Creative challenges have no borders

I was reading an article on one of my regular haunts, Spin Sucks, which discussed the challenges with creativity in the PR world and offered ways to increase the level of creativity specific to the their industry. There were 3 factors identified which could increase the opportunity for more creative output; curiosity, constraints and conflict.

As an Interior Designer I don’t know a whole lot about the PR world but I do know that inner beast called creativity and its ability to challenge our industry professionals.

Curiosity aside (c’mon, really?) dealing with conflict and constraints sounds familiar doesn’t it? We deal with conflict in our lives every day and constraints are natural to the business of Architecture and Interior Design.

I left a comment on the site and suggested a designer’s approach to creativity regularly creates conflict within constraints and in reality that’s where the fun really begins.

I was asked to put my money where my mouth is.

Projects are constraints.

Every project has constraints; area, cost, time, skills, etc.

As long as I can remember constrains drive the eventual solutions to any design problem. Constraints are always present regardless of how flexible they may seem so when I suggested designers find conflict within the constrains and the conflict is where the fun happens what I really mean to say is we test the constraints to ensure the results are not simply fit neatly into a box.

As designers, we try not to take anything at face value.

My lovely wife and I were discussing the word conflict and being forever positive she suggested that conflict is not a great word to describe what she sees as creative tension. We agreed creative tension is a better way to define conflict in the design process.

The words that get associated with conflict are collision, disagreement, contradictory, opposition, interference and incompatibility. All good words when you think about challenging the status quo or in this case instigating creative tension. I am not a big fan of groupthink, going with the flow or path of least resistance stuff.

Improved solutions to problems are normally the result of challenging ideas.

It’s worth the effort.

Let’s see if creative tension gets results.

On a recent project a client started the process by suggesting to us that applying a technology based solution was the best way they could keep up with the changing landscape of their business. They wanted the design to leverage their existing database of content through established social tools. The design needed to respond to the experiences their business partners, customers and staff would have as they engaged with the company. Their major constraints were lease expiry, the class of their existing building and the impact of technology (mobile and social) on their workforce, customers and clients.

With that in mind we set out to define what conflict (creative tension) exists based on the list of following constraints common in our work.

• time to implement
• cost to implement
• program of requirements (what is that the client wants/needs, what are their specific goals?)
• economic conditions (regional, national or global – it affects our thinking not only the client’s)
• space limitations (a box is a box)
• cultural norms (drives attitude, preferences, interests all which affect solutions)
• client knowledge or understanding of process (does the client understand how you get from A to B and how do they “plug in”. Approvals aside, they have to be allowed to “play”)
• available resources (what tools do you have and how can you use them? what tools are missing?)
• competitive advantage for or against (are you an incumbent or are you new, how much of this work have you done? do you understand their industry?)
• skill sets (who you have, who you can get, what they can do)
• precedent work (what your past experiences are and how they affect your solutions – sometimes precedent work inhibits new ideas)

When applying the list of constraints to the project the following conflict (creative tension) was discovered as opportunity to influence the resulting design.

Opposing viewpoints to design intent.

Challenging the client to see which program elements truly impact the direction for a project. Ask difficult questions. Why did they choose the program? How did they come up with the program? Once we have the design intent in place we prioritized the program requirements to demonstrate their impact to the design solution. We also played with removing program requirements to examine the client’s reaction.

What can result is the critical elements are solidified in their true order of priority.

Challenging defined processes

We have done design the same way forever. Before we start we try to push designers to examine the opportunities for developing ideas. What ways can we use the tools (skills, software, etc) to find the answers? Using video, for example, to show how the design evolved or ignoring the linear design process to exploring different ways to develop ideas.

Not accepting the status quo and/or challenging trends

Just because technology is the trend of the future does not mean it is meant to drive the design from both a process or implementation perspective. What are the impacts to driving technology as a solution? How will people be impacted by the change?

Limiting thinking simply to the immediate program does not necessarily yield the best results. Looking at alternate approaches and how the organization is affected by pushing the solutions beyond the program can open the doors to innovation. Thinking about the future impact to an organization as a whole and what impact the current program may have on the overall operations as it is implemented can drive the project in directions that may have not been considered. Testing new directions back against the fixed constraints can yield interesting results.

Challenging fixed behavior

Look for new ways to solve a problem.

What behaviors do other industry professionals bring to the design problem? Every project has a team and exposing other industry professionals to the project scope to challenge the known behaviours for programming space can yield interesting opportunities. We do this with design charettes and deliberately allow open and completely free thinking. The advantage we have is we have disciplines across a variety of sectors of our business (i.e. mechanical, electrical, structural, sustainability, urban planning) but you can do this with traditional companies too by asking sales, accounting, HR, facilities, etc staff to bring their expertise to the table to discuss the impact of proposed program against their experiences.

Challenging complexity vs simplicity

The design process is a complex beast. How can we find a way to eliminate process, challenge progress by stripping nonessential process from a design exercise? Or on the contrary what do we add to enhance the opportunity for innovative output? We are constantly looking for ways to simplify process to gain efficiency and at times efficiency can limit the ability to be highly creative but efficiency constraints (time, budget) can sometimes yield amazing results.

