You can’t control, but at least, you can influence
Even the tiniest pebble can create ripples that resonate across the vastness of the pond.
🕰️ Est. reading time: 2 minutes
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This is you.
As a designer, you have several things within your control:
The tools you use,
The design process you choose to employ on specific projects,
How you organize your files,
The primary and complementary software you use,
How you set the guidelines,
and tons of other aspects.
However, you realize that what is within your control is sometimes not enough to produce great work. Ugh.
There are things beyond your control, and often you feel like there's nothing you can do about them.
How your stakeholders perceive the problem and the solution,
How they provide feedback,
How the product vision and roadmap are laid out,
The existing tech debt,
The technical constraints,
and more.
Indeed, you can’t control all of them. But some of them are possible to influence.
You can’t control the feedback you get from stakeholders, but you can shape their opinions by showing designs that are well-planned and backed by data.
You face technical constraints, and it feels like an uphill battle to challenge them, but at least you can start a discussion with the people involved.
You always receive a set product roadmap with planned features, and it may feel like everything is set in stone. But you can influence it by presenting evidence of user needs, and pain points–linking that evidence to business goals.
Bringing in some influences can often be demotivating because you may not see the impact immediately, or you might never see the expected effects. At other times, it can be rewarding when you see your efforts come to fruition.
A mindset to adopt:
In any situation, even when things seem beyond our control, there may still be something you can do to influence others' decisions, points of view, or approaches.
A small ripple can extend outward, and consistent ones will resonate across the vastness of the pond.
“Even the tiniest pebble can create ripples that resonate across the vastness of the pond.”
~ Aman Gupta, Life Transformation Coach
This mindset is inspired by the Circle of Control of Stephen Covey – 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
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