I find the whole "spirit animals" B.S. a little passive-aggressive and quite offensive. That has nothing to do with the effect of design on business goals. And if you have a problem with your designer dragging things on then find somebody else.
I have nothing else to say to you. I've made the value of design, real design, quite clear. If you don't understand that value, it's a personal problem.
Design is valuable, but that value is of significantly different importance depending on the businesses. For some business, it's a key part of what they do. For others, it's just a checklist item. For a few, professional design would probably be harmful. (Example: The Drudge Report)
I have nothing else to say to you. I've made the value of design, real design, quite clear. If you don't understand that value, it's a personal problem.