Is it me or has the fall season all of a sudden kicked your motivation into high gear too? Or maybe I'm trying to squeeze in as much as I can before the new year because this whole year seemed retrograde to me? lol You too?
I've literally become obsessed with this art thing, including all the other aspects of my business aside from studio time. All I think about morning, day, and night is about art and creativity. It's the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about before going to bed. I've been so consumed with it I don't even think about men, dating, or dick at all. Well, maybe a little. ;)
One of the most valuable skills I learned was how to manage people through servant leadership and how to delegate. I've been working closely with my Managing Director and maintaining close communication with my interns. I've been training my team and helping them acquire skills they can utilize in their own career endeavors by through challenging assignments to encourage independent thinking.
A wise mentor once taught me that it doesn't matter how much time I put into something or how hard I work, the only thing that matters is the end result. I've passed this philosophy to my teammates; it's how we measure our performance. Did we meet our deadlines? Why or why not? How was our end result? Did it meet our high standard of excellence?
The reason I've been spending a good amount of time training my team is to have them handle a lot of the administrative tasks so I can have more studio time to produce inventory. Admittedly I've been pushing all of us to perform out of our comfort zones enough to be challenged, but not overwhelmed. With five core team members and my long-time attorney as sounding boards, my Managing Director and I decided it would be wise to expand and look for a graphic design intern to lighten the workload. Yee!
Beginning now and throughout next year my Managing Director and I will be drilling each other to enhance our sales, negotiation, networking, and leadership skills. We will concentrate on one skill each quarter, in addition to completing what needs to be done. I encourage my team to think critically and independently. I ask them, "This is the end result we want to achieve. Here is our philosophy and what we believe. How do we make it happen? Remember, there is no box." I guide them in writing a proposed plan and give them a deadline. No micro-managing, just accountability.
Things are about to be really be on fire, we are all pumped up. My team understands that in working with me, they are acquiring skills necessary to aid them in becoming who they want to be. I've learned caring about people is the best way to earn loyalty. My internships are custom designed based on the interns' strengths and interests; various assignments ensure a well-rounded experience. There is a suggested reading list and they're encouraged to attend art functions that they may otherwise not have exposure to. But most of all I challenge all of us to think BIG. I encourage them to be absolutely unrealistic of what is possible. With that comes a world of possibilities of who we can become.
Our buns are burning and we can't wait to see what happens! Yee!
As always, thank you for sharing this post. :)
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