THE 5 LESSONS MISSING IN CHINA DESIGN
"To excel in martial arts, one must perfect the techniques and cultivate the mindset. Moves and mindset must complement each other to achieve true mastery."
A Free, Interactive Book Club Gathering
This is not a lecture. It is not a workshop. It is an invitation to sit together, over coffee or tea, and explore a question that matters:
What if the thing holding your work back isn't your skill… but your way of seeing?
What This Gathering Is
I wrote The Five Lessons Missing in China Design because I saw the same pattern again and again: brilliant designers, exceptional technical skill, yet somehow stuck. The missing piece was never about drawing better. It was about seeing differently.
Now, I want to share these five lessons not through a book you read alone, but through a conversation we have together.
Over the course of two relaxed hours, we will explore:
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The mindset shifts that separate good designers from those who truly lead
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Why technical excellence alone no longer guarantees relevance, especially in the age of AI
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How to move from being a "service provider" to being a trusted strategic partner
What You Will Experience
A space to think, not just listen
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You will not sit in rows and take notes. You will sit in a circle, with coffee or tea in hand, and engage with others who are asking the same questions you are.
A glimpse of what you may have been missing
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Through conversation and reflection, you will begin to see the patterns in your own work, the invisible assumptions, the hidden ceilings that have been holding you back.
A new way forward
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You will leave not with a thick workbook, but with a question to carry with you. A new lens. A felt sense of where to go next.
Who This Is For
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Design firms that want their teams to think, not just execute
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Companies that want to apply creative thinking to their business challenges
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Anyone who suspects that the next level of their work requires not more skill, but a different mindset
Format
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Length: 2 hours
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Format: In-person, intimate, interactive
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Setting: Relaxed, with coffee or tea
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Cost: Free (by invitation)
What Past Participants Have Said
"I came expecting to learn something about design. I left realizing I needed to learn something about myself." - Lisa Li (Design Director - Shanghai)
"The conversation stayed with me long after the coffee went cold. I started seeing my clients differently, and they started seeing me differently too." - Kevin Chen (Founder - SZ)
How to Join
This is not a public event. It is an intimate gathering for those who are ready to see differently.
If you would like to host a session for your team, or if you would like to be invited to the next gathering - LET'S TALK.
1st Lesson
Why hasn't your creativity been unleashed?
Creativity is a skill that designers utilize every day, yet many designers ask me how to enhance it. What is the continuous energy of activating creativity? How can it naturally serve your?
2nd Lesson
Why should winning be achieved better than just good?
To achieve winning in bidding, first set aside considerations of relationships; technical proficiency and mindset must progress in parallel. It's about doing better than others and excelling beyond good. So, what methods are there? Both the client and you are human, inevitably intertwined with psychological factors. What methods can lead the client to appreciate your design? And what methods can instill confidence in the client to invest in your design?
3rd Lesson
Why do designers have
blind spots?
Emerging designers often revel in the honeymoon phase of design, which occurs during the initial stages of a project. However, as projects progress, challenges such as designs not getting approved, clients delaying payments, team disagreements, and unclear client feedback will likely arise. Why do many schools fail to educate students that design is also a business? Excelling in design requires more than just technical training - it demands a broad understanding of business principles."
4th Lesson
How to understand the
design client?
From the client's perspective, they make significant investments in design, hence the need for cautious communication and rigorous approval processes, which is understandable. How can designers unearth clients' needs through questioning, observation, and active listening while ensuring client satisfaction and leaving a positive impression? Understanding the cultural differences between Chinese clients and Western practices, how can local designers leverage their strengths and complement those of Western designers effectively?
5th Lesson
Why is unlearning a form of power?
Regardless of the lifestyle designers pursue, the goal is to enrich both their life and creativity, not to simply engage in tea tasting for the sake of it or travel just to travel. It is a process that allows one to transform the everyday knowledge they have acquired into wisdom. Why? Because a company's culture and values originate from you as a leader. Rest is about enabling individuals to see themselves clearly, fostering a harmonious blend of life and work.
Our Commitment
1. On Your Investment
This is not an expense. It’s an investment in yourself.
