Publication Date
Categories
Comments
Next
Previous
Subscribe
Always Have a Solution
Published 2 years ago, mid-November under Design
The best bit of design and career advice I got this year didn’t come from a designer but from a brilliant developer at Newsvine. I resisted his advice at first, perhaps out of arrogance or an affinity for arguing, but looking back it was something I needed to hear. Although I’ve only come to realize it months later, learning this pearl of wisdom through words and actions made my internship at Newsvine invaluable many times over.
The advice is simple: Never complain about a bad idea without having an alternative ready to propose. The ramifications of that straightforward bit of advice are incredibly far reaching…
Teamwork
Empty criticism is demoralizing in a team environment. Every idea you shoot down was the product of someone else’s thinking. By not providing an alternative you needlessly aggravate others while contributing nothing to the group. Fresh ideas are constructive and will earn you the respect of your team.
Career Advancement
Nobody gets promoted for shooting down ideas. But if you see a problem nobody else notices and pitch an elegant solution, you can quickly become a hero within your organization.
Brainstorming
If you think an idea is crap, you’ve got a great foundation for brainstorming new ideas. Spending time thinking of alternatives is fantastic exercise for your creativity.
Entrepreneurship
Companies are started to flush out old ideas with better ones. Adopt this maxim and you’ll have an entrepreneurial mindset and dozens of new ideas to build companies around.
In Conclusion
It’s good to feel strongly for or against ideas—it mean’s you’re passionate and have a personal taste. If you never have those strong, polarized opinions about your work, start looking for another job—life’s too short to waste with an anesthetized career.
Don’t brandish your criticism around like a weapon. You should absolutely trust your taste when you think an idea is crap—just be smart about how you share that dissatisfaction with others.
Photos by Chris Wilson, Molly Ali, and Dave Fitch under Creative Commons.
Go On, Say It!
Best blog post ever… substitute the word “simian” for “brilliant” and it’ll be perfect :-)
“Simian”, huh? Is that what you make Big Rigs call you? :-P
Great advice, Rob, and advice I’m only slowly learning myself. It’s easy to say “that sucks’, but much harder to say anything more useful.
To flip it around, it’s much like a client coming to a designer and just saying “I don’t like it”. Not helpful at all.
There are a few words I would like to share:
Respond to critiques thoughtfully.
Watch the ocean: the original idea may not have been your best one.
Great post, Rob.
Timothy Ferris, author of the book 4-Hour-Work Week, wrote a post recently about a discipline experiment he has been trying that relates to this topic.
The experiment: keep a rubberband on your left wrist; anytime you criticize something without providing a solution, switch the rubberband to your right wrist; reset the next day.
The whole point is to get in the habit of recognizing the act in order to get in the habit of following up any criticism with an immediate improvement.
subconscious act in wrong way –> conscious act in wrong way –> conscious act in right way –> subconscious act in right way
the link to tim’s post is here:
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/09/18/real-mind-control-the-21-day-no-complaint-experiment/
You’ve got a nice and unique design here Rob. Nice job!
It’s a super simple, yet incredibly effective rule to live by. When you consider the deep roots of the reasons we get upset or critical in the first place, it’s because we want things to be different than they are. The best way to achieve that goal is by helping out, not just putting down.