadership is generous” to debating East Coast vs. West Coast seafood preferences?
Let’s just say it involves Irish whiskey, Sunshine LaCroix (apparently that’s a real flavor?), and our willingness to eat fish tacos under very specific circumstances.
The Stories Behind the Stories
What I loved most about this reflection episode was hearing the patterns emerge across all our conversations.
Plus, if you’ve ever wondered how a guitarist ends up lighting his own album on fire in a barbecue grill (yes, really), Erik’s got a story that perfectly illustrates why failure is actually a feature, not a bug.
Oh, and AIGA Seattle is officially resurrecting this month. Erik was so excited he told people to just show up even if they don’t have tickets. We love a leader who believes in breaking fire codes for the greater good.
Your Challenge (Should You Choose to Accept It)
We’re doing a review contest because we’re shameless like that. Write us a funny review (doesn’t have to be positive, just hilarious), and you could win a $25 Starbucks gift card. Write a review on the Apple Podcasts or Spotify Podcasts app. I promise it’ll be a fair drawing, though Erik might try to rig it in favor of anyone who mentions lobsters.
Subscribe to our email list at CheersAndTiers.com, because how else will you know when we’re back with more tales of accidental leadership and questionable beverage choices?
Behind all the jokes and crustacean metaphors, this season taught us that leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about showing up, asking good questions, and making space for others to do the same. Every guest started scared, got asked to help, found their people at a retreat, and then turned around to invite someone else in.
It’s messy, it’s generous, and it works.
Thanks to our 12 loyal listeners (we see you, Sheller), our amazing guests, and everyone who proves that the design community is built on the people who show up.
Now go invite someone to something. You know you want to.
Cheers!
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