Working with Others

It seems like such a fundamental skill, right? The definition and context of ‘working with others’ changes as we grow up though. As children it’s learning how to interact with others in social contexts. As we become teenagers, how to work with others on projects, which brings us to adulthood and working with others in our places of employment. This is a skill that employers (and really anyone in general) inherently look for in other people. It is a skill that is vital in most professions, particularly designers. As a largely creative and collaborative effort, designers have to be willing to mesh well with other designers, stakeholders, developers etc.

As I embark on a new project with new people, I am reminded of the importance of working well with other people. Being a good communicator is key in any profession, but particularly in design. The ability to communicate your design ideas effectively and to communicate them to both designers and non-designers. This will instill confidence in your skills. Coming from a theater background, I have always been particularly good at public speaking and presenting. This has also instilled a confidence that allows me to speak frankly about my creative decisions. I believe this will also allow me to listen more clearly to the ideas of others.

Though I like to work alone, collaboration can often be the factor between a successful project and a failure. Iterative approaches with enough time to give feedback from all departments and all sides can alleviate any unnecessary frustration.

Good collaboration and all around working well with other people can lead to healthy working relationships in the future. I’ve always tried to adhere to the phrase ‘don’t burn any bridges.’ You want everyone you work with to be able to give you good reviews for any jobs you might try to get in the future.

This pandemic has really put a strain on the people skills of mostly everyone. It’s hard to really be socially engaged when you are stuck visiting people virtually, so the term ‘working with others’ takes on yet again another meaning. Here’s to hoping that we’ll get to ‘work with others’ in person again soon.