Ep 183| Your Maximum Growth Occurs in Support & Challenge - 6 Steps How to get it

Your maximum career development happens in the balance of support and challenge. My mentor, Dr. John Demartini tells us always. And in this podcast I'm going to tell you why it is vital to have that lot of people take the extremes, right? So they get too much of support and then they go into a comfort zone and then they take too much of challenge and they go out of this field. Particularly people who are transitioning from a different field. They go back into their old programmer or developer or engineer or accountant or whatever. They really forget creative design. So I'm going to break you in this podcast how to exactly make that balance and how to have that. And I'm going to give you six action points also how you can successfully do it. Okay, so take a lot of notes. Let's jump into this podcast. Welcome to Design for Change. Thank you for staying tuning in with me. Guys. It's been a long time. We have, we have not heard but today we have a very, very amazing topic to discuss. You know what, it's actually your growth and development happens in the balance of support and challenge. So a lot of people might be thinking this is a little offbeat topic, right? So every time there is a design topic coming. But let me tell you guys to make your creative journey very smooth and successful. This kind of a road, what do you call this? Roadblocks and blockages should be taken away from your career. That's the reason I'm exactly doing this. Even though it's a very short podcast, the message is very, very powerful. Okay, so let me tell you guys why the support really matters. See, a lot of times what happens is you, we go into a very big comfort zone. It it like let's say if you're having a teacher who is like very lenient, do you think that subject, you will take it very easily. You will learn it very quickly. See, there is some kind of a creativity which will happen when a support is given. Definitely. I'm not denying in that in fact that is needed for a creative designer. But what happens is when you go beyond that, you will not be able to accountable with them. You will not be able to meet the deadlines or keep your learning. That's a psychology of human also will not be having that what you call balance automatically. Even though in our brain there is a homeostasis mechanism which makes us come into a balance. Like let's say if you're too much negative on one person, if you're too much positive on one person, our mind will always try to bring that to a Balance, it's a psychological fact. Whether you accept or not, that's already there. But what happens same in our career also the we sometimes take too much of extremes, like let's say too much of comfort zone. So what happens is, see, let's say if you're putting a plant, like let's say if you're putting a seed and sunshine and water and other things is needed, right? It definitely grows. I mean, you're helping the plant to what you call build. It's confident in order to nurture in that environment and grow. You're providing resources. Like in terms of plant, it's like seed. I mean, it's like water, it's like sunlight. Everything but the good soil. In terms of mentoring, like in terms of learning, you need a good materials to learn. You need a good mentors and accountable partners who can help you. You need a good resources like workshop, like audio materials or video materials or case studies or project or someone, someone who is reviewing. So that really matters in that safe space only. What happens is you will grow. Like let's say on the extreme. Why Challenge is very crucial. Like let's say if you are in the challenge zone, okay. Like let's say too much of problem is coming for you. What happens is the plant will never grow. A balance needs to be there. Like let's say if no water is there, the challenge is happening. Yeah. Initially the plant will try to penetrate the soil and try to get the water. Okay. So in that phase, plant really grows. In that phase, plant root really extends. In that phase, plant really go and finds the water in the underground, wherever it's there, so that the root becomes strong. So the tree grows very taller. And then even if the wind hits, the tree will be very strong. The reason, because we have put that challenge and then the tree is now finding a way to get the water. And once the water is there, then the plant really grows. Then the tree becomes very tall and even extreme wind comes. It will be strong because it has really made that what you call commitment to supply the water in order to find it under the ground. Like it's a nature's property. But what happens is like let's say if sometimes the water is not there, we are not providing also what will happen. It will go and keep on searching mindlessly and then it will die in search of this. So it is very vital to also hold this as a balance. Okay. In your learning process, if you are not supported properly and if you are not able to get a guidance on where you have to Refine your ideas and where you have to develop your new skills and which skills to learn and what skills to learn first and what skills skills to learn second and what skills to learn third. People don't know this order. That's the very big reason people go into a big dilemma and they lost and they become either depressed or they become too much, what do you call overwhelmed or they even leave this field very quickly. I've seen many people, guys, more than 50 percentage of the people