The People Around You

In reflecting upon how I’ve approached design and work throughout my career, and as I consider what I want to do and be in the future, I’ve noticed a shift in mindset from where I was 3-4 years ago. What’s the shift? I think it’s all about being less self-centered, and more invested in the people around me.

In my early working years, I could be selfish. It’s a little hard to admit, but I was mostly concerned with my own work and opportunities. At times I felt like I deserved things that I probably didn’t deserve, and I didn’t always feel gratified at the success of my coworkers. Kind of a tough look!

But what I’ve come to learn is that one of the greatest joys of being one designer on a team of designers is realizing that the work truly is not just about you. And I don’t mean knowing it in theory, because it’s a fairly easy concept to agree on—I mean truly living it every day at work, and embodying what it means to be a teammate.

Thinking about "the work" differently

I love being an individual contributor and doing "the work." I’ve been pleasantly surprised, however, to find that there are some things that I love doing just as much as the work, if not more-so. I’m not exaggerating when I say that realizing I even have the capacity for these things has changed who I am not just as a designer, but as a person. It has changed my internal story about who I am, what I value, and what I’m capable of.

My definition of "the work" now includes:

Creating opportunities for my teammates to do their best work and grow in their personal lives and careers

At first I could not recognize opportunities at work where I might be able to jump in and effect change. I didn’t know a gap when I saw it. Later on, I had grown enough to recognize the opportunities, but I tried to step into all of them myself. Today I can see more gaps than ever, but instead of trying to fill them all myself I think about who on my team is a good fit for the opportunity, let them know that it exists, and encourage them to step into it if it’s something they want. And then I try to set them up to be successful and visible in any work they do.

Surfacing effort and accomplishments to busy leaders and managers

I’ve been at my company for a while now, and I have relationships with managers and leaders that not every designer has. When I see a newer designer doing good work, I find a way to ensure people in positions of power see it. It’s so easy for managers to miss the important little things that happen every day. Newer designers haven’t always learned the extent to which they need to be their own advocates, and I want to reduce the amount of invisible work happening that people deserve to be celebrated for.

Helping teammates find their voices

In meetings I try to create space for everyone to contribute to the conversation. I notice when someone is trying get a word in on Zoom and have gotten better at interjecting to help create that opportunity for them. I try to understand how people would be comfortable engaging and help them get involved in the conversation on their terms.

Wrapping up

I think that if you’re a designer looking to take the next step in your career, you should consider whether you need to expand your definition of career success to include elevating others, in addition to yourself. It’s not always an obvious behavior change to give what seems like a fantastic opportunity to someone else, but if you consistently elevate the people around you, you will be surprised to find that are you seen as more of a leader at your company. You might find that it changes your understanding of what it means to be a good designer. And it might change how you approach your life.