Week 4: Managing Yourself and Managing Others

Homework: Managing yourself and Managing Others - dealing with clients, colleagues,your boss and yourself! In any design practice you will have to deal with a boss, colleagues clients and manage their expectations. Using the Johari Window tool (http://kevan.org/johari) work out how you see yourself and how others see you. Write down the attributes (the similarities and differences if any) on your blog and read the "AIGA clients guide to Graphic Design" and answer the following: What attributes described in Johari Window exercise do you see as key to dealing with clients? What attributes are key to dealing with your colleagues? What attributes are key to dealing with yourself? What attributes are key to dealing with your boss? How does your version of the Johari Window differ from your friends/close contacts? How does this exercise make you think about your position in the workplace (ie. do you think you would be a good co-worker or boss or are there things you think you need to work on/develop?)

What attributes described in Johari Window exercise do you see as key to dealing with clients?
The most important attributes needed when dealing with clients would have to be patience, observant, knowledgeable, adaptable. Patience being important as the design must be able to understand the aims of the client before creating anything, this may take time in order to obtain the full idea from the client. Patience is further emphasised through how "It is the client’s responsibility to lead a project and the designer’s to design and manage the design process" from the AIGA client guide, as this situation could be potentially frustrating for a designer. Being observant helps a designer understand who they are working for, as with this trait you pick up details that the client may want without knowing, being knowledgeable also relates to this too. Adaptability is needed as a client may change their idea multiple times throughout a project which is where being adaptable is important.


What attributes are key to dealing with your colleagues?
In order to deal with colleagues it is important to be friendly, adaptable, helpful, dignified and dependable. Friendliness is important as it makes it much easier for a colleague to approach you. Being adaptable helps when talking to a variety of colleagues as their personalities can differ and it might change the way you act around certain colleagues to befriend them. Helpfulness is tied in with being dependable, as being a helpful reliable team mate will gain you the respect of your colleagues giving you a dignified persona.


 What attributes are key to dealing with yourself?
Dealing with oneself requires being accepting, logical, reflective and self-conscious. Being accepting allows you to move on with problems that you cannot fix which is in turn, being logical. Reflectiveness and self-conscious are closely related since being able to reflect upon yourself helps you improve, whereas being self-conscious further improves yourself through perceiving yourself as an individual and where you can fix things.

What attributes are key to dealing with your boss?
The attributes needed to deal with your boss are being dependable, trustworthy, confident and mature. Dependability and trustworthy are similar, as a boss should see you as someone who can be relied upon when needed. Confidence is needed to be able to translate a designers problems to the boss, since a boss may not understand your side of issues. Maturity is important as a boss's criticism may bring a designer down, however being mature allows you to understand why which will motivate you to continue.

How does your version of the Johari Window differ from your friends/close contacts?

I tend to be a more independent person and I keep to myself which translates to people seeing me as shy. However with people I am close with I am the opposite which makes it hard to define me which is why I selected "complex".

How does this exercise make you think about your position in the workplace (ie. do you think you would be a good co-worker or boss or are there things you think you need to work on/develop?)
I would make a strong co-worker over a boss. The reason for this is I am too kind when I criticise others work which means I am not able to lead people as a boss. I am reliable when a friend is in need and my work ethic is fairly high which translates well when in the workplace as a co-worker. In order to improve myself, I would work on my communication with peers as I am usually the one being talked to rather than the one approaching others.