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Don't just delegate. Delegate well.

Posted by Artisan on Oct 27, 2014 1:00:55 AM

Delegation is key to success on any major project. No one person can do everything, and putting the right team in place is one way for a project manager to ensure a project gets done on time and on budget. For those big breakthroughs that bring you in ahead of time and under budget, the act of delegating alone isn’t enough. By following a few dos and don’ts of delegation, a project manager can enhance output and build a go-to team for projects.

DON’T leave a project open-ended.

When a project deadline is months, or even years, away, some project managers don’t worry about setting additional deadlines. In the end, they assume, the work will be completed on time. Studies have proven people work more effectively, and turn out higher quality work, when they have deadlines in place, so set up many checkpoints along the route.

DO set deadlines that leave room for exploration.

While deadlines are important to good management, they should never interfere with the best possible final product. People may come to a point during the process where they think, “Oh man, I could have done that better. I wish I had more time.” These are the ideas projects thrive on. Leave room for extensions.

DON’T stop at the job description.

The people on your team likely have titles, and job descriptions that go with them. These can be a hindrance when trying to put together a good project team. So, look away from the job description, or the skills people list on a resume, and ask them what they can do. You likely have a pool of talent you don’t know about.

DO ask for volunteers.

While people may have one area of specialty, most have many skills, and often won’t mind switching it up. If you have time on a project, give people a chance to try their hands at different tasks, and provide training along the way. It enhances your entire team’s skills, and gives you more options as projects move along.

DON’T delegate tasks to people.

Most people think of delegation as assigning tasks to people. If you have a portion of a project that requires finance and supply, for instance, you might delegate the finance part to a staff accountant and the supply part to your company buyer. Now, each time one makes a decision about the task, it affects the other, and this must be communicated, creating a lag in workflow.

DO delegate people.

Start thinking of delegation as assigning people to tasks. Keep closely-related tasks together, and install two- or three-person teams to work on the same task, if necessary. When something needs done on that part of the project, the teams works on it together, each handling their specific part, so no time is wasted on back-and-forth communication.

The backbone of project management is good delegation to a skilled team. If you’re looking for team members for your next creative project, contact us today to learn more.

Debunking the "Personal Brand" Myth

Posted by Artisan on Oct 20, 2014 1:00:52 AM

The concept of developing a strong “personal brand” is one that’s gained a lot of traction in recent years. It’s become one of the key elements espoused by career advice experts who are quick to remind you that these days, having a good resume and solid work history sometimes just isn’t enough to get you hired.

Instead, they say, you’ve got to use social media to establish yourself as an in-demand brand. As great as this sounds, it doesn’t always work.

Your Road-Map to a Freelance Graphic Design Career

Posted by Artisan on Oct 15, 2014 1:01:19 AM

If you are considering making a career change and branching out into a freelance graphic design career, how can you get started? If you have no graphic design training or experience, what do you need to do to add this to your repertoire of services offered? Looking to add graphic design to your list of talents? Here is a road-map to follow:

Creating a Killer Logo

Posted by Artisan on Oct 13, 2014 1:00:40 AM

Logo Creation

Graphic designers tasked with creating eye catching logos for their clients should know one thing above all others: no computer software program in the world is a replacement for good, old fashioned creativity. Logo creation is all about concept. Seldom does their success have anything to do with technical abilities. Coming up with a killer logo is also dependent on process and due diligence. Here are some of the most important steps you’ll need to take to help you come up with a logo design that will wow your clients – and help them achieve increased brand visibility.

Lessons in Winning Your Boss's Respect

Posted by Artisan on Oct 6, 2014 1:00:51 AM

Winning the respect of your peers is one thing. Winning your boss's respect, on the other hand, can pay off immeasurably more. Not only will it make your work life all the more harmonious, but it can also significantly boost your career prospects and put you on the fast track to professional success. Few people are fortunate enough to hit it off with their boss from the very start. If you’re having trouble breaking through that arms’ length distance barrier, here are a few tactics to employ that’ll get you in good with the head honcho.

Cater to your boss’s communication preferences

Some people prefer frequent face-to-face chats. Others are more adept at digesting information and giving direction via interoffice email. Still others prefer phone communication, and in today’s mobile era you may happen upon a boss that employs texting as their preferred method of communication. Before making any assumptions about the best ways to communicate with your boss, make observations and take mental notes to determine which method they respond to more favorably.

Also, figure out what time of day is best to approach them with an inquiry. Timing is everything, and catching your boss at the right hour can have a beneficial impact on their overall estimation of you.

Get an understanding of what is most important to your boss

You can do this through simple observation and deductive reasoning, but there’s also nothing that says you can’t ask them outright. Most bosses will appreciate your willingness to get on the same page with them when it comes to establishing expectations.

Become a communicator of your boss’s directives

What this means is that you should be able, at a moment’s notice, to recap to other employees what your boss’s expectations are with respect to everything from specific projects to broad company direction. By acting as a “megaphone” you’ll be serving the invaluable duty of broadcasting those messages far and wide among your co-workers – ensuring that your boss sees you as a valuable tool to disseminating important information and other mission critical objectives. If you want a shot at becoming the head honcho’s “right hand” there are few ways of doing this better than by being willing to support and communicate their vision.

Make your boss your number one workplace priority

If your boss asks you to take care of something, don’t put it off. Earning their respect lies greatly in your ability to increase your value in their eyes. No better way exists of doing this than to make their job easier by being dependable and prompt. Once you get to know them better, you can begin to anticipate their needs. When you’ve reached the point of providing them with what they need before they’ve even asked, you will have earned their respect… and maybe even a whopping raise.

At Artisan, we’re all about helping you unlock your maximum potential – whether that’s teaching you how to be a better communicator or giving you access to freelance job boards to grow your contacts.