I about lost my mind yesterday. I was so incredibly and deeply pissed by an email asking for changes on short notice that I pounded out an email expressing what was on my mind. Of course I didn't send it. Because ever increasing self regard is beginning to overshadow my people-pleasing nature, I did pick up the phone and call to deliver the reasonable non-emotional aspects behind my rant in an effort to honor my own needs while keeping the momentum rolling on the project. Anyway, I'll spare you the details that prompted the following rant. If you want them, email me. Here we go...
"I'm just going to be honest and admit that these changes dishearten me. What you've asked for fundamentally changes the design and will take longer than you might think if this piece is to be well-designed. If, on the other hand you don't care about the design being an appropriate representation of your brand, then it will take less time. In either case, I find myself less-than-thrilled with this situation. I try to have my heart in a good place. I just can't this time. On a practical level I lack the time to move things around just to satisfy some administrator's need to be an art director. On an integrity level, I'm a professional that would rather not produce schlock. It's bad enough that I'm seen as 'the graphics person' rather than a Certified Brand Strategist with a B.F.A. in visual communications and 20+ years of experience and successful outcomes, 13 of those as the owner and leader of a marketing communications firm. But to just become the desktop publishing jockey to a group of people making mostly subjective decisions is, well, I'll just say it: it's beneath me. I will ask, as I always do of my clients, will these changes make more sales or get you closer to whatever goal you are trying to achieve? Or are you just frustrated that you can't do the sexy work that all the cool kids do in graphic design firms and advertising agencies? Let me tell you, it isn't so sexy when you have to deal with bullshit like this."
I'm sick, sick, sick of people devaluing the work of real graphic designers. There's a sea of difference between being able to move graphics around in Publisher and understanding the nuances of typography, contrast, image and so on that produce good communications that influence behavior. People who spend four years in college earning a degree in visual communications (or graphic design to use another term) learn far more than how to manipulate computer programs. They learn critical thinking skills. Did you know that for every credit hour a designer earns, she spends two to three times that much time in class each week and countless more hours researching and working on projects outside of class? When I went to the Herron School of Art and Design, my 16 hours each semester were like a full time job and a half. Not only do design students put in a lot of time, they are under constant peer scrutiny. They also learn about business and psychology - and much to the surprise of many - they have the equivalent of art history minors and have to take, gasp, math, science, writing and more to round out their degrees. What's the reward for all this extraordinarily time consuming and difficult work? Middle managers, corporate executives and other administrators who value the creation of a spreadsheet far more than the creation of communications that actually, well, communicate. Sigh.
Let me give a nod to writers as well. I once heard an executive say, "We don't need a writer. Isn't everyone a writer at some level? Let's save that money. You do it." I feel your pain, brothers and sisters. I feel it.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Strengthsfinder - Five Themes Together
I've written about each of my Strengthsfinder themes as singular topics. Now I thought I would explore how the combined set of five themes (Intellection, Empathy, Input, Learner and Connectedness) represent my way of being.
So what? So I have some labels. What the heck do I do with them? The first thing that happened for me was a big sigh of relief that these things I had seen as weaknesses could be viewed as strengths. Then I worked at connecting (yay!) these strengths to my relative state of energy, especially for work. I realized that the tasks that took most of my time when I was the chief executive of my firm were probably not in my areas of strength more often than not. I spent some time examining what energized me and was able to directly link them to the strengths themes.
So what does the combination in play look like?
It comes down to an insatiable desire to learn and store information that I'm really interested in - primarily personality, identity, intelligence, creativity and behavioral psychology - so that I can come up with ideas that may help people in my life move toward self-actualization.
The Internet has been both a blessing and curse in my life. I mean, what good Intellection/Input/Learner/Connectedness person (and introvert to boot) wouldn't love, love, love spending hours upon hours surfing the web? The whole concept is set up for me. One bit of learning connects to another. I collect information like state quarters and churn my mind thinking about all the stuff I've collected and connected. Whee! The trick can be what to do with all that stuff (and knowing when to stop!). So when I'm sitting having coffee with someone or am in a staff meeting, I might hear a question or at least a hole in information and think, "oh, this thing I learned about and stored away in my mental files might just help this person."
