89. The Design Consultant’s Advantage with Shahed Syed

What if there was a way to fast-track your design career by solving diverse problems across multiple industries, at lightning speed?

Shahed Syed, lead designer at Focused Labs, joins us to share his insights on the benefits of working as a design consultant.

Shahed explains the unique challenges consultants face, like building trust quickly and navigating complex team dynamics. He shares strategies for success, including the importance of finding allies within client teams and being transparent about processes.

We also flip the script and discuss how full-time employees can best work with consultants to maximize the value of their engagements. Shahed introduces the concept of “slipstreaming” behind consultants to accelerate your own career growth.

Finally, we touch on the career benefits of consulting and how junior designers might break into this field.

If you’ve ever been interested in life as a consultant, this episode is for you!

Topics
• 04:15 – Shahed’s origin story
• 06:20 – Differences between contractors, consultants, and freelancers
• 08:23 – What is being a consultant like?
• 17:33 – you may be coming in with people already hating you
• 18:26 – Building trust when you are starting from a deficit
• 21:45 – Find an ally and champion on the inside to help influence and get intel
• 24:05 – How do ICs work with consultants?
• 29:52 – Benefits of being a consultant
• 34:51 – How do you break into consulting?

Helpful Links:
• Connect with Shahed on LinkedIn
• The Million Dollar Designer

Shahed Syed
Design Practice Lead at Focused Labs

About Shahed

Shahed is an architect turned product designer. He has 12 years of experience solving problems across diverse mediums and industries, mostly in enterprise Fintech. Shahed currently leads the design consulting practice as Focused Labs, where he creates collaborative environments where both consultants and clients feel inspired and empowered to contribute towards good (and profitable) user experiences.

Connect with Shahed on LinkedIn

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