Asking designers to work within very tight constraints enhances creative thinking. Consideration to a client’s budget can drive innovative thinking. Even if a client has the time and money, why spend it if you don’t have to?

The jury is deliberating.

In this case, the client requested a variety of optional solutions. We decided to give them one which layered several ideas into a single approach. Each one is essentially peeled away through layers to offer slow integration. The benefits of this approach allowed us to spread the financial impact over time (another constraint) and as a result graduated impact to their existing space. This approach allows time for the design to be tested, for the final solution to evolve over time and time to build on the client relationship.

The resulting solution is the client is using a retail approach to engage customers, staff and clients in a corporate business environment.

Over to you:

So, what do you think? Can you apply these approaches to your industry or projects? It’s really just about challenging thinking!

Let me ask, how observant are you?

Have you ever noticed when a place or space is fully designed to when it is not, where each object relates to its immediate surroundings and the immediate surroundings relate to the overall space painting a complete picture?

We attended a lecture recently that featured a new book released on the career of Finnish-American Architect Eero Saarinen. The speaker mentioned that Mr. Saarinen enjoyed describing his work in that way. He spoke often about entering a place he designed describing it as feeling harmonious.

Complete.

Mr. Saarinen was a highly trained Architect with many years of experience. His exacting nature and attention to detail, form and the relationship between the parts and their whole was inherent in his nature as an Architect and the interesting thing is that Mr. Saarinen was not limited by scale. He took the same approach to a designing piece of furniture as he did for his buildings.

Do you notice if a space, place or object was that well thought through? Is there a subconscious understanding of harmony when it works?

Do you sense it?

The next time you are in a building or public space close your eyes for a few seconds. When you open them take a good look around.

How does it feel to you?

Can you see the nuanced relationship between the parts that make it whole?

That analogy, to me, is similar to how a conductor or musician hears music or a sommelier can discern the subtle differences in a bottle of wine.

A trained ear, a trained palate or a trained eye.

As professionals we all have certain learned skills which give us an advantage in our daily lives but the beautiful thing is that we can’t be experts at everything. We can try many things, passionately enjoy hobbies that bring us happiness; however, we live with the notion that our expertise will be limited in some aspects of our lives because we choose to focus our effort in specific ways.

I truly believe anyone can learn whatever they choose to put their mind to.

Just not everything.

You may be a writer, an accountant, a graphic designer, an architect, a marketing professional, a coach whatever you do you have likely become an expert at it. Have you committed your 10,000 hours to your profession? If you work at 100% efficiency and full time for 50 weeks a year it will take you 5 years to become what Malcolm Gladwell calls an expert.

Only 5 years!!!

We all know that a level of efficiency and focus on any profession is not necessarily achievable at that level. It’s almost myopic to think so, however, if you have been focussed on doing your thing for any considerable amount of time you surely are close or have become an expert at it.

Mr. Saarinen practiced Architecture for about 25 years before his untimely death in 1961. Based on Mr. Gladwell’s estimation he was certainly an expert at Architecture.

My hobby is writing this blog.

If I consider the time I have researched blogging and written posts, interacted with other bloggers over the past 18 months to learn the art of blogging I would say I have spent less than a 1,000 hours blogging. Am I an expert blogger? Based on the numbers alone, not even close.

Did you notice (rhetorical question, of course)?

I am an expert of another kind though.

After 26 years working in the Interior Design profession I have gained the knowledge, objectivity and experience to understand whether a place is in harmony.

Choices, choices, choices.

Perception and personal preference play into most decisions we make wouldn’t you agree?

That’s why, in many cases, we make the choices we do.

I often go back to the choice that comes with selecting a wine or beer. Most people enjoy either beverage and they know what they like. Can you (or do you even care) select the best in its class or inherently understand why one choice is better than another? Like many things in life we go with what we like or what tastes good to us but if a professional points out the nuances to you do you trust their judgment? Do you gain a better understanding or appreciation for the flavours?

Well, I don’t know about you but I sure do.

Are you always going to get an expert to advise you in the choices you make?

Probably not but I would guess that if you are making a big enough of an investment you may consider a professional to guide you through the process.

Enthusiasm and passion go a long way but there really is no substitute for real world experience.

Is there?

When we get paid for work we try to do as little as possible.

Think about it.

The mindset of work is structured in a way that makes us want to put a lot of effort into doing as little as possible. It’s a defense mechanism that we all succumb to.

Why?

Well the alternative is the value of the work gets diluted.

If you have ever worked in a large consultancy (or any consultancy for that matter) you will understand this principle. In fact, it is so inherent that it is a part of the culture of most firms. Logically, there is no other way to operate in order to feed the machine’s many moving parts. Consider all the factors such as rent, salaries, equipment, marketing, supplies and human resources and how they drive the culture of work. Better usually acquiesces to faster which gives us the perception of cheaper and as a result is the catalyst to feed the machine.

Effort is heavily influenced by time.

