Design Rules for a Happy Life.
Being a designer is, above all, being human. The best a human can hope for in life, is to be happy and to make others happy.
During my professional career, I went through several agencies and ateliers. I learned from all these experiences to improve myself as a professional and as a person. Learning from the best is extraordinary. With the worst ones too. More than knowing how I want to be when dealing with others, I learned to know exactly how I never want to be.
For example, I was recently a branding, design and production consultant at a furniture factory. The manufacturing quality was undeniable, and in terms of Design, they had very interesting collections. However, the teams were always being changed and they often had less manpower than necessary. The first decision I made was to closely monitor the entire production line. The factory manager had been the same for several years, and he was the one who made all the decisions. It was quick to realize that his social skills were reduced or non-existent. He yelled at team members, used offensive and threatening language, and the result was obvious. People hated working there. It was perhaps one of my biggest professional frustrations and I ended up leaving that toxic environment myself. The factory closed at the beginning of the Covide pandemic.
As humans, we have the permanent ability to learn and improve, but teaching delicacy, empathy and respect to adults is sometimes impossible.
Be who you always dreamed of being.
Regardless of my function or work place, there are ways of being and working that I do not ever give up.
1- Listen to people carefully.
2- Always be kind and polite.
3- Assertively explain what I expect from others and from myself.
4- Always be the first to lead by example.
5- Praise good performers and find ways to reward them.
6- Be direct and objective when criticizing.
7- We all deserve two chances.
8- Provide team experiences as a way to bring people together.
9- Enhance a creative work environment.
10- Smile with desire.
In short, we all have problems, some more serious than others, but if we focus on the positive aspects of our lives, we can always breathe happiness and joy and spread it around us.
Sometimes I say that we should thank the Universe for all the beautiful things in the world. Some think I'm joking, others know I'm serious.
That said, Thank you Universe.
Rui Vasques Garcia
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