Start by being a leader without being a manager (manager are made from leaders in individual contributor roles), ask for stretch assignments when some leader is OOF, ask for shadowing to a respected middle manager and ask for advice. And final piece of advice, ask point blank (not aggressively): What do you think I need to be a manager? What do you think I’m missing.
Coming from consulting and having the same initial reaction to design thinking, here is the key elemento IMHO:
1. A simple way to reqllly focus with many stakeholders or team of people to really think problems thru with the minimal structure possible to get some ideas or potential projects.
2. It is refreshing is a big 4 consulting company used to charge you 6/7 fissures for a strategy you then needed your people to buy in. You are maki g it with them in a day or couple of days. (Iterate caster)
3. Gives a low risk model of getting people to really think customer first, with the problems and potential solutions.
From my own point of view it really works, especially in big traditional enterprises where people have trouble Channing. I hate to say it but is almost magical.
Agree 100% it’s part of your job. You need to manage your promotion rhythm in any company or you will be left just to the context or interest of your manager.
Agree 100% the reality is more poignant when you go out of the tech bubble. Also if those open standards affect product maintainability vs simple integrations with less code, projects will tend to avoid it.
This is also Why complex Piracy/CD Ripping lost steam with services like Spotify/Netflix in countries with big piracy rings. Good user experience trumps ideology.