In my work as a brand strategist in a marketing firm, it comes together like this: I establish rapport with clients and start collecting intelligence about them. I ask questions and listen to learn as much as possible. Then I go out and find supporting information by looking through databases, publications, books and so forth, as well as talking with their customers. I look for patterns in the information. All the while I'm connecting and reconnecting dots. A lot goes into the funnel and what comes out the other side are tightly focused observations and statements - brand essences, word pictures of their cultures and stories they can tell to support their brands.
Incidentally, I've learned from other sites that Empathy is a Relating theme and the other four – Intellection, Input, Learner and Connectedness – are Thinking themes. Relating themes are about working with people while Thinking themes are about working smarter. [Edit 9/14/09: Thanks to the author of the site I originally referenced, Tim McGinnis (see comment below), I now know that Gallup considers Empathy and Connectedness as Relating themes and Intellection, Input, and Learner as Strategic Thinking themes. Note the addition of the word Strategic to Thinking.]
I'm testing my theory out here with my (3 or 4) readers. What do you think? Does this make sense? If you've landed here because you have similar themes as mine, does what I'm saying ring a bell with you? Can you see connections I've missed? What else would someone with my strengths themes do with that energy?
More on Strengthsfinder:
Related posts
Connectedness - Strengthsfinder 2.0
Learner - Strengthsfinder 2.0
Input - Strengthsfinder 2.0
Empathy - Strengthsfinder 2.0
Intellection - Strengthsfinder 2.0
So what? So I have some labels. What the heck do I do with them? The first thing that happened for me was a big sigh of relief that these things I had seen as weaknesses could be viewed as strengths. Then I worked at connecting (yay!) these strengths to my relative state of energy, especially for work. I realized that the tasks that took most of my time when I was the chief executive of my firm were probably not in my areas of strength more often than not. I spent some time examining what energized me and was able to directly link them to the strengths themes.
So what does the combination in play look like?
It comes down to an insatiable desire to learn and store information that I'm really interested in - primarily personality, identity, intelligence, creativity and behavioral psychology - so that I can come up with ideas that may help people in my life move toward self-actualization.
The Internet has been both a blessing and curse in my life. I mean, what good Intellection/Input/Learner/Connectedness person (and introvert to boot) wouldn't love, love, love spending hours upon hours surfing the web? The whole concept is set up for me. One bit of learning connects to another. I collect information like state quarters and churn my mind thinking about all the stuff I've collected and connected. Whee! The trick can be what to do with all that stuff (and knowing when to stop!). So when I'm sitting having coffee with someone or am in a staff meeting, I might hear a question or at least a hole in information and think, "oh, this thing I learned about and stored away in my mental files might just help this person."
In my work as a brand strategist in a marketing firm, it comes together like this: I establish rapport with clients and start collecting intelligence about them. I ask questions and listen to learn as much as possible. Then I go out and find supporting information by looking through databases, publications, books and so forth, as well as talking with their customers. I look for patterns in the information. All the while I'm connecting and reconnecting dots. A lot goes into the funnel and what comes out the other side are tightly focused observations and statements - brand essences, word pictures of their cultures and stories they can tell to support their brands.
Incidentally, I've learned from other sites that Empathy is a Relating theme and the other four – Intellection, Input, Learner and Connectedness – are Thinking themes. Relating themes are about working with people while Thinking themes are about working smarter. [Edit 9/14/09: Thanks to the author of the site I originally referenced, Tim McGinnis (see comment below), I now know that Gallup considers Empathy and Connectedness as Relating themes and Intellection, Input, and Learner as Strategic Thinking themes. Note the addition of the word Strategic to Thinking.]
I'm testing my theory out here with my (3 or 4) readers. What do you think? Does this make sense? If you've landed here because you have similar themes as mine, does what I'm saying ring a bell with you? Can you see connections I've missed? What else would someone with my strengths themes do with that energy?
