Thinking about yourself in 2018 from five perspectives

This is Wada from the Creative Department. Thank you for your continued support this year.

I was transferred to a different department exactly one year ago and have been working in direction and website operations, and last year was the year I was able to put into practice the idea of "doing what I want to do under my own responsibility."

For example, I was able to get the haircut I always wanted, which was a shaved head, and pursue my favorite hobby of embroidery (cross-stitching game characters). At work, I was able to pay attention to my health and diet, and strive to work in a state where I could always perform well.

This time, I would like to reflect on last year and think about what I want to do in 2018. In order to avoid being vague, I will think about it along the following five axes.

1. One step ahead of what is required (for clients)
2. Be creative in how you communicate (with your coworkers)
3. Creating a system to prevent mistakes (production)
4. Make time to do your hands-on work (improve your skills)
5. Manufacturing in everyday life (life)

1. Go one step beyond what is required (with clients)

I communicate with clients on a daily basis as I work on projects. I try to communicate with clients and think about what they need.

Reflecting on last year, I wish I had had a deeper understanding of the websites we operate and been better able to deal with the technical aspects, so I would like to further hone my skills.
When a client asks for a sudden emergency response, it is important to be able to organize your thoughts and respond calmly. Through daily website operations, I will continue to communicate with my clients carefully and take 2018 one step further. I would like to be able to propose not only what my clients want, but also what is beyond their needs.

2. Be creative in how you communicate (with colleagues)

Communication within a company can sometimes be neglected compared to communication outside the company. However, I believe that internal communication is just as important as interactions with people outside the company. Because these are people we interact with every day, I want to make sure that we all have a pleasant time together.

Last year, I had more interactions with people I didn't see, such as handing over operational projects to the Kamiyama team. What I learned from that was that it was necessary to "be persistent in aligning your understanding." If the person is right in front of you, you can see their reaction, so you can see if they understand what you want to say. However, if you can't see the person's face, it's hard to judge whether what you are saying is being conveyed to the other person. Therefore, when necessary, we communicated using Hangouts or phone calls while sharing computer screens, but there were also aspects where I felt that it was difficult to communicate with people who were far away.

In 2018, I would like to reflect on these experiences and think about how to convey what I want to say to others, and in particular, to be thorough in aligning our understanding. Because these are people I interact with on a daily basis, I want to communicate in a way that allows both of us to work comfortably.

3. Creating a system to prevent mistakes (production)

Ensuring the quality of the work we create goes without saying, but in 2017 we thought a lot about how to maintain high quality and eliminate mistakes when operating a website.

Although it should never have happened, I once delivered the wrong file. I thought I was being careful, but since the mistake happened, I realized that this way of doing things was no good. I looked back at my previous work flow, revamped my checklist, and read a book* ¹ to think about how to eliminate mistakes.
* ¹ Kenji Iino, " What do people who work fast and make no mistakes do? " (Bunkyosha, 2017)

As a result, I came to the conclusion that the most important thing is to "create a system that prevents mistakes." However, no matter how many countermeasures you take, it's meaningless if your judgment is impaired. I started to pay attention to keeping my mind and body healthy so that I can always make calm decisions, and I wanted to work in a state of high performance at all times.

In 2018, I would like to continue creating systems that prevent mistakes and ensure the quality of my work while also paying attention to my health.

4. Make time to do your hands-on work (improve your skills)

When managing a website, there are many situations where you are required to quickly understand a site you are seeing for the first time and make appropriate corrections. At such times, I sometimes think that if my skills and level of understanding were higher, I would be able to notice more things. If your skills improve, your range of work will also expand, and the scope of your work will also increase.

First of all, I need to be able to understand the things I don't understand now. To do that, I need to have time to do it. When I have a project, I tend to be overwhelmed with my daily work, but in 2018, I want to increase the time I spend doing it myself and study more about HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other skills required for production to hone my skills.

5. Manufacturing in everyday life (life)

I like to embroider game characters, and I do cross-stitch as a hobby. Last year, my cross-stitch fever flared up again for the first time in a long time, and I tried various embroidery. I gave them as gifts to members of my company and they were happy with them, so it was a fun challenge for me as well.

In 2018, I would like to continue embroidering. I also like to "create," so I would like to do something creative, not just embroidery. Last year, I was proactive in doing daily housework, and was able to make it a routine. When my surroundings are in order, my mind is clear. I can work more efficiently when my mind is clear, so I would like to continue this habit in 2018.

A year in which "Surrounding a Corner"

Looking back on 2017, I took on many new challenges and made improvements, but I believe there is still room for improvement. In 2018, I would like to take even more proactive action and improve my life and work.

By the way, the calligraphy I'm holding in the first photo is "Shouichigū". This is a phrase by Dengyo Daishi Saichō, meaning "to illuminate one corner", and it is also the school motto of my alma mater, Hieizan High School. It means:

Each person does the best they can in their own position.

In 2018, I would like to spend each day doing the best I can in my work, my personal life, and my life.