How to effectively lead leaders in game development

Charity Joy, speaking at Develop Brighton, describes how to lead people who manage other leaders in game development. Her approach centers on asking questions, staying open to not knowing, and using clear communication to keep teams aligned.

She also frames coaching, facilitation, trust, and consistency as practical habits for managers. The article links trust to a simple way of reading problems, and it treats consistency as something leaders build through deliberate practice and self-awareness.

Reading notes

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• Curiosity matters when leading leaders, especially the ability to stay open, ask questions, and accept not knowing
• “Knowing” can block learning and make it harder to lead people with different expertise
• Good questions should go below the surface, and leaders should pause before answering so responses are thoughtful and useful
• Clear messaging at the top matters because confusion at leadership level spreads through the team
• Managers should avoid assuming their team cannot handle bad news or needs less guidance because they are experts
• Coaching means asking questions, offering frameworks, and helping people find their own answers
• Coaching is easier outside your own area of expertise, because it reduces the urge to say what you would have done
• A good facilitator knows when to step back, speak last, and let the team be heard
• Trust can be examined through capability, reliability, and motive
• Adding more meetings or processes is often a response to problems, but removing unnecessary ones may improve speed and trust
• Consistency and authenticity build trust, and leaders should be intentional about how they show up
• Joy uses mantras and “I am” statements to reset herself and practice the role she wants to play