I’ve Always Been a Bit of a Tools Person
1. Execution ability to build before strategy
- Problem-solving and strategic thinking are important, but it is hard to expect a fully developed level from the very start of a career.
- It is better to first become thoroughly proficient with design tools and visual expression.
- You need the ability to clearly show ideas, properly create deliverables, and then execute faster and smarter.
- People who can actually move work forward clearly add value to a team even at the junior level.
2. Judgment is formed by passing through experience
- Processes, frameworks, and workshop facilitation methods can be learned, but judgment does not arise from knowledge alone.
- Time is needed to make decisions directly and see the results.
- The process of making mistakes, experiencing different people and organizations, and understanding the results of choices becomes the basis of judgment.
- Rather than feeling burdened by the need to solve complex problems well right away, steadily building execution experience is closer to growth.
3. In collaboration, trust matters more than territory
- An attitude of first asking, “How can I help?” creates more opportunities within a team.
- It is important to build relationships with product and engineering organizations and not spend energy only defending design’s territory.
- The more your colleagues trust you as someone who will work through their problems with them, the more deeply you can participate in difficult problems and decision-making processes.
- The experience of becoming a useful teammate develops not only collaboration skills, but also influence and judgment.
4. Take responsibility for your own growth
- Managers and companies can provide opportunities, but the responsibility for turning those opportunities into learning and capability is yours.
- You should use your current work as a training ground where you can learn and experiment.
- The attitude of honestly admitting what you do not know and actually learning it lasts longer than baseless confidence.
- AI, too, is not something to avoid or exaggerate, but a tool to learn and use in order to expand your capabilities.
