Bend Don’t Break

Posted: December 12, 2008 at 9.45 am
Posted by Graham Smith in graphic design

Guest Post by Aaron Irizarry

Web : www.thisisaaronslife.com
Follow Aaron on Twitter : http://twitter.com/aaroni268

Over the last year and a half I have been working at my current job as a “Web Master / Web Project Manager”, before this I worked on a contract basis, and as a freelancer mostly, with the occasional stint at a design firm here or there.

The one question that seems to arise more times than not is the what to do when you know something is good practice design-wise (if design-wise is a word) but the others on “the team”, or in the other department you are working with have asked you to do otherwise, or simply don’t see eye to eye with you on projects needs, designs, and or time frames.

It seems easy to say “Well I have the most design experience so I should have the final say” my pride tells me this is right, and that is what they pay me for, my reason tells me that they pay me to do what is best for the company, and no matter how loud my pride yells at me I still keep coming back to the idea that I am part of a team, and it benefits me when the team wins. Yes there are times when I cringe a bit about the end quality of a product/project not quite meeting my standards, but if it works, and the overall consensus is “success” then I should be content, and know that the more success that comes the greater chance I will have to give input and or have influence in the future.

Having learned not only from my own failures but from the ups and downs of others, that the last thing anyone needs is another know it all. I would venture to say that a contributing member of that can be counted on to give his/her all day in and day out, and supports the other members of the team is invaluable. I am sure there will be differences in opinions, and flat out disagreements, but those are inevitable. So it is up to us to find a balance… Remember it is our ability to communicate, our work ethic, and ability to be a productive part of a team that will open up the doors for us to push for change and better practice.

So how do we do this?

Well I would say it is summed up in the phrase “Blessed are the flexible, for they will not break.” The more flexible I am (or try to be) I will find that my success rate on projects/designs will be higher because I am meeting the needs of others and benefiting the team as a whole. 

This doesn’t mean that I am a push over, or that I fore-go having a spine, it means that I choose my battles… and prepare yourself this one is big… I actually set up the value of my input by laying a foundation of trust, respect, and reliability. In an effort to keep this post from becoming to lengthy I will wrap it up here.

This is simply my observation over the past year or so… I am sure that we all have different experiences based on our individual situations, and I am interested to hear your take on the subject, and any lessons you may have or are still learning.