The most important driver of project work is the deadline therefore we are conditioned to focus on deadlines and not much else. The deadline, in itself, has been the “constraint de jour” for hundreds of years and we abide by its almighty rule without thinking about it much at all.

What’s worse is it contains the word dead; aptly named.

What’s the pressure we feel as we approach the line? It feels like a point of no return and it is inherent to business practice. There has to be a line in the sand otherwise we would never get anything done. We are slaves to the line. It’s how we’re wired and it’s important that we recognize how the line in the sand is the constraint, right or wrong, which drives the bus as we work on a project.

The deadline forces our hand in another way.

We mentioned the necessity to keep the machine rolling and the resulting constraints are how we define value. The perception of value is the other significant factor that affects the outcome of most projects.

The amount of work we can do is driven by the deadline and the amount of work itself defines value.

Ask yourself these questions:

What’s valuable to your client in comparison to what is valuable to you?

Is your client getting the best from you for the value of work?

Is value perceived equally across the organization or project by project?

What drives the perception of value when you are considering a project?

Value, in financial terms, is derived by subtracting cost from the financial commitment your client is willing to make for you to meet their list of constraints.

In simple math; time = money.

So what happens when the value is not there? We look for ways to adjust the constraints to our advantage, right?

What happens when the recipient of your services doesn’t understand value the same way you do? We look for ways to adjust the constraints to our advantage, right?

I am by no means simply doing my work because I love it. I do, in fact, love the world of architecture and design but I also love my trips to France, my weekends with family and friends and my creature comforts so I have to resolve the limitations around the constraints of work or life will become much different than it is. It seems I have to bow down to the constraints of time (the deadline) and cost (value) and work as hard as I can to work as little as possible.

Am I stuck?

Over the past 18 months I have read articles by entrepreneurs, solopreneurs and small businesses write about things like freedom and opportunity to seek a path without constraints; the freedom to see what sticks. I applaud every one of them for their effort. I have a deep respect for their stick-to-it-ness, their effort, the free flow of ideas and the vast land of opportunity.

Sure, creature comforts are relative and there is certainly more satisfaction in life than trips to NYC or France (two of my favourite paves to go).

What about opportunity?

Opportunity has no line in the sand. It has no constraints and it can generate the best feelings that you have ever felt.

If you are like me and are employed then think about those times when you were given a chance to try something new without someone placing constraints on you. Has it ever happened? Sure it has. How did you feel?

That’s opportunity!

Or, try this. You are changing employers. Think about the interview process, think about the discussions and think about how your world will change as a result of the change. How did that make you feel?

That’s opportunity!

Seth Godin, the entrepreneur’s golden boy, was recently interviewed by another entrepreneur, my friend (at least I hope I can call him that) Srinivas Rao and the conversation covered a wide range of topics. We got a peek into Seth’s life as a young man and heard a bit about his upbringing which started to paint a very clear picture that he was, from a very early age, wired to be entrepreneurial. He went on to speak about his recent venture The Domino Project and brought up a very interesting point of view. I won’t go into the details (you can listen here – go to the 38;00 min mark if you don’t have time for the whole interview) but the notion was that he hired some young folks, paid them a salary and then found they were under performing even with awesome chance to work with Seth Godin and on such an auspicious project as Domino.

The a-ha moment.

What he realized was that once people are paid for their work they will do as little as possible to get the job done.

I don’t want to steal Seth’s thunder so I won’t go into how he solved the problem but he did and because of that we were able to experience The Domino Project.

Seth eliminated the constraints completely from the project because he had the luxury to do so. He was being entrepreneurial and as a result he convinced his paid employees, like you and me, to see the value of the effort in a different way.

The sense that we can find value in the work we do by looking for opportunity to change the outcome can still live within the constraints of our work. Our work is not limited by effort if we consider exerting the right effort at the right time. The passion to do meaningful work, even in the simplest of tasks, changes the outcome normally for the better. Seeing opportunity changes how the game is played and the more we look for it the more it becomes the way we do things.

Opportunity makes people happy.

Happy people recognize opportunity sooner and more readily seek it out. The effort necessary to discover and build on opportunity is the residual benefit of great work.

Over to you:

Do you find yourself looking for ways to cut corners? Do you see the value in opportunity by looking for the right answers? What do you see as the constraints in your work that drive what you do? Can those constraints change?

Let ‘er rip in the comments.

That’s what it is if you never return an email, text or phone call. When someone does that to me it pisses me off.

Royally.

You work hard and get nothing in return. In a business setting it’s not as if you go out of your way just for fun, right? You actually have a reason to reach out otherwise you wouldn’t.

Actually, it doesn’t matter if it’s business or personal.

Does it?

I read somewhere that email is now considered old school. I am a 47 year old guy. To some I am still young but to many people I come across I am already old. It scares me at times because I am afraid my traits as a Gen X personality may get in the way of my technological flexibly and my attitude toward acknowledgment.

I still think it’s important to acknowledge someone directly when engaged.