I've seen whom I've talked with when even before coming into any programs or choosing this field, they go into this. Not like they have not tried. They also pushed, they also tried. But the problem is they don't get this balance. That's why when you're learning a new skill, when you're learning some new different ideas in product design and when you're breaking out of this comfort zone, it's very vital to use this challenge as a balance. When you're able to do this both, it becomes a great understanding. Guys, burnout, frustration, all these things will really make a problem in order to do this. Okay, so how do you really find this right balance? See, first you'll have to assess yourself. You'll have to have a gradual progress. That's why you need to have a good mentors and an accountability partners who can help you out. Always focus on your mindset. Okay, I always tell mindset is very important. See, there are many case studies which I can explain you. Okay, so one good case study, what I have come across in my career is, you know what, have you read a book called Jobs? It's actually a Steve Jobs real life history. Okay, so leave this iPhone fantasy and all go and understand what Steve Jobs has done done before, what you call iPhone and how he has really developed the design process in Apple. People have really made a commitment to work with him in the Macintosh project. Okay, leave this iPhone, this thing and all go and understand how the Macintosh has developed. He put A team of 20 people, I think, okay, so he put them in a very, very support and challenge, in a balanced zone in order to create a world's biggest, what you call world's powerful system, which is called the Macintosh. He wants to really create a processor which is going to create a dent in the universe. In fact, that's the one thing which Steve Jobs is really famous for. He want to create the dent in that universe through this process, through this, what you call this powerful computer, what they're developing on. And he said to that team of 20 people that if they are very successful in this, their name is going to be printed on this universe with this dent in the universe concept. Okay? So all of these 20 people in the room are very crucial for the development. So he motivated them, he gave them lot of resources and he also put them in a challenge where they have to achieve this before this particular deadline. And lot of people, you know what, they have made a success, but few people left out. Those people don't know the balance. Like because of that reason, guys, Macintosh has really become a successful product in that 80s and 90s because of Steve Jobs, that vision and the process, what he has put. So you need a person who is mission, who is vision oriented, who is balancing this career growth and support like that. And that's why you know what, that particular project came out as one of the best project. And each of the people, the scientist and the engineers who has worked on that is their name is printed on that processor. You can go and find the old Macintosh and if you get a chance of going and seeing that processor name, you'll. You'll see all the people names printed. Like let's say Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, Alan, lot of people, in fact, Tim Cook, everybody has worked on that. I mean, you can see their names there. So that's the real success, guys. And the world will never forget these people. Okay? Ideo, one of the big design studios in the world. Okay. I would say it's a top every time. So this design studio, they focus on the iteration. They focus on continuously what you call a kind of support. They use research, they use very extensive primary, secondary research in order to get the support of people. And they do a challenge also. They make a prototype and then they test it with the people because they want to challenge themselves. It's not like they're claiming we are the best products in the world. They want to test it with the market and know and reiterate it. So they also apply the support and challenge Pixar animation. You can know the artist in the Pixar animation. They receive very constructive criticism. And also they grow and they also provided with a lot of creativity boundary. So it's all the balance which helps people grow in a greater way. Okay? It's not like people have did that in their own way and then they have succeeded it. No, guys, there is a process, there is a way. That's how people can able to do it. So now let's come to the six steps, how you can able to do it. The very first step is why design you need to find out the reason why you have come into this field every time. I'm not going to leave anybody. This is the very first thing and one of the vital thing which I ask students to do it because if you're not doing this guys, you know Carol Dweck's research demonstrate that individuals with a growth mindset outperform those with the fix it. Particularly they face with challenge. So what does this mean? Whenever you face the challenge, if you don't know the reason why you become a designer, you will really go away. Studies by Amy Edmondson shows that team with high psychological safety where mistakes are seen as the learning opportunities are more creative and innovative. So in this kind of an environment you won't fit guys. You will be in a very different eccentric mode. So be careful about it. So the first step is find out the reason why. Second is understand your strength, weakness, opportunities and threat. Make a SWOT analysis