FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE:

INTERIOR DESIGNER’S GUIDE TO CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:

WHY YOU SHOULD CELEBRATE EVERY WIN, NO MATTER HOW BIG OR SMALL

SEEING YOUR EXPERTISE

MAINTAINING BOUNDARIES

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Last week’s episode was a really important conversation around struggles I know so many designers have about setting boundaries and how they present themselves to contractors, clients, and anyone else in our industry.

A lot of this stems from a lack of confidence and feeling insecure about skills that you definitely have. 

This topic definitely hit a nerve with a lot of designers listening to last week’s episode about things you took away from the episode and things you want to work on. In fact, it even came up inside my course’s live masterclass on building the best team. 

We all tend to discount the experience we have managing construction projects.

A lot of that self-confidence comes from within. 

In my conversation with Jeannie last week, she mentioned considering a designer an expert one year in, then she pulled back on that and said maybe five years. So it really is relevant to the amount and complexity of the jobs you have. It isn’t always about the years. 

Why does this happen?

A common challenge designers face with with self confidence is imposter syndrome. I suffered from it. I was looking at all these designers in these Shelter Magazinges with big, pretty cover spreads and thinking, gosh, I want to be them. What did they do? Who are they? How did they get there?  Oh, they’re seasoned.  I thought, ok, well they’re in they’re 40’s and they’re seasoned so I guess I just have to bide my time. 

It is important to build and maintain your confidence with the skills that you have. 

Do this by celebrating your wins!

However big, a win is a win. And the art of celebrating it, even if you do it alone, look yourself in the mirror and say, “You rocked that project today! What a badass idea you came up with. The team was really excited about it. You just built another level of respect with your team and your client, and the project is going to be amazing. You’re on track!” Whatever the case may be. There’s always a win. 

If you’re not celebrating them, they are just lost opportunities to boost your confidence in your own ability, in your own skillset and expertise. 

This is something you can do right now! 

It is really important for you to celebrate and acknowledge the expertise you do have. And frankly, it will make it easier to build more experience. Because if you are confident you can do this level, then you can build on that and put the next block on top and get to that next level, whatever that level may be, given your experience. 

Not seeing your own expertise. 

I don’t blame any of you for not seeing your own expertise because we are so close to it. We’re so busy trying to keep up with the moving parts and spinning plates that we tend to discount it. So today, I am giving you permission to take a moment to toot your own horn and recognize the skills that you have built. 

Of course, there will be new skills you want to build, and that’s the joy of our business, we are never done learning and growing. But you’ve got to acknowledge you’re an expert in what you are doing now. 

Just like Jeannie said, you show up differently when you feel the confidence in your own skills. You walk into a room differently. You greet, you shake hands, all of it is different when you feel confident that you belong on that job site. 

Boundaries

Boundaries come from confidence. You have to be confident that you can maintain boundaries. Setting them up is fine. We can all sit at our desks and write a memo. It’s what do I do when someone breaks my boundary and how can I maintain my sanity along the way? It comes back to confidence. 

The boundaries that are really important in our industry are working hours and availability. 

You need to have boundaries around your scope of work that you were originally hired for. And project expectations.

And then general respect. Not just from your client, but all of the guys you’re going to come into contact with. 

Without maintaining those boundaries it is very difficult to be successful on a project. And you certainly are not going to enjoy the work as much as you should be. 

Another boundary is communication.

The best thing that has ever happened to me with technology was the ability to schedule emails. I mean, mindblown! So damn helpful! If you don’t schedule your emails, I’m telling you, you need to start. And you know what that does for me? It gives me a boundary. 

Boundaries and confidence are really intertwined.

Not just in setting up the boundary but in maintaining and essentially defending those boundaries. I’m sure lots of you have boundaries in your contracts, but unless you have the confidence to defend them, they are simply words in a contract. I’m sure most of the clients don’t read every single word on the contracts, so it is up to you to defend those boundaries as the project progresses. 

As always if this episode leaves you with more questions than answers please feel free to reach out to me at renee@devignierdesign.com or shoot me a dm on social media!