One Surefire Way to Become Indispensable at Your Creative Job
At a Glance
Today, we’re talking about one of the best ways to stand out at your creative office—becoming a Fixer.
More specifically, we’ll identify what a creative fixer is, why they’re important, and how to build a fixer mindset for yourself.
Let’s discuss!
Sometimes, a project goes wrong. Really wrong.
We’re creative people. We strive to do our best and make the best art we can.
Unfortunately, we often don’t develop personal/project management skills until we find ourselves deep into our careers (or in trouble). Knowing when to put pencils down and ship our art out the door takes time.
Without the proper guidance, a project can hit some heavy roadblocks that feel impossible to overcome.
When that happens, they me in.
Why? I’m a “fixer.”
A fixer is someone who, you guessed it, fixes any and all issues a project may be struggling with. I’ve had my fair share of mishaps, but sometimes projects need help from the outside.
If you want to stand out or become indispensable in your creative career, you need to reframe yourself as a fixer, not a cog in the machine. You want to be outside the machine, working on it to keep it running smoothly.
Be the one person in the room solving the problems others can’t or won’t.
Today, let’s talk about what a Fixer can do and how to adopt their skills into your own creative life.
Bring in the Fixer
Fixers aren’t born. They’re made. Forged from the fires of creative chaos.
One day, I came to work and realized there was a problem. A project on another team’s plate was clearly in trouble. They needed to meet a deadline to submit documents but were nowhere near ready.
For context, when a graphic design project doesn’t get fully completed, the worst-case scenario is that people are unhappy.
However, the worst-case scenario on an Architecture project can mean significant cost increases, delays, or even injury from uncoordinated or incomplete documents. Suffice it to say finishing a set of construction documents is a big deal.
This can happen to any project. Teams get busy, and deadlines start to take a back seat until the pressure builds up and we have to tend to them.
I dropped everything.
I assessed the problem, used my experience to determine a solution, and executed it.
We had about a week and a half to do one month’s worth of work. With so little time left, you have to make hard decisions.
I dug deep into my experience for guidance.
I knew what had to be done.
Time to move.
What Fixing looks like
The fixer mindset lets go of ego.
In construction, no one cares how beautiful the drawings look (other than the Architect). They care that they can read them, obtain the information they need, and can then build what you’ve envisioned. Anything after that is just pride.
Sometimes, you don’t really need every detail or drawing to make a construction set “complete.” You simply need enough information for a contractor to adequately price and build a project. Your project will likely go forward relatively smoothly if you meet that criteria.
The problem is that oftentimes, as creatives, we tend to embellish our drawings and overthink what we need.
I looked at my team. A few emerging professionals and a few seasoned pros. Distribute them to what makes sense. Fill in the gaps with myself and a few other temporary recruits to help.
I made it clear that none of the decisions about roles are personal. We needed to get the work done in the most effective way possible without (hopefully) burning out the team in the process. Sometimes, this means relegating a senior person to only specifications (written descriptions of products) or mundane details (graphic representations of those products in construction).
For the next week straight, everyone pushed to get the work done. We focused hard.
In the end, the project went out the door successfully and intact.
But just barely.
How did I get these skills?
You may be wondering, “Ok, you’re a fixer. But how did you become one?”
At a design firm, you’re typically part of a larger team. Someone oversees the progress of a given project.
The problem—some of those staff don’t yet have the experience to manage the stress.
When I entered the workforce right at the start of the Great Recession. I watched as an entire generation of people left the industry, never to return. Some of my friends went on to do bigger and brighter things outside of Architecture.
Those who stayed were slapped with the realization that far fewer of us were coming up in the project management levels. Some of us took this as an opportunity. We were forged through the fires of projects as managers and problem solvers. On projects, mind you, we likely would have had no business managing otherwise.
I developed skills because I needed to. Project Management, Technical Design, Communication, Presentation, and Soft Skills. Now, I can jump in and help other projects that struggle, regardless of the problem.
A simple method to start becoming a Fixer (if you’re not already)
A few weeks ago, I saw a post by Dan Martell, author of “Buy Back Your Time.”
In it, he shared what he calls the “1-3-1 Framework.” It’s what he uses to help his team solve problems. In simple terms, it looks like this:
• ONE issue or problem raised by a team member
• That person must develop THREE viable solutions
• Then make ONE specific recommendation.
Every problem has a solution. Some are better than others.
You want to objectively look at the problem, determine a few possible solutions, then make a recommendation. The final step, execute the solution once that’s been agreed upon. If you don’t take action, the problem will remain.
Don’t worry about every little detail. Things tend to work themselves out later. It’s about making the best decision you can based on what you know now and pushing forward to solve the problem.
Final Thoughts
Being a Fixer isn’t a bad thing. But it isn’t easy either.
Being a fixer is rare. You can be the one person who is really moving the needle forward simply by stepping back and assessing the problems at hand, providing a solution, and getting it done.
If you want to foster a fixer mentality, remember to:
Ask questions
Solve problems
Make decisions
Get things done
Don’t let ego win
If you can do that AND balance your work/life beyond that, you’ll win at building your creative career.
TL; DR
Sometimes a project can go really wrong
Fixers are rare, skilled problem solvers
Fixers can bring objective solutions to a problem
Fixers can enable teams to solve problems quickly and effectively
The “1-3-1 Method” can help you build Fixer skills if you don’t already have them
Becoming a Fixer will help you become indispensable
Quote of the Week
Motivation for the days ahead of you.
“Be solution-oriented. Infect everyone with enthusiasm.”
— Debasish Mridha
That's all for now.
Stay creative, my friends—and have a great week!