Hey, these days’ people talk a lot about littering data steams with useless information. Filling the echo chamber with needless chatter is the resounding call of the internet kings of the day. For example there was some debate (80+ comments is a good indicator) recently about whether or not it’s a waste of time to thank people on Twitter for an RT (retweet) because all we would be doing is littering our streams with seemingly useless data.

Ridiculous.

If you receive an acknowledgement then say thank you. What the heck is wrong with that? Littering a data stream?

Really?

Are sound waves and email treated as the same thing?

It’s a ludicrous argument to think that someone is too busy to acknowledge you when they get addressed personally. Look, I am not talking about being spammed here. I am simply saying that if someone spends their valuable hard earned time to send you an email, calls you, tweets you or drops you a message on Facebook how difficult is it to return the favour?

Sure, there is still a discernable difference between being social and conducting business but we know the lines are blurred these days so it doesn’t much matter anymore which it is. If you are in business you are going to have to be social and if you are going to be social then you are going to have to respond.

In a timely manner.

No matter who you think you are.

Plain and simple.

And don’t try to tell me that you can’t do it because there is too much going on. That’s “you know what” and a perfect example of No. 10 on my TRY SAYING THIS INSTEAD list.

How do you feel when you are acknowledged?

Pretty damn good I bet.

So, if you can’t find the time in the day to respond with some meaning at least drop a quick email or text or tweet or whatever with a “I will get back to you.” And for heaven sake say thank you when you get acknowledged in the social spaces.

It will make you feel better too.

Do I do that?

You bet your bacon I do.

I am not superman either.

I am just a man standing in front of his social media world asking it to love him.

Over to you:

How do you deal with the huge influx of messaging, calls and emails on a daily basis? How do you ensure the people who take the time to share your message with their world know that you care about them too?

Think about the last time something really upset you.

Upset or not, you have a job to do.

We all do regardless of what our situation is. Heck, if you are a stay at home parent you have a job and because of that there will always be a situation that might not be to your liking.

Are you in a management position or are you managed by someone?

If you do or if you are then this list post is for you too.

Even if you are your own boss you will still find this list beneficial. Why? Well, this list is about communication and the last time I checked no one is an island.

We all have clients, colleagues, contractors, consultants and deal with clerks, shop keepers or servers with which we need to communicate every day. As humans we all need to communicate and if we want to simply get by, make friends, keep friends or get from A to B then good communication is a key ingredient of our collective journey.

Sometimes knowing when not to talk is also a form of good communication.

I realized this today when commenting on a friend’s blog. I injected myself into a conversation (as you do) where I discovered quickly that I would have a difficult time articulating my view on a seemingly sensitive subject. I should have simply read the piece and backed away but alas I did not. After a few attempts to communicate my point of view I realized I wasn’t able to articulate myself clearly.

I apologized and then chose to gracefully back away.

<wipes brow>

Good communication is no laughing matter.

Joking about serious issues has always been my style but in this case that wasn’t the flavour of the piece and in hindsight the best thing I could have done is not written anything at all. I really enjoyed the post and had an opinion on the subject matter but the discussion that ensued wasn’t something that I was clearly understanding or willing to take a stand on.

There was no kidding around today.

Even though the conversation got a little serious no foul language was used and for that I am glad.

That is not always the case in all situations, is it?

There are always those select individuals that tend to use foul language during the course of heated conversation and in most cases I have found that people can get offended by it so I make it a point to refrain from using expletives.

Do you get offended?

Personally, I have heard it all in my day and it doesn’t bother me, however, I think it takes some skill to be articulate in any situation and resorting to the use of expletives simply lacks grace.

Therefore foul language will never be tolerated in this house.

We do, however, realize the critical importance of being able to accurately express your feelings when communicating with people when you are upset or irritated and that’s why we have prepared the following list.

16 new and innovative TRY SAYING THIS INSTEAD phrases.

When you find yourself in a frustrating situation we feel that these phrases will foster the exchange of ideas and information in a much more effective manner.

So, in celebration of good communication here we go:

• TRY SAYING: I think you could use more training.
• INSTEAD OF: You don’t know what the f**k you’re doing.

• TRY SAYING: Perhaps I can work late.
• INSTEAD OF: And when the f**k do you expect me to do this?

•  TRY SAYING: I’m certain that isn’t feasible.
• INSTEAD OF: There’s no f**king way.

• TRY SAYING: Really?
• INSTEAD OF: You’ve got to be sh**ting me!

• TRY SAYING: Perhaps you should check with….
• INSTEAD OF: Tell someone who gives a f**k.

• TRY SAYING: I wasn’t involved in the project.
• INSTEAD OF: It’s not my f**king problem.

• TRY SAYING: That’s interesting.
• INSTEAD OF: What the f**k?

• TRY SAYING: I’m not sure this can be implemented. 
• INSTEAD OF: This s**t won’t work.

• TRY SAYING: I’ll try to schedule that into today’s activities.
• INSTEAD OF: Why the f**k didn’t you tell me sooner?

• TRY SAYING: He’s not familiar with the issues…. 
• INSTEAD OF: He’s got his head up his ass.

