100 Day Project: A design exercise that you should add to your leadership toolbox.

This week the SVA Masters in Branding class of 2018 presents their thesis defense. I wanted to highlight a very impressive design exercise they do which has a lasting relevance to being an effective creative leader.

The 100 Day Project

Debbie Millman, Chair and Co-Founder of the program, has every student develop a 100 Day Project during the course of their studies. I love this exercise. You commit to doing one action for 100 days straight. It is super simple. It could be: “Show Gratitude”, “Design A Poster”, or “Take A Portrait”. The results end up being poetic and profound.

What I like about this and its application to leadership is that it encourages you to look into the world and build empathy. This is deeply rooted in cognitive behavioral psychology, specifically, the Familiarity Principle. The more you look for inspiration, the more you will find it. The more you look for happiness, gratitude, innovation, the more it becomes transparent.

One of the projects I liked from this crop is students is @conversationsinhumanity. Each day Jessica Spataro asked a different genuine question to at least 3 different people to share their responses and create more meaningful human interaction. As I look at the current landscape of Design, I can’t stress how important it is for Brands to have meaningful human interactions with their audience.

Some of the other ones that are worth checking out are:  

@black_irl – bringing visibility to meaningful conversations that honor the Black experience

@100brandquestions – a thoughtful “what if” that would inspire the most valuable global brands
to build new ambitions and new paths to systemic positive change

@100daysofsole – Daily stories told from the intersection of footwear and identity.