All investments carry risk. We minimize that risk together:
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If you cancel 30 days or more before the program starts, your full fee can be transferred to any program within the next 12 months.
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If you cancel at least 48 hours before the start, your fee is credited toward future programs (valid for 12 months).
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If you “no-show” or cancel at the last minute, the credit cannot be held. We have reserved your seat, prepared materials, and committed our time for you.
There is no “no refund” wall. Only a door that holds your value for you.
2. On Our Dialogue
Coaching works when we both speak the truth.
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I will be 100% transparent with you - what I see, what I sense, where I think you’re stuck - I will say it.
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I invite you to do the same. Don’t be afraid to say: “I don’t know,” “I’m scared,” “I’m not sure.”
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If you email me, I will reply within 24 hours (usually sooner).
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If words on a page don’t work, I will offer an extra conversation with you. No charge.
This is safe honesty. Not comfortable politeness.
3. On Your Action
Coaching is not “listening to a lecture.” It’s “taking action while being seen.”
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Be on time. Be prepared.
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I will be fully prepared - your background, your goal, what you said last time.
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Come with action. Even a small step. Even an attempt. Even a failure. Failure is our best textbook.
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I will give you real feedback. No fluff. No pleasing. No avoidance.
You are not alone. I will walk with you. But you must walk the path.
One last thing
This is not a legal contract. This is our working covenant.
You commit. I commit.
You invest. I invest.
If you don’t feel the value, we talk.
If it’s not right, we stop.
No drama. Only mutual respect.
Which One Best Describes Your Desire?
1:1
CEO/FOUNDER
COACHING
I work with David because I want to lead my organization into its next evolution.
Not just growth. Not just scale. A genuine shift - in how we see, how we align, how we move together.
My goal is to turn latent potential into real advantage: to build an organization that runs on clarity, to create a vision that draws exceptional people toward it, and to design leadership structures where collaboration becomes a competitive edge.
I believe this: refining my own strategic mindset is the single most powerful move I can make to unlock the collective genius of my entire team.
DeepAlign
THE DEEP ALIGNMENT INTENSIVE
We engage David as our Strategic Alignment Partner - not to advise from the outside, but to sit with us at the table where decisions are made.
His role is simple: to help us see what we cannot see alone. To surface the hidden patterns, name the undiscussable, and find the root of what's really in our way.
Together, we will navigate our most complex challenges, build strategy that holds up against an uncertain future, and ensure our investments return what they should.
Most critically: we will co-create a vision that does not just sit on a slide - but becomes the organizing force of how we work, how we lead, and how we win.
Our goal is not just alignment.
It is Deep Alignment - where clarity becomes our competitive advantage, and collaboration becomes the engine of our growth.
S3
SYMBIOSIS 3.0 EVOLUTION CAMP
We don't just want to solve today's problems. We want to build a team that can handle whatever comes next.
That's why we invited David to partner with us - not as a vendor, but as a co-creator.
Through his 3-day Evolution Camp, he will help our leadership team develop a new way of working together. Not theory. Not slides. We will use our own real challenges as the material.
By the end, we won't just understand alignment. We will live it. We will have a team that moves with clarity, adapts with confidence, and turns collaboration into our competitive edge.
This is how we prepare for the AI era. This is how we evolve.
WWIN
THE WIN-WIN INTENSIVE
Not a keynote. A coaching experience.
We bring David in to help your team do one thing: WIN.
Not just the pitch, but the clarity, the alignment, and the confidence to win again without him.
He doesn't lecture. He works with your real challenges, through questioning, role-play, and a replicable system your team can own.
Your leaders stop performing. They start seeing. They walk away with a new lens and a team that knows how to win together.
This is not inspiration that fades by Monday.
This is a system that stays.
If You Are Unsure Which One
Suits Your Needs Best
LET'S HAVE A
CLARITY CALL
Not sure which option best suits your needs?
Don't worry! Let's have a Clarity Call to uncover your requirements together.
Sometimes, revealing the pain points of your business, addressing long-standing issues, and exploring your underlying concerns might seem daunting before getting started.
If you find yourself uncertain, you're not alone!
LET'S TALK TO LEARN MORE.
