What do you do if you're a mid-career game designer looking to boost your leadership skills?

Working one on one with a mentor is invaluable experience, especially if you want to mimic their leadership style. Before approaching a mentor write a short brief for yourself and then on what you hope to learn from them. Make sure you have regular checkins and goals in mind when you discuss the possibility of becoming someone’s mentee. Creating an organised and thought out plan for success is a sign of a good leader.

If you can find a mentor: absolutely, this is invaluable. Or, I would say "I can imagine this would be invaluable", since I personally never managed to get one - and I know I'm not alone. Your best alternative is to try to build a network of people you can talk to, ask questions, reflect with and learn from: go to events, reach out (both at said events and places like LinkedIn) and build those relationships. It will help you learn and grow while also helping you connect with your peers.

In game design, there's always more to learn: every new game has something to teach you, each failure and success has points to take away. Examine and reflect on games, on their construction and mechanics. What do they do well? Where do you feel they fall short? What do players seem to dislike or enjoy? What would you do differently? You can read, listen to podcasts, watch videos, attend conferences, etc - and these are all excellent! But don't overlook the fact that you can learn a lot both by playing games, and by seeing how others feel about the games they play.

It has been tremendously rewarding to become a Dale Carnegie trainer and continuously introduce people skills to mid-level managers. I can't stress enough the transformation Trainers witness time after time when the light bulb comes on for those managers as they experience breakthrough out of their comfort zones in effective communication, self-confidence, and enhanced leadership skills. Managers implementing the Dale Carnegie Human Relations Principles achieve change in behavior, therefore achieving positive effective leadership growth. Challenge yourself to grow from good to great! Dalecarnegie.com

Take some time to research and think about the kind of leader you want to be. Pay attention to other leaders in meetings, note their leadership style and decide where you align. Do a self-assessment, but be honest with yourself, decide what your best leadership qualities and soft skills are, but be open to improving on the ones you find lacking. A good leader knows what skills they need to improve upon.

Teaching a college class is an excellent way to practice leadership. You will direct, encourage and mentor 30+ students which will not only teach dissents about the game industry, but will teach you about your own leadership qualities. Teaching is a great way not only to impart knowledge but to gain it.