Neutral like Switzerland

From the eyes of a newbie being neutral

     In my college years I always thought I knew best, I was learning so much in such a short amount of time I felt like I was the most knowledgeable person that I knew. Of course failing calculus, twice, was a small wake up call that this was in fact not the case. I have only been out of college for a year, but even so when I speak to those in college right now I see myself. I was on a plane earlier today and overheard a conversation going on between two college students and wondered what everyone around them thought. 

     Ironically these students were discussing design, mostly filming but they touched on graphic design, and after listening to their conversation they are in for a huge surprise when they get their first job. I think arrogance is something people struggle with their whole lives. And at this point in my life I need to stay neutral. I am still learning too much to have the answers. I am not always right, in fact, most of the people around me know better than I do. 

     Design is tricky, sometimes there are right and wrong answers, but most of the time what I do is debatable. But before you take chances you have to build a trust with people. I believe one of the best ways to build trust is to listen. 

     Whenever I am listening it is really hard to not chime in. I want to give my opinion, make their idea better, but I need to learn to be neutral, let people have their opinion and keep it. They need to find ways to improve their idea, and not be offended by my intervening. My plan is to be like Switzerland, hold a lot of important information, listen to everyone, but stay neutral with all of those around me to build trust. 

Hailey