Catt's Corner: design leadership conversations with senior, staff, and principal designers

What Comes After Staff, with Tom Takigayama

August 11, 2026·41 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Tom Takigayama has been at Justworks for over ten years. In that time he went from senior designer to staff to head of design to IC again and eventually to principal, a path that almost nobody takes because almost nobody sticks around long enough to see it happen. Catt sits down with Tom to talk about what it actually takes to grow into a role that doesn't exist yet, and why waiting to be promoted might be the wrong question entirely. This one's for anyone who's been at staff for a while and is starting to wonder what comes next.─── ୨୧ ─── •ℹ️ In this episodeWhat Tom learned from managing a team of designers What design work looks like at the principal level Why there has to be a business case for your role before a title exists for you to grow into How to communicate with executives who have 15 minutes and a very full brainHow Tom asked for permission, not forgiveness, in helpful ways─── ୨୧ ─── •📖 Resources mentionedThe Staff Designer book (Rosenfeld Media): https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/the-staff-designerThe Staff Designer course on Maven: https://maven.com/catt-small/staff-designerTeam of Teams by Stanley McChrystal: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/317066/team-of-teams-by-general-stanley-mcchrystal-tantum-collins-david-silverman-and-chris-fussell/─── ୨୧ ─── •🌐 Find Tom on the internetLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomtaki

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