1. Week's summary of activities

I took two site visits during the week to one of the hotel properties our team designed, which was in the final stages of a renovation.  We were sent to place the accessories and adjust the furniture sets for the photography of the new improvements.  It was exciting for me to see this part of the process, where designers get to review the project results and make adjustments as needed to give the best possible presentation of our work. When we arrived to the site, it was apparent to us that a lot more work needed to be completed before we could do our part of the job. Although it was frustrating to find this out upon arrival, we made the decision to stay and help mitigate with other tasks.  It was a compromise that we made to give up more of our time than originally expected to accomplish our mission, but it was a necessary action to make to uphold the firm's reputation in exceptional customer service.  After finishing at the job site, my somewhat agitated coworker asked me how I felt about situations like this, for going above and beyond our duty to help the clients in meeting their deadlines.  I told her that I didn't feel bothered by the issue.  It is certainly upsetting when the job responsibilities of others' do not follow through on time, but it is a reality of the business that plans change and mistakes happen.  There is little point on dwelling what should have happened, and more relevance on what needs to be done for successful completion of the project.  For me, maintaining a positive outlook is a necessary component of enjoying what I do, and doing it well.

2. Week's focus

The company is actually in the process of growing right now.  It was just over three months ago when the team moved locations from one of the owners’ garage to a cute, freestanding office building that I currently am working with them in, and the transformation has allowed them more space to expand and re-brand themselves as a company.  They have recently developed a logo with the intention of marking it on each employee’s business cards, projects that are sent to the clients, letterheads on any company documents, etc.  Some of these marketing tools are in the process of being printed right now, and soon their logo will be recognized as such.  

3. Meet someone new.

I am introducing you to my coworker, Bobby this week.  She and I worked together on the site visits we made to the hotel where we were placing accessories and staging furniture in one of the final stages before opening to the public.  This allowed us to become a lot closer as team members, and made the experience of exceeding our responsibilities, for the benefit of the time management issues at the hotel, much more bearable for us.  The majority of Bobby’s responsibilities at the firm are concerning the management of project documentation for information such as item quantity, pricing and budget statements, order processing, etc.  Sometimes when I am working in the office, I can hear her sass coming from another room because she is dealing with many different companies from behind the scenes to find information about any of the problems that occur, and decide what is happening, where it is happening, why it is happening, and who is to be held responsible for it.  I get updated about it all the time, and it seems like an entertaining position to have, but that is likely because I only hear about the parts that are interesting enough to become storytelling exercises.