Not because of AI
I've watched it happen over and over.
Someone gets promoted to lead a design team. First year, they're still designing part-time. By year two, it's all meetings and strategy. By year three, their team stops listening to their design feedback.
Because you can't critique work you're no longer doing.
Last year, I heard a design director told a designer to "just simplify the navigation." The designer asked how. The director couldn't answer. Just kept saying "make it cleaner."
That's what happens when you stop practicing your craft.
I've led teams for 6 years. And I still design. Not full-time, but enough to understand current tools, patterns, and constraints. Enough to give specific feedback instead of vague direction.
Your team knows when you're bullshitting. They know when your last hands-on project was 5 years ago.
You don't need to outdesign your team. But if you can't open Figma and demonstrate what you're asking for, you're not leading designers.
You're just managing meetings.
And is that really what you wanna do?