• TRY SAYING: So you weren’t happy with it?
• INSTEAD OF: Kiss my ass, motherf**ker.

• TRY SAYING: I’m a bit overloaded at the moment.
• INSTEAD OF: F**k it, I’m on salary.

• TRY SAYING: I don’t think you understand.
• INSTEAD OF: Shove it up your ass.

• TRY SAYING: I love a challenge.
• INSTEAD OF: This f**king job is killing me.

• TRY SAYING: You want me to take care of that?
• INSTEAD OF: Who the f**k died and made you boss?

• TRY SAYING: He’s somewhat insensitive.
• INSTEAD OF: He’s a f**king prick.

So, there you have it. What better way can there be to get your point across than being nice, respectful and cordial even if you are thinking about tearing someone a new one. Have a glorious day my friends and remember good communication is the key to a happy fruitful life and career.

Over to you:

What’s your favourite way of dealing with that annoying or difficult situation that you can’t seem to understand?

A stupid little dreamer……..but am I the only one?

If I could see something……

You can see anything you want boy.

If I could be someone……..

You can be anyone, celebrate boy.

If I could do something…….

Well you can do something.

If I could do anything…….

Well can you do something out of this world?

Is it because I have crazy ideas or I spend some of my time day-dreaming?

Daydreaming is a great thing to do in my book. Daydreaming allows you to relax your mind and it allows you to let the ideas flow. Those are both really good things but I suppose it’s seen as a negative because it can appear as if you are unproductive.

On the surface.

So, what? Would you let a little criticism dissuade you from pursuing your creative ability?

Personally I need it.

My life consists of the extremes of organization. When you are responsible for a big team and a client with a national portfolio being well organized is table stakes. Let’s just say that there are a lot of irons in the fire – all the time.

Without good organizational skills you would never survive.

Many of my colleagues may think there is little creativity in a role like this but on the contrary being creative in this role is a must in order to remain ahead of the curve. Consistently looking for opportunities to improve service, streamline process and keep a team motivated is a clear creative challenge.

My client is not unlike a modern day Medusa.

Mortal but lethal.

I know it isn’t a positive analogy. Turning its consultants to stone is less the interpretation than the awareness one must have of the many moving heads each with its dose of venomous sting. Portrayed as ire in the female form unable to confront it face to face the imagery paints a scene of extreme duress.

This not the case but if you lose focus it will bite.

The Hydra didn’t seem to fit the bill regardless of its ability to regenerate its heads once lopped off. Actually, maybe that is more to the point. Once an issue is slain two others surface in its place if the issue isn’t sufficiently resolved. Cauterized. That can go for pretty much any relationship though, huh?

This relationship does not deserve such a severe analogy. Greek mythology just doesn’t seem like the right approach.

I think of myself as a lover and not a fighter and because I also consider myself a dreamer I prefer to look at it in a different way.

The relationship is a garden.

It’s so much more palatable as an image, right?

Like any garden it needs attention or the weeds will take over and it can lose its beauty. It becomes unorganized. Wild. You can watch it happen. The weeds, the growth, slowly at first then gathering speed take over the well laid ground. Its lustre diminished.

Without regular focussed tending you become a full time gardener. A labourer.

Which do you prefer?

Gardening or strolling in your garden enjoying the beauty the plants have to offer?

A garden is a nice place to daydream.

A garden is an idea factory but only if you take good care of it. Attention to the gardens needs; its growth and its management offers you the time to dream.

Are you a dreamer?

Amen brother.

Is he right?

Do you need a mission statement?

How many companies have you worked for? Or have you always been on your own?

Well, I have been at 7 during my 24 illustrious years in the A+D (Architecture + Design) Industry and I can honestly say a mission statement that influences what I do or what I have done is still forthcoming. Don’t get me wrong. There have likely been mission statements in there somewhere but what have they done for me? Up to now?

Not so much……

Oh!

You are not going to sit there and say something like “You didn’t spend the time to look for it, ask about it or understand it” are you?

I hope not because then I would have to hold up my bullshit card.

So, what about you then?

Do you work for someone, are you the kingpin of your organization or are you an entrepreneur and work for yourself? Did I leave anyone out?

What’s your mission statement? Do you know? When’s the last time you looked at it?

If you have one or have access to one go read it now.

Did you find it?

I searched around ye ole internet a bit and found that many big corporations don’t have them posted on their websites for us to see. Maybe I just don’t know where to look but there was resounding silence in the search for these, oh so fabulous, missions. I tried tech giants, auto manufacturers, clothing companies, professional services firms and on and on. After an hour of hitting websites I was out of gas.

A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization, its reason for existing.

They have to be there, right?

So why don’t any of the companies I searched have them available to John Q Public?

Based on that experience I am not suggesting that a mission statement is a bad idea I am just wondering if it really drives any results. I suppose if you look at it in the light of a way to measure success then you could certainly find some positive results by acting on the ideas that a mission statement offers. If so, then why is it so hard to find?

Wouldn’t you want that to be public knowledge?

