Values in life, as well as business, help to define us and give us purpose. When a company lives out their values every day, it proves to customers, employees and colleagues what that company finds important and why.

Leadership also plays a key role in understanding how a company operates. 

Ronald Reagan once said, "The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things."

True leaders prove their strength by selecting talented team members; then they lead that talent to produce excellent results. The companies I’ve most enjoyed working with all have one thing in common: a leader who is respected, appreciated, and valued. Unsurprisingly, that leader shares those same feelings for his or her team members.

Over my past 6+ years of freelancing as a graphic designer, it’s been fascinating to witness how different clients communicate. There is no right communication style – it just depends on how people are wired, what their preferences are, and their personalities.

I have had a relationship with a client in another state for over five years, and I have never spoken to him on the phone or chatted via video call. Still, we have a solid working relationship. On the other hand, some clients prefer to communicate via Skype, while others need to meet in person to discuss simple changes. Still, as long as the goals and objectives of a project are presented clearly, the style of communication doesn’t matter in the long run.

An important part of communication for a project is setting clear expectations. In my experience, this is the primary reason that business relationships fail.

Over the years, I have developed some strategies to combat project hiccups due to lack of communication. One of these involves laying out a questionnaire for first-time clients which allows me to get a better feel for their company, project, and expectations.

During that first project, I'm able to get a feel for how they work. Ultimately, expectations need to be set before a project begins. This takes some practice, but great companies know how to communicate expectations right away.

Ultimately, companies are all different which makes for an interesting and exciting experience for freelancers like myself. No day is the same, and there is always variety in what we do. In my experience, the best companies to work with are the ones who successfully balance the characteristics mentioned above. When handled this way, we can avoid letting common, individual obstacles like egos, laziness, and poor attitudes to fester, and instead, create a healthy environment for everyone on the team as well as outside of the organization. 

The companies I have the strongest relationships with and the ones I enjoy working with the most are those that offer trust and respect to me and my craft. This motivates me to help their organization grow, and I become a cheerleader for them. I often find myself trying to help that organization grow in ways that don’t directly benefit me or my career, which is a continuous circle we all want to be part of and what makes us all stronger in the end.