Design is not aesthetics. Design is solving meaningful problems in meaningful ways. Design distills what has meaning to the user, both in the near-term as well as the long-term. Design serves the betterment of society using the tools of the time. And it strives to understand what has meaning to our civilization ensuring both equity and inclusion. Design strives to find meaningful solutions beyond humanity’s constructions to address planetary concerns ensuring sustainability and regeneration. Design’s responsibility is to go beyond mere emotion and to provide people with the ability to assign meaning beyond functionality.

For decades, we have all tried to hire T-shaped talent: people with broad general knowledge and deep expertise in a single discipline. It made perfect sense when roles & deliverables were clearly defined but AI has rewritten the rules. Today, the boundaries between design, engineering, product, and marketing are dissolving. Work no longer happens within disciplines. Innovation emerges from people who can connect ideas, evaluate AI-generated outputs, and understand the underlying models and data that shape them. The future belongs to M-shaped professionals.

Simply pushing for design to report to the CEO is like teaching a pig to sing: it wastes your time and annoys the pig. Stop demanding to report to the CEO and start delivering value to the business in dramatic and game changing ways. Demand accountability for the success of the business; meet with customers, turn their needs in revenue—both new and recurring. Stop leaning back, expecting to be noticed and lean-in, engage, build value both for the company and for yourself.