If you are currently only focused on your role in the projects you participate in, you're missing out on:

• Broadening your perception of the entire project,
• Understanding the context of the work process, and
• Grasping the powerful dynamics of influence within the project.

This means you are missing incredible opportunities to accelerate your career development.

If this feels overwhelming, here's some good news:

Understanding the diverse perspectives of stakeholders in a project doesn't necessarily mean you have to directly converse with everyone or clearly define their concerns as if in a job interview. In reality, effectively experiencing a project involves more subtly and fully feeling the context of the work process. It’s about redefining your role, building your unique perspectives, and exploring hidden growth opportunities.

A project is a hidden stage where you can learn about diverse perceptions and grow three times faster.

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When I entered the advertising industry after working in investigative journalism, I hesitated to expose myself. I spent my first to third years within the rigid rules of a creative agency. At that time, I thought creativity was the key element for survival in the industry. But what was the outcome?

It wasn't what I expected.

No one knew how to develop ideas based on spending time in the daily routines of target customers. Decision-makers in brands and agencies implicitly agreed on the uncertain shared ROI in a timely manner. Industry professionals were busy filling the next idea to execute marketing actions within limited periods.

I quickly realized that I needed to examine the entire context relevant to each project's stakeholders' perceptions. I started using some methods from investigative journalism to understand these multiple realities. After deciding to broaden my perception to encompass all stakeholders' roles, people began to engage with my inquiries and respond. Eventually, they started inviting me to share their roles, the hidden intentions behind their decisions, and the political dynamics within organizations, leading to invitations to continue conversations outside the projects. This approach allowed me to reach a Creative Director position in just three years, a role that typically takes over twelve years in the advertising industry.

By sharing their hidden stories, people provide you with the opportunity to understand the entire work dynamics from individual stakeholders to the overall physiology of the industry.

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In reality, individuals struggle with their situations, feel fear, and are burdened by abandoning their responsibilities. Therefore, if you continue to ask appropriate questions that reveal your intent to understand them, they will share the missing parts of the project context that you could never find before.

You cannot find sufficient growth opportunities on your own. You must proactively show interest in what team members have done, their concerns, and explain why it matters. This is your most important opportunity to advance your career faster than others. If the average project duration is about two months, you will only experience six projects a year. How long do you intend to work as an employee? When will you start your own business?

Life is limited.

If you want to grow faster than before, the projects you participate in are the stages where you can learn from understanding the situations of those you work with and grow in multifaceted ways.

Please check the following in Part 2 due to the limited number of characters.

https://durumis.com/@ryan-reason/another-project-completed-finqkqmq⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