Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Being The Boss
I finally did it! I took a leap of faith (in myself and my business) and went through my first interview process to hire an Assistant Graphic Designer. The process was difficult... I interviewed so many wonderful people who would have been great for the position, but I could only hire one and today, almost 6 months later, I couldn't be happier with the results. Jenny took the bull by the horns on day 1 and hasn't stopped challenging herself to learn, grow and improve every day since. She kept up with the increased volume of work and I saw my business grow to make this the best year for Elle Phillips Design since 2007. An incredible result that I was not expecting.
I learned a lot about myself as well. While I worked as a professional designer for other companies for 8 years before starting my own business, I rarely had the opportunity to manage another designer, and thereby was worried about my own skills as a "boss". Would I be a good boss, or one that was hated and/or feared? Would I be too nice? Too hard? I've had a variety of managers over the years whom I either loved or hated, so I did a lot of reflecting on those experiences to try to find the best balance for me.
Look to the Past to Develop Your Future
I once had a boss who I was so frightened of... he was the President of the first company I had ever worked for as a professional designer. It wasn't until my immediate Manager left the company about a year into my employment that I had to work directly with him. His demands were extremely high, and if he didn't like what I showed him he would get this scowl on his face and make me go back and do it again... and again... and again... until I got it right. I started out fearing him, but he challenged me on a daily basis and I grew to respect him greatly. I spent over 5 years with that company (going through 8 Marketing Managers) and I remain friends with him to this day. In fact, he's now a client (and still a tough one!).
Of those 8 Marketing Managers I went through, there was one who was more focused on trying to be my friend than trying to be my boss. I've had a couple of those types of managers. While she was a nice person, upon reflection I found her flighty and somewhat weak. She didn't challenge me as a designer - would simply say OK to just about anything I gave her. She didn't help me grow as a designer, and later when she left, so did the friendship. I realized then that she was a pleaser, not a Manager.
Another of those 8 Marketing Managers was the biggest bitch I've ever had to work with. I'm being straight and honest here... she came from a division of Nike and thought she could turn the company around on the tip of her finger. But instead of growing or guiding her employees, she skuttled around like a rat, paranoid and making demands that couldn't be met. She would micro-manage me (and the other designers in our department), then when it came time to make campaign presentations to the President and other Management, she'd turn on us immediately and verbally cut us down in front of everyone. I think just about everyone has had a manager like that, and I learned a lot about how NOT to treat people by working with her.
I've had managers who didn't communicate at all, and managers who communicated too much. I've had clients who were indecisive, and clients who were so picky they were nearly impossible to please. Clients are almost like bosses, so it's important to take them into consideration. And I've had managers or clients who seemed to know exactly what to do or say to help me get the job done with the best results. I love those people, who show just the right amount of criticism or praise exactly when it's needed. I strive to be like them.
Be a boss, but don't be bossy.
Overall, I learned a lot by working with so many different types of people, and realized that there's a balance to be made. In my case, be friendly, but don't be a friend. Be a boss, but don't be bossy. Show emotion: disappointment, concern, gratitude, excitement. I want to see my employee succeed not only for the sake of my business, but for her sake as well. I want her to be able to move on to the next company (or her own business) feeling like she had a good experience working for me, but at the same time feeling like she learned something too. And most of all, tell her when the work is bad and give her constructive guidance, then praise and reward her when the work is good. Oddly enough, this wasn't much of a challenge for me. My personality is one that I don't lie to people just to make them feel better, and my experience has always been that honest criticism is more helpful than hurtful... it always pushed me to get better, and I think it'll do the same for my employees. I'll fully admit that I can be bitchy at times, but only because I want the best out of my employee and I want the best for my clients. They hire me expecting a certain quality of work and I won't send a design to them that doesn't meet my own standards. So far, I think this strategy has worked very well. Kinks were worked out, expectations were made up front, and the working relationship between me and my Assistant appears to be cohesive and comfortable. I hope she feels the same, and I think she does.
My final bit of advise for all of you up-and-coming bosses and managers out there is to be good to your people. I often ask my Dad for advise - he's the wisest person I know and has been a skilled businessman for over 40 years. Although I only hired my Assistant for part-time work, my Dad reminded me to show my appreciation and do things that aren't "required" of me as an employer. I'm not required to give my employee any paid sick or vacation time and am not required to give her benefits of any kind. While I can't afford to purchase a full benefits package for her, I have found creative ways to reward her service to the company. I surprised her this year with a full week off, paid, over the Thanksgiving holiday. I will be giving her Christmas and New Year's Day off, paid as well, and gave her a nice Christmas gift as a sign of my appreciation. I'm flexible when she needs time off as long as it's not excessive, and understanding when emergencies come up. Small acts of kindness do not hurt my company, and they won't hurt yours. In turn she has shown me great respect, hard work and dedication when I most need it. She's even gone as far as to skip a couple of lunches or breaks when we're strained under deadline without me ever asking her to do so -- and that's the best gift she could give me.
Goals
In 2013, I have set new goals for myself, my employee, and my business. It will be the year that I expand my company further by diving deeper into web development, and my first goal is to hire an experienced web designer. At some point next year I would also like to hire a salesperson or Account Rep to increase EPD's local clientele and compete with some of the smaller agencies in town. Jenny and I are currently developing a logo and website for my parent corporation, Red Couch Creative, LLC that will be the local front office. Elle Phillips Design has become a global name for professional graphic design services, serving clients now in five different countries (crazy!), but Boise and much of the Northwest has a lot to offer in terms of small- to medium-sized businesses that need quality services at a more affordable price than the current Agencies can offer. That's my target, and I think Red Couch Creative is the perfect company to do it.
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