Words to Work By

Be an active listener.

• When asking qs, try to thoughtfully engage your audience. Don’t just listen for what you want to hear.

Remove yourself from the equation.

• More often than not, the work you are doing is not about you. It is about your audience.

Avoid the vacuum.

• Whenever possible, don’t work alone. Talk with people, whether they are your teammates or guerrilla testers in a cafe. Solicit input and feedback as often as possible, and remember your audience.

Be humble.

• Know when you’re right, and know when you’re wrong.

Be honest.

• Be honest with yourself, with your team and with your time.

Pay respect.

• We’re all in this together, and we all have people to thank.

Don’t be afraid to fail.

• Challenge yourself at all times, and learn from every experience — good and bad.

Learn to say no.

• This can be the hardest lesson to learn, but also one of the most important.

Laugh.

• We all want to live longer, right? Enjoy what you do.

Advice from architect, Benjamin Dauer, from his interview with Smashing Magazine.