Leading when the playbook doesn’t fit: building trust, facing truth, and being of service

Theme: Design Leadership

Ever landed on a project with your playbook ready, only to find it doesn’t fit?

Service design in government rarely goes by the book. There are tight timelines, new relationships, and shifting priorities.

In this talk, Tricia shares what it really takes to lead when frameworks fall short and the usual rules don’t apply. Drawing on over 15 years working across government projects, she'll talk about a human approach to leadership built on three principles: trust, truth and service.

Participant takeaways:

• Building enough trust to move forward when things feel uncertain
• Working with different truths across policy, delivery and user needs
• Leading through service, by focusing less on being right and more on being useful

This session isn’t about methods. It’s about the mindset and small, practical actions that help you and your team keep moving when things get messy.

You’ll leave with ideas and encouragement to lead with clarity, care and courage when the playbook doesn’t fit.

This session is for: 

This session is for people working in public services, including user researchers, service designers, policy professionals and delivery teams. Whether you’re leading projects, joining as a contractor, or trying to influence change from within, you’ll find ideas and encouragement for the work you do.