“Oh no Bob, we can’t make our mission statement PUBLIC! What if we can’t live up to it? That would be a PR nightmare and a royal disaster.”

Personally I feel one form of success is treating people with respect and dignity and sharing the goals of the organization with employees and the company’s consumers by bringing them into the fold, so to speak. Shouldn’t the attitude of the employee base, consumer base, management and leadership be aligned? Like-minded, per se. If the stars align then the goals of the organization are met and their people and customers are happy.

“What utopia do you live in?” you might wonder. Well, you know what, I work in such an organization and so can you.

Listen, as I mentioned, I have worked in a few different places and they were not all stellar. I moved or got out because there was a misalignment between their goals or, ahem, their mission and mine.

I probably just didn’t get it.

The question is “Do you really need a mission statement to define the attitude of a corporation?”

Is it that black and white or are we talking about something that needs a lot more consideration? To me, no. If I don’t get what is going on based on my interaction with the people that I work with, the same people whose attitudes drive the results of the organization, then I don’t agree with their mission whether I know what it is or not.

Public or private.

So, go ahead and write your mission statement but before you do be sure you know why you are doing what you are doing, your people know why you are doing it and if you don’t then figure that out first. Maybe you will decide you don’t need one.

Why do I write a blog?

Because I want to have fun creating words that can help people and that can help me be a better person.

Why do I work at the firm I do?

Because I love the opportunity to think like an entrepreneur and am trusted to push the envelope within my field of expertise.

Are those my mission statements or are they just how I feel about what I do?

One and the same?

Over to you: do you have a mission statement and if you do does it mean something special to you?

If it was only that easy, huh?

We all need to use our own innate Babel Fish at times, don’t we? I like to think that I am somewhat intuitive and I do have a good grip on the English language but there are certainly times when a response to something I have said leaves me wondering if my Babel Fish is kaput. Its job is not necessarily to translate anything in your native language; however, mine gets confused at times because my native tongue is actually German. On occasion, the little bugger throws in an unwanted interpretation just by default.

I may have to have it extracted and re-calibrated to get it working properly.

If you could ask Arthur Dent he would surely tell you the Babel Fish was likely one of the best things he could have discovered in his travels around the universe. Having eliminated the challenge of language certainly opened him up to exploring all sorts of places with the confidence that he could get by without misinterpreting anything that was thrown at him.

If it was only that easy, huh?

The funny thing is that Canada and Toronto specifically is very much like the universe that Arthur Dent spent his time gallivanting around.

This city is filled with wild and wonderful characters from all different walks of life and with each comes a culture, language and communication style unto its own. The Babel Fish is very busy here.

Dealing with interpretation is a common challenge we all face on a day to day basis regardless of culture, heritage or nationality.

Notwithstanding the actual issue a foreign language presents we have to deal with barriers in our own language when trying to understand others. I find that quite regularly in my daily life. Influencers such as culture, education, demographics and even politics can turn what one person says when interpreted by another into a variety of possible outcomes.

Would you agree?

That’s why I think the Babel Fish is such an important commodity in our lives these days.

Imagine even 50 years ago.

Your world was much smaller and your local surroundings were filled primarily with people you understood well because they grew up in the same environment as you, they had the same values and understood the world in a similar manner. Sure, emigration was as big a deal as it is today but people sought out their own and created communities with others that were like-minded and culturally aligned.

Is that still relevant today?

I think so.

There are very distinct communities in Toronto which remain tight knit and as a result culturally rich. It’s one of the things that I love about this city. You can, on any given day, tune up your Babel Fish and experience pretty much any culture you like without leaving your own city. Most Torontonians are proud to be living in a multi-cultural city and take advantage of its rich culture regularly. We are blessed with the ability to broaden our perspective in an accessible and safe environment.

Has the internet opened up that opportunity to more of us?

It sure has but it comes with a responsibility and requires some skills development that challenges us all.

Interpretation, for one, is a skill that not everyone has honed at the best of times. Me included. IRL we face people every day and we have the innate social advantage of reading their expressions, body language and inflection in their voices in order to decide for ourselves how to interpret what they are saying. You don’t have to rely as heavily on your own influences, your own real life Babel Fish, in order to make an assessment and form a response.

Take away that natural ability to read someone and it becomes that much more difficult to understand someone’s true intentions.

Hey’ I’m not suggesting anything is impossible here but if you don’t consider it then you are kidding yourself, right?

At least I hope that I am right.

Not only now do you have exposure to demographics, education and politics but the influence of culture to understand when conversing with others on-line. Before you know who you are talking to how can you be sure your responses are acceptable and understood by others in the way you intended them to be?

Your Babel Fish was not built for this type of challenge in communication but the awesome thing about the Babel Fish is that it can adapt.

And adapt it will.

I can’t tell you how many times I have been shocked by a connection I have made on-line when I have found out where they live. It’s such a simple thing but it changes the relationship in a big, big way.

Or, what about this one?

I was conversing with another Canadian from Southern Ontario and I felt like I had a good sense of how they would react to something I say until I found out they were from a nationality I didn’t know much about.

