A presentation in a meeting room, with one person explaining while others listen — a symbol of guidance, exchange and leadership.
Overview

Leadership at pixelart: why we’re shaping it together

Overview
Leadership at pixelart: why we’re shaping it together

Many companies define leadership from the top down. Our understanding of leadership at pixelart has developed differently: collaboratively, from our day-to-day work, step by step, through personal exchange and with a consciously iterative approach.

 

How it all started

Our leadership workshop made one thing clear: we were bringing different perspectives and expectations to the table. How quickly should we make decisions? How much alignment do we really need? And what does taking responsibility actually look like in day-to-day work?

Those conversations showed us that, while we all take on leadership in our own ways, we were not always working from the same shared understanding. So that became our focus: creating a clear, common view of leadership that genuinely reflects how we want to lead at pixelart.

LEADERSHIP AT PIXELART

Our understanding of leadership did not start from scratch. It was deliberately shaped by what makes pixelart who we are: our vision and mission, our culture and our values. The question was not how leadership works in general, but what leadership means in practice at pixelart.

Clarity Drives Leadership

Why clarity matters

In a digital agency, many things are happening at once. Client projects, internal initiatives and leadership responsibilities are closely connected, while requirements continue to change and priorities shift. Decisions often have to be made under time pressure. What is often missing in these moments is not expertise, but clarity: clarity about what we expect from leadership and how it should show up in our day-to-day work.

That is why we made a conscious decision not to simply prescribe what leadership should look like. Instead of defining a ready-made model, we involved our leaders across all locations in the process. Our aim was not to produce a result as quickly as possible, but to develop a shared understanding that would hold up in everyday practice. Throughout the process, we had in-depth discussions, challenged existing assumptions and kept refining our perspectives until a clear and robust picture of leadership began to emerge. We also brought in external support to add fresh perspectives, question familiar patterns and challenge our discussions in a focused way.

The key difference for me was that leadership wasn’t explained to us. We developed it together.

A woman with long, light-coloured hair smiles at the camera. She is standing in a bright, modern interior; the background is out of focus.
Sarah Aichinger
People & Culture Manager

From Insight to Action

Putting leadership into practice

Our leadership compass grew out of this shared, iterative process. It is not a theoretical concept, but a practical guide rooted in the way we work. It describes specific, observable leadership behaviours in day-to-day situations and makes them tangible through clear behavioural anchors. Building on this, we define:

  • which leadership behaviours should be visible in everyday work
  • which behavioural anchors provide guidance
  • which leadership competencies are needed for effective implementation

For us, effective leadership comes from the interplay between behaviour and competence. At the same time, we were clear: this is not the endpoint, but the starting point for continuous development.

The external guidance helped us become more aware of existing patterns and approach our discussions from new perspectives.

A woman with dark, shoulder-length hair smiles slightly at the camera. She is wearing a blazer and jewellery; the background is out of focus.
Katrin Lackner
People & Culture Manager
Three people are standing or sitting at a table in a modern interior. One person is writing on paper while the others look on attentively. The image is overlaid with a turquoise-green colour gradient.

Leadership in everyday practice

Bringing leadership to life

The real difference, then, is not in the compass itself. It is in how we use it in our day-to-day work. At pixelart, leadership comes to life through reflection, feedback and focused development.

 

The core elements

Reflection
For us, reflection means taking an honest look at the impact we have on others. Where did I take too much control instead of handing over responsibility? Where did I create clarity, and where did I avoid it?
Feedback
Feedback shows how leadership is actually experienced by others. How does my team experience my decisions? Where do I provide direction, and where might I be creating uncertainty?
Development
Development does not happen on paper, but through action. What will I do differently in the next project? Which change in behaviour will I actively try out?
A meeting situation with several people developing ideas together on a glass board – a symbol of exchange, planning and collaboration.

Leadership in action

The moments that matter

We see this most clearly in everyday moments: when priorities are unclear and the team needs direction. When conflict arises and is addressed openly instead of being left unspoken. Or when someone takes responsibility before every detail is known. These are the moments that show whether our understanding of leadership really works in practice.

 

What we gain goes beyond leadership

Above all, it creates a shared understanding that provides direction and does not depend on individual people.

Visible responsibility

Clearer decisions

Stronger commitment to collaboration

Built together, made to last

The difference lies less in the "what" and more in the "how". At pixelart, leadership is not a finished system, but a shared development process. One that only works because we all take ownership of it and are willing to keep evolving it over time. Leadership at pixelart was not prescribed from the top down.

It grew from within our organisation and that is exactly what makes the difference. If leadership is to have a real impact in everyday work, defining it is not enough. It has to be developed together. And that is what we want to encourage others to do.

 

Would you like to learn more about leadership at pixelart?

Sarah Aichinger

A woman with long, light-coloured hair smiles at the camera. She is standing in a bright, modern interior, with the background softly out of focus.
Sarah Aichinger, People & Culture Manager
Contact via e-mail

Katrin Lackner

A woman with dark, shoulder-length hair smiles slightly at the camera. She is wearing a blazer and jewellery; the background is out of focus.
Katrin Lackner, People & Culture Manager
Contact via e-mail