for yourself and measure it. Okay, what's your strength? What's your good skill? What's your weakness? What's your opportunities and threat? Third is find the support which you require. Let's say if you need a support in learning design process. Let's say if you need a support in learning certain softwares. Let's say if you need a support in learning some tools, research tools or prototyping tools or figma, Adobe xd. So write down what's your support required? Fourth is challenge yourself in that region. Tell your mentors and accountable partners or your seniors, this is what is my challenge And I need to mean this is what is my support required? So I need a challenge to do it. Participate in some kind of a one week challenge. Third day challenge. In my program I make three challenges to my students. Okay? One is a one week challenge. Second is a three weeks, two weeks challenge. Third is a three weeks challenge. Like third week challenge is going to be really high and it's very difficult. And people do an extensive project which is to be done in the span of six months. They do it in just three weeks, 21 days. They put a maximum effort so they are in the guidance of me. So they will not be discarded. They will not be going into a frustration mode or something. So that is really required for you guys. You have to take it out. See if you needed that kind of a support. You can always jump into my program. You have an email DFC Design for change. Me or my team will help you out in order to get you success in less than three months. If you're a fresher, if you're already a designer. We'll help you out to 2x3x your salary. And just 12 days back, one of my student got a job as a fresher. Okay. I mean she really worked hard for a long time but some of the mistakes she made and we were able to correct it and she got her results. It's two days before. It's like exactly Monday evening. I mean I was recording this podcast on March, April 3, I would say April 1. She got a good opportunity to work in a fitness industry and she's starting up her career. So I'm really happy for that. So you will one or the other way. You will definitely get results, guys. But the point is you need somebody who can able to help you out or accountable with. Okay, so choose somebody in that. That's the whole point behind recording this particular information. Because people take their own stance. Years of time will take you guys if you wanted to explore on your own and get a success. So find somebody who can really able to help you out. Okay? And then the fifth important thing is collaborative project. See, do a project in a collaboration in your teams with your mentor or else problem will happen. Sixth is get a good tweaked brief from any industry and start working on a project. I've recorded a separate podcast on this. Okay. You can even pitch for design studios to ask for good briefs and work on that project and pitch them to get hired. So these are all the six steps, guys. Okay? See I told you. There is a balance between growth and support. I mean challenge and support. But if you are following the six steps, only you can able to sustain it. First is find out the reason why you wanted to become a designer. Second is understand your strength, weakness, opportunity and threat. Third is find out the support where you required. Write it down clearly because if mentor is asking you what's your support needed? If you say I want to get job, that's not called support. To get a job, what support you need? You needed to learn research skills, you need to learn UI skills, you need to learn product design skills, you need to learn something like prototyping skills. So make sure if you are very clear on that. Fourth is put yourself in a challenge like 30 days challenge or one week challenge or you give yourself that. Fifth is have a collaborative nature of projects, one to one projects and routine projects with your mentor. And sixth is get a tweet brief from industry and pitch it. Once you're able to do it, guys see, you will see it growth and you will see a huge amount of what you call potential increase happening inside you because you are working in a balance of growth and support. Okay, so this is the important element guys. A lot of people don't get this science and then they face lot of adversities and they don't grow. You know what? 2019 study found by Adobe that 80% of the creative professionals believe a supportive work environment is crucial for success. 2020 McKenzie report found that fostering a challenging and supportive environment is very key to drive innovation. So these kind of things will be there. But if you are not pushing this harder and when you are not able to get the awareness of what's happening in the industry, you will not go into this big industries like Adobe, this Apple IDO design process and you will be there in your comfort zone, your cocoon always. So understand the importance of why this is being done guys. To have a very good well being as a product designer or a UI UX designer, I would highly, highly suggest take this very seriously and find who can help you out in order to make this supporting challenge. Okay? Thank you so much guys. I hope this podcast would have gone deep into you. If you find this really useful, give me a best star rating in Apple and Spotify. And if you need my mentorship support to really take it out, you can send an email to dfcdesignforchangemail.com me on my team will help you out to you guys. Okay, thank you so much. Bye bye. All the best.