I’m just sayin’……

Don’t you think we need to consider who we are talking to when we interact in this new world to ensure our message is not interpreted in an inappropriate way?

The only way I know to do that is to be courteous, respectful and as aware as I can be until I have spent enough time getting to know them a little better. Your own dialect, per se, you regional cultural sayings, your interpretation of day to day life are things that not everyone will understand implicitly out of the gate. Just like any new relationship it takes time to gain an understanding of who you are talking to and in this space, at least for me, it is critically important to keep your Babel Fish well tuned and well fed.

I love kidding around as much as the next guy and I do.

Both Bill and Danny know that about me; one I haven’t met and one I have. I take my IRL friendships as seriously as I do in the on-line spaces and people’s feelings are very important to me. I’m a softie but I am not soft.

Interpret that!

So, if I seem a little formal to you at first it is because I am German….er….because it comes from a place of respect. That’s where I start every relationship. I am a benefit of the doubt kind of guy and I am interested in spending the time to get to know you as best I can.

To understand you.

Jayme knows that and from the rocky beginning of our on-line relationship it has flourished into what I consider a valuable connection and the start of an important friendship for me.

Now I have to go feed my Babel Fish.

Over to you: What challenges do you find building relationships while navigating the on-line world?

P.S. What do you think we can learn from these little critters?

{smirk}

You would have to be nuts to disagree with that.

I was reading Lisa Gerber‘s post over at Spin Sucks yesterday and it was enough of a catalyst for me to write about this topic too. Why? Well, while I was reading about her great experience in good ole Canada it made me wonder how I reacted to a client on Wednesday.

I have never written directly about customer service and now wonder why. My job is really all about that. When I think about it I really don’t actually design anything. My time is spent managing relationships and managing teams to ensure we meet the needs and expectations of our clients.

Is that customer service?

Well, it is to me.

So here’s what happened but first a bit of context.

I have been very, very busy lately. So what? We are ALL busy. Sounds like an excuse.

I have been a bit cranky lately. Why? Who the hell knows? Not enough sleep maybe. So what, right? My own fault.

I have a LOT of competing priorities right now. Again, I think, so what? Isn’t there always?

My friend Ruth Zive can tell you all about what I am referring to here and thanks for the ass-kicking Ruth.

I am the kind of guy that isn’t afraid to make and admit my mistakes. That’s probably why so many people – ahem – love me – ahem.

Whatever.

So, one of my client’s project managers (they have many) called me yesterday about a project that we have had some trouble with. It’s a complex problem that is taking a bit of time to even define the scope of work around and his client, whom we both serve, is breathing down his neck to get the problem solved before the winter. Winter? Damn boy, it’s August. Well we all know it takes time to design, price and build a solution so the winter (i.e. December) is not a long way off. So, the pressure is on. We have spent weeks trying to sort out the best way to attack the issues.

Now, my friends, this project manager is really a sweetheart.

He is an older gentleman and is still working because he needs to support himself. I know that he is alone and thereby he really loves the company when he can get it. I know all this because I have spoken to him in depth about the work he does and in general, at times, about his life and pursuits. He seems a little lonely so I generally give him some time when he calls because he just enjoys the banter.

Hey, we usually get along famously.

There was a time recently where he had a serious virus and was feeling terrible. He called me to talk about a project he was starting and during the discussion mentioned that he was very ill and his doctor was concerned that he may need some treatment over the weekend if his condition worsened. He sounded worried. He didn’t have anyone at home to take care of him and his family is gone. I felt for him so I offered that if he needed help over the weekend that he could call me and I would come by and drive him to the doctor. Fortunately, he was starting to feel better the next day.

So, what’s the problem here?

Well, on Wednesday he called me about this difficult project we were trying to sort out and asked me for what I can only assume was a favour. The ball was really in his court to make a decision on the options we presented and I really had no time for him that day because I was feeling pressure to get some work out the door that had been lagging. There was also some personal crap (crap = busy, stressed, competing priorities) going on with me so I tried to blow him off. Ouch!

His request was quite simple enough but I argued.

The ridiculous part about it was that by the time we had finished the conversation we both could have solved the problem.

I agreed to help in the end but that day I was less than happy about it and in actual fact the task took very little time to complete. Even worse. Damn. What he wanted was insignificant in the grand scheme of the day’s activities and at the time I didn’t care to think it was important at all but after reading Lisa’s post I realised that it was.

My client asked me for a favour not to move a mountain.

He called because he considered me an asset (maybe that day emphasis on the ass) and maybe even a friend. All he got in return that day was attitude.

No one is perfect.

We all know that but the right approach is to listen and help wherever you can. We are all in customer service in this, the A+D industry, just as parallels can be drawn for many other industries. If you have a client, you are in customer service.

I see simply as that.

A long time ago when I was young (and clearly not as well seasoned) an owner at one of the companies I worked for, a small start-up at the time, said to me that we are in the business to serve our clients. I will never forget that simple bit of advice even if at the time I thought it didn’t entirely make sense. Hell, I was in the business to DESIGN stuff.

