Proof of Concept - Taking chances on people
"I need someone to take a chance on me," is a phrase I hear a lot. Who can blame them? It's a brutal job market right now and people are hoping for an opportunity to show what they can do. I know well because it happened to me in the first recession in the 2000s. Taking a chance on a person is making a bet not on what they are now, but the potential of what they can become. This requires a lot conviction and chance. NFL Hall of Famer Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th Round (the second to last round) in 2000 and then ended his career winning seven Super Bowl championships. This post shares lived experiences of receiving end and giving end of a chance. I’ll start by sharing the first chance I received. My first chance from a future mentorI matriculated from college a few years ago and no longer pursuing my Master of Fine Arts. Software became really interesting to me when I said goodbye to my Motorola RAZR phone for a phone strangely made by Apple—the iPhone. After getting hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of immediate rejections for design opportunities, I got connected with I didn't have much luck applying to full-time. Clearly my portfolio wasn't working so reached out to a few talent agencies that offered freelance work. Of the dozens I reached out to, only one got back to me—a small but mighty boutique firm in Pioneer Square. They had a small project that needed to be done in 2-3 days. I took the opportunity. I was introduced to a woman who ran an independent UX studio, the person who needed work on the project. We met at the Top Pot Donuts in Downtown Seattle. She briefed me on the project; visual explorations for a wellness iPad app—a new device launched. I was ecstatic to work on such a new innovation and didn't want to screw it up. Though the scope of work was a few billable hours, I spend triple that time un-billed because I wanted to get an opportunity. This was pre-Slack and video calls so I'd send designs back and forth over email. She'd give me feedback and I continued iterating. The designs were not immaculate and I'm sure she had to put the fit and finish to it. However, she thanked me for taking something from 0-to-85%, which feed up a lot of time for her. Working on that project gave me the confidence that I had a chance to pivot to software. We stayed in touch and there were several more projects. Throughout my career, I've ended up working with her at the agency and also full-time in-house. I often ponder what would would be if I didn't get that chance. I'm sure eventually I would have made the switch, but her mentorship and willingness to make a bet on an unproven person like me accelerated and amplified everything. Reflection: When someone bets on youMake the most of the opportunity Remind them of their impact Pay it forward Taking a chance with a designerYears later, I was now the person in a privileged position to take chances on people. Through the deep mentorship I received, I co-founded a product studio with a good friend, and had a lot of chances to pay it forward. There was a barista at the local coffee shop I’d go to who studied graphic design. I hired her to work with us on illustrations and visual directions on UI. There was also the UW grad working at the Apple Store who I referred to an Art Director friend who needed help at his digital agency in Downtown Seattle. Taking chances with your own company and resources is one thing. I quickly learned that when it’s making bets working in-house at a company, there were a lot of implications to consider. I’ll share a story of when we made a bet in-house. At a previous company, our team was growing but enduring major growing pains from hyper-growth. That type of environment can be a buzzsaw for early career designers. I held a strong point of view about only hiring senior designers who have lived the pain of that experience. However, one of our managers had a promising early career designer they were advocating for. Our headcount was slim, so each hire had to count. I pulled our design leadership group aside to discuss, and they all committed to investing in this designer's growth. The designer had such an impressive growth mindset and desire to hone in on their craft. We extending an offer and this designer is continuing to thrive. Taking this chance changed my perspective: excellence at all levels—the best principal designer to the best new grad/intern. This chance panned out because the leaders were all in on creating the right environment. Reflection: When taking chances on someoneFoster the environment for success Be mindful of excessive empathy Your credibility is the currency for bets RecapHistory is built on incredible stories of humans rising to the occasion because someone believed in them. It's important to take chances on people, but not all of them will be Tom Brady. For every GOAT there are hundreds more who don't pan out. Take opportunities seriously when people give you one—give it your all. If you're in a fortunate position to take a chance on someone, be mindful of how you approach it. There will be people you take a chance on who don't pan out along with people you pass who ended up proving you wrong. It's not about being 100% right. What's important is everyone continuing to place bets on people. I know I will. Hyperlinks + notesA collection of references for this post, updates, and weekly reads.
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