It's been a week since my last post and it's hard to know where to start. I'm not sure "the beginning" is the right place...So maybe, instead of recounting what I did, I will recount what I learnt.
I spent the last few days (23rd - 27th June) in Florence, where we took a stand at arguably the largest and most important childrens wear fair Pitti Bimbo.
When we arrived, it turned out (well, I knew already) that there had been a major communication failure.
Although we had specifically asked for the two stands that were separated by a hallway (as opposed to rooms with own doorways, it was basically a corridor with two very large alcoves - EVERYBODY had to pass by: a stroke of genius for a fashion brand with no "brand" to pull crowds/ buyers), when we got there a mere 18 hours before the official start of the fair, our "stands" were a total mess.
The walls were derelict, the whole place was stacked with paint pots, ladders and chairs for other stands that had yet to be distributed.
..Okay, so I am recounting what happened. But I'm getting to the point, I promise.
At this point we had two options:
1. Freak the f*** out
2. Turn into a calm, charismatic robot that ensures all turns our fine in the end.
Luckily, though I have the nervous system of an over-bred racing horse (i.e. VERY nervous), I go seriously stealthily calm in a crisis.
What I've realised is this: there is no point in losing the plot, shouting or crying.
It is literally a waste of energy. If you have set out to do something, and you believe in it, then make it work.
Because it can.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
Especially, if you know something is "right" - it's a different story, when you know that something shouldn't be so hard, but let's address that another time.
So although Andrea, the infamous architect in charge of organising Pitti Bimbo clearly felt attacked and threatened by us when we asked to know what was going on, I let him rant and take me to his computer to prove to me that he had clearly specified that we were to bring our own furniture. I did this, because I knew he hadn't. However, he had now played himself into a corner, showing himself up.
Once he realised that I was not there to make him look bad, had assured him I wasn't pissed off and that we both wanted the same thing: for our stand to look great and be an asset to us / the fair, he played ball.
- Give your partner the time and space to express themselves. Make sure they know they have been heard and their opinion is valued. Get them back on your "side" by making it clear that you're on the same team. Put faith in them and their work. Be explicit about your expectations and that you have faith in them fulfilling them.
At 17:48 on a wednesday evening in Florence, we found a printer who agreed to work late into the evening before a local holiday, to produce 32 120cm x 150 cm panels of printed paper with one of our Baby Issa prints.
- Believe that there is a solution to your problem and you will find it. (Just make sure you are prepared: I had the files with me / in my emails, had printed out the floor plans and all emails between architect and me).
- In addition, I can only say it's worth investing in your team: if we hadn't had the wonderful Issa staff in London to talk to and send us files via email, things would have been a lot more complicated.
We somehow found extra display cabinets, but then disguarded them at the last minute for some hanging rails instead, which fit the aesthetic of our stand much better, as they were minimal and blended into the background.
- Be open to what form your solution might take - it might be very different from what you envisage, it might be better.
We left dinner when the wallpaper arrived and stayed until every sheet was pasted on the walls - right side up and as precisely as possible.
- The contractors at the fair would joke "molto preciso" whenever they saw me after I got my hands (and arms, and elbows) dirty, helping the guys apply glue to the walls and papers and making sure the prints didn't overlap or have too much space between them.
Yes, I was in heels and yes, my clothes and hair got dirty. I also had an incredibly memorable time, a great result in terms of the appearance of stand and definitely feel confident in attempting a DIY wallpaper project in the near future ;)
- I was very aware that my active involvement (young woman) in their work could leave the contractors (middle-aged Italian men) feeling criticised and micromanaged. So I made sure to joke about my German roots, being a perfectionist and generally giving the clear signal that "it's not you, it's me": their ability was not being questioned.
You already know about my pro - DIY ethic: when we realised in London that the designers who were making our display plinths and cabinets were going waaayyyy over budget, we asked them to forget about the furniture and make vinyl stickers in our doodle prints instead. That way, we could customize any furniture, anywhere.
- when things are getting too much / too expensive, someone still does not understand what you are trying to communicate: STOP. Breathe.
Re-address the issue:
What result am I trying to achieve?
Is there a better / easier / cheaper way of doing this? Can I rephrase my question / statement? Are there words that might be clearer? Is there something else that is standing in the way of a great result? I know it's easy to say know and hard to do later, but consciously putting yourself in the moment, and focusing on your goal (not immediate, but long-term / overall) when you are about to get carried away / angry / irritated / violent often leads to amazing, innovative solutions.
Sorry these images are so dark but they are meant to show:
The stand's walls, the hanging rails and the heart print stickers on the table..
...excuse the gangly legs and knock-knees, but the light is a lot better in this pic and you can actually see the clothes.
More on Pitti, how and what people buy as well as our appointment with the Head of Harrod's Childrenswear at our next lesson.
Yes, you can go to the toilet now.
See you tomorrow, kids.
Miss Chatterbox
PS: check out this excellent management blog on keeping your focus and your temper by one of my "mentors" Peter Bregman on Harvard Business Review http://tinyurl.com/28x727u
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