Well, I am still in the business because design is still my passion but that passion now comes from a happy client and my contribution to that happiness is to be there for my clients when they need me. There will always be competing priorities, we will always have more than we can do and we will naturally trend toward finding the easiest way to solve problems but remembering that your client is as important in the process as the design solution is critical to your success.

It helps to keep your Net Promoter score on an upswing too. And speaking of that the old adage of treat others the way you want to be treated seems to be the right way to wrap up this little story.

Don’t you agree?

Today’s post comes from Erin Palmer. Erin is a writer and editor for Bisk Education at Villanova University. Her writing covers topics such as PMP prep course information which prepares students interested in the field of project management to enter the workforce. Through the University Alliance, Erin writes articles to help students gain a certificate in project management. You can reach Erin via twitter at @Erin_E_Palmer 

What can the Avengers teach us about leadership?

Have you ever wondered what you would do with superpowers? It is fun to imagine what sort of good we could do if we were suddenly bit by a radioactive spider or struck by a science experiment gone awry. However, superheroes aren’t heroes by virtue of their powers alone. It’s how they handle their gifts that make them truly special.

Aside from the good looks and cool powers, the Avengers can depart valuable lessons about leadership. Each character has strengths and weaknesses just like anyone else. They have to make important decisions knowing that the fate of other people rests on their ability to make the right choices. Superheroes might have an edge due to their superpowers, but what makes the Avengers a great example of leadership is actually their human side.

Loyalty

Captain America’s great leadership is not due to his super soldier skills. Though the ability to beat down the bad guys is impressive, his real strength comes from how much he cares about his country. His loyalty drives him to be better and give his all every time. That sort of commitment to the people he fights for inspires others to work harder as well.

Any leader can benefit from loyalty. Being loyal to your team will foster trust. If your team feels like you could turn on them at any minute, they will constantly be on edge. Having a team that knows that you support them will make it easier for them to come together and get the job done. A loyal leader creates a loyal team.

Forward-Thinking

Here’s a fun fact about Iron Man: he doesn’t actually have a superpower. His special abilities come from the powered suit that he created in order to save his own life. He later begins using his suit and other technological creations to stop villains and save innocent people. Though the suit is impressive, it is his brain that really deserves the credit. His true strength lies in his creativity and innovation.

The best leaders are never satisfied with mediocrity. If you only focus on the present, there is a good chance that it will catch up with you eventually. The business world doesn’t stay still for long. Keeping your management style and business decisions stagnant can be detrimental as the industry continues to evolve around you. Keep your eyes on the horizon and encourage your team to do the same.

Anger Management

The image that most often come to mind when you think of The Hulk is probably that of him going green, gaining muscle and ripping through his clothes. Superhuman strength is all well and good, but The Hulk’s powers are more of a burden than a blessing. He regularly loses control of himself and his actions. Though his strength can help do good deeds, it can also lead to total mayhem.

Restraint is a huge part of being a good leader. You don’t have to completely suppress your emotions, but you can’t let them totally take over either. If you go into a screaming rage every time things don’t go your way, your team will lose respect for you. It’s hard to work with someone that would rather scream at you than talk with you. When challenges come up, channel your anger into productivity. Figure out what went wrong and how you can fix it. Ultimately, solving the problem will make you feel better than losing your cool.

Ability to make tough decisions

Thor is most known for being the god of thunder and carrying a gigantic hammer. You might think as a god, he has it the easiest. However, Thor actually has to face the most difficult decisions of all the Avengers. Thor not only has to fight for a planet that is not his own, but he also has to help bring down his own brother. Fighting a super villain is hard enough, but fighting a super villain that you grew up alongside is especially taxing. Thor has to do the right thing even though it is difficult.

Leaders will face all sorts of difficulties. It isn’t always going to be easy to decide the best course of action, but it is a part of the job. Things like knowing when you have to let an employee go can be tough even when you know they are necessary. Leadership is about doing what has to be done, and unfortunately, it might not always please every single person. A leader has to do what’s best for the entire team, even if it is challenging.

Keep egos in check

One of the most noteworthy things about the Avengers is that it isn’t just one superhero; it is a whole team of them. In theory, having a team full of leaders should be wonderful. If one leader is awesome, shouldn’t a group of leaders be all the more awesome? Unfortunately, putting a bunch of superheroes on one team can be complicated. Not only are they battling the super villain, but they are also fighting against one another’s egos.

When leaders work together, it is easy to fall into a too many cooks in the kitchen situation. Check your ego at the door and focus on the most important thing… the work at hand. Having the last word each time doesn’t make you the strongest. Working alongside other leaders can make you better. You’ll get the opportunity to learn new techniques and benefit from bouncing around ideas with people that think differently than yourself. You don’t need a fancy weapon or a spandex ensemble to be an amazing leader. You already have the power to lead your team to success.

Thank you Erin for your thoughts on leadership and management. We wish you the best of luck with the future of your program.

So, folks, how do you feel about keeping those ego’s in check? Is it important to ensure you can work in a collaborative environment? Let us know your thoughts about dealing with those super-hero egos in your life.