More on Strengthsfinder:
Related posts
Connectedness - Strengthsfinder 2.0
Learner - Strengthsfinder 2.0
Input - Strengthsfinder 2.0
Empathy - Strengthsfinder 2.0
Intellection - Strengthsfinder 2.0
Thursday, February 19, 2009
A Sense of Belonging
It seems I'm always inspired to write by something that I hear or think as I'm driving in my car. After 25+ years of driving and countless days of driving the same route, my focus is singularly on safety. I don't have to think about the route itself. Besides, in the relative peace of my car's interior, I have the mental space to contemplate things big and small. This morning was really no exception.
On the way to work I heard a story about a KKK member being indicted on murder charges for the shooting death of a fellow member, 43 year-old Cynthia Lynch, at an initiation ceremony. What struck me most was the victim's former attorney's speculation that she was likely seeking a "sense of belonging."
That struck a cord with me. That sense of belonging drives a lot of my own behavior. Even though I show a preference for introversion, I'm not a moody loner. I do want to know that there is a place, figuratively at least, where I can share the truth of my being.
I just can't imagine the depths of hatred it would take to join the KKK. I've never been able to understand that. And though I loathe the ideals of that organization and am fairly sure I wouldn't have been anything close to friends with anyone involved in the story, I have a deep sense of sadness for the woman who felt so troubled and so disconnected that she inevitably lost her life through her need for belonging.
The other fact that interested me is that Lynch hooked up with the group via the Internet.
CNN has posted a story about the Virtual Happiness Project in the Netherlands that is looking at happiness and our fascination with online social networking. The author of the study, Jim Stolze, spoke at the TED conference this month about a related but separate personal experiment he conducted, a one month online hiatus. The fourteenth of his slides summarizing his outcomes shows a relationship between loneliness, depression and negative Internet behaviors.*
Essentially, the hypothesis of the Virtual Happiness Project study is that happiness is a social factor, in order for human beings to feel alive we need to interact with other human beings, and with the wide availability of technology and the Internet, we're increasingly going to the Web to seek our happiness. Just like Cynthia Lynch did.
Maybe it's time to unplug even just a little.
*Incidentally, Stolze puts introversion in the negative category. Clearly, I have a bone to pick with that one. Perhaps his meaning is different than my Jungian understanding of introversion. And maybe that's another post.
On the way to work I heard a story about a KKK member being indicted on murder charges for the shooting death of a fellow member, 43 year-old Cynthia Lynch, at an initiation ceremony. What struck me most was the victim's former attorney's speculation that she was likely seeking a "sense of belonging."
That struck a cord with me. That sense of belonging drives a lot of my own behavior. Even though I show a preference for introversion, I'm not a moody loner. I do want to know that there is a place, figuratively at least, where I can share the truth of my being.
I just can't imagine the depths of hatred it would take to join the KKK. I've never been able to understand that. And though I loathe the ideals of that organization and am fairly sure I wouldn't have been anything close to friends with anyone involved in the story, I have a deep sense of sadness for the woman who felt so troubled and so disconnected that she inevitably lost her life through her need for belonging.
The other fact that interested me is that Lynch hooked up with the group via the Internet.
CNN has posted a story about the Virtual Happiness Project in the Netherlands that is looking at happiness and our fascination with online social networking. The author of the study, Jim Stolze, spoke at the TED conference this month about a related but separate personal experiment he conducted, a one month online hiatus. The fourteenth of his slides summarizing his outcomes shows a relationship between loneliness, depression and negative Internet behaviors.*
Essentially, the hypothesis of the Virtual Happiness Project study is that happiness is a social factor, in order for human beings to feel alive we need to interact with other human beings, and with the wide availability of technology and the Internet, we're increasingly going to the Web to seek our happiness. Just like Cynthia Lynch did.
Maybe it's time to unplug even just a little.
*Incidentally, Stolze puts introversion in the negative category. Clearly, I have a bone to pick with that one. Perhaps his meaning is different than my Jungian understanding of introversion. And maybe that's another post.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
I'm a Lazy Blogger - or - Welcome to February!
It was bound to happen. February would come around on the calendar again. And, after celebrating my birthday on the 2nd of the month (yes, Groundhog Day), I would descend into The Winter Blues. Damn it.
Winter Blues? Yes Winter Blues. Mild SAD. Light Seasonal Affective Disorder.
So far I'm doing better than usual. I'm taking my doctor-suggested supplements. I'm attempting to eat the things I need to eat. I'm trying to keep my sleep/wake schedule as regular as possible. I'm spending time with people who lift me up. I could be doing more like exercising and taking green breaks and getting out in the sun when it shows up.
An effect of my version of Seasonal Affective Disorder is to feel less interest in the things I normally find worthy of my time, including this blog. (Of course, my relatively new fascination with Facebook could be part of the problem. Let's not think about that for the moment.)
Commitment time. I'll do my best to be regular here at The Human Condition.
Here are links to more information on Seasonal Affective Disorder for those who might be interested:
Mayo Clinic
MedLine Plus from the U.S. National Library of Medicine
National Alliance on Mental Illness
WebMD
Mental Health America, formerly the National Mental Health Association
Bonus round: Did you know that there is a summer version of SAD?
Winter Blues? Yes Winter Blues. Mild SAD. Light Seasonal Affective Disorder.
So far I'm doing better than usual. I'm taking my doctor-suggested supplements. I'm attempting to eat the things I need to eat. I'm trying to keep my sleep/wake schedule as regular as possible. I'm spending time with people who lift me up. I could be doing more like exercising and taking green breaks and getting out in the sun when it shows up.
An effect of my version of Seasonal Affective Disorder is to feel less interest in the things I normally find worthy of my time, including this blog. (Of course, my relatively new fascination with Facebook could be part of the problem. Let's not think about that for the moment.)
Commitment time. I'll do my best to be regular here at The Human Condition.
Here are links to more information on Seasonal Affective Disorder for those who might be interested:
Mayo Clinic
MedLine Plus from the U.S. National Library of Medicine
National Alliance on Mental Illness
WebMD
Mental Health America, formerly the National Mental Health Association
Bonus round: Did you know that there is a summer version of SAD?
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
News Fasts and Balancing Acts
Recently, I've been getting weekly (on average) phone calls or emails that someone I know well has been laid off, downsized, rightsized, restructured, let go, had their job eliminated, are expecting to be in need of a job, etc. I've always loved to listen to people and to help if I can. I have to admit, though, that at this rate, the need will outstrip my ability to help.
I climbed in my car this morning and heard the beginnings of an unemployment story on NPR. I reached over to turn it off. I hate to stick my head in the sand, but hearing one more story about how many people are unemployed isn't going to help me stay positive for the people calling me - or myself. I've heard them called news fasts - periods of time when you choose not to listen, watch or read news reports. Perhaps a periodic break from the relentless onslaught of awful-ness would be useful to us all.
From the news I have heard or read (before my fast that started today), it's not going to get better soon. I guess I have to find a whole new balance. Especially since I still want to do what I love - listen and help. And I want to keep my own anxiety tempered.
Life is like that. Complacency isn't allowed. The moment we think we have it figured out, something comes along to challenge our comfort. Or at least it seems.
I climbed in my car this morning and heard the beginnings of an unemployment story on NPR. I reached over to turn it off. I hate to stick my head in the sand, but hearing one more story about how many people are unemployed isn't going to help me stay positive for the people calling me - or myself. I've heard them called news fasts - periods of time when you choose not to listen, watch or read news reports. Perhaps a periodic break from the relentless onslaught of awful-ness would be useful to us all.
From the news I have heard or read (before my fast that started today), it's not going to get better soon. I guess I have to find a whole new balance. Especially since I still want to do what I love - listen and help. And I want to keep my own anxiety tempered.
Life is like that. Complacency isn't allowed. The moment we think we have it figured out, something comes along to challenge our comfort. Or at least it seems.
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