I have a confession: I spent the majority of the Easter weekend that's just passsed, binged-watching on old reruns of 'Suits' (psst, don't tell my mum, who was conscripting for the annual family spring-cleaning fest). Boston Legal and The Good Wife will always be my perennial favourites but by golly, when it comes TV legal eagles, the closer of all closers, Harvey Specter, absolutely blows!
Loud, by the way, because you won big in poker last night. Harvey Specter: For your information, I didn't lose sleep just because of poker. Donna Paulsen: Yeah, you did. Melanie's not in the picture anymore. Harvey Specter: No, we can't, because he was playing backroom poker, and if that comes out, Harvard fires him. Mike Ross: Are you kidding me?
Well, in one session, whoever gets the best cards will probably win. If these four played a weekly game, I'd say Spector and Underwood are the big winners, and Tyrion and Heisenberg (I assume we're talking about Walter White here, not the theoreti. The mobile casino has taken the concept of personalized Harvey Specter Poker gaming to a whole new level. Now you can play on the go 24×7 regardless of where you are. All you need is a smartphone that gives you Internet access via 3G, 4G, LTE, or Wi-F.
In one episode, Harvey challenges the opposition to a game of poker to win back the company that Harvey's client had carelessly lost to the opposition in an earlier card game. Harvey's sidekick, Mike, who has the ultimate photographic memory, offers to play the poker game for him. Harvey rejects Mike's help with this brilliant one-liner: 'I don't play the odds, I play the man.'
True enough, at the poker game, and in spite of his bad hand, Harvey wins back the company by unnerving the opposition by playing on the opposition's past and deep insecurities. Harvey's genius is that he understands that anybody can play the odds at poker (and indeed, life); whether by chance as his gambler of a client did or by logic, as good card players like Mike do. However, what makes a great card player is one, who respects the human element of the game, one that not only reads the play but more importantly, the players.
Great designers read people
Design is a game of poker, where designers are often sitting at cross-roads trying to anticipate and fulfill the ever-changing needs of users, through the use of every logic and / or emotion. Simple as that may appear to be, it can also be downright difficult because you will very often have to challenge the very people that you are serving (and desperately want to please) in order to give them what they really need.
Jennifer Aldrich, in her post about 'Good Designers vs Great Designers', tells the story of a designer friend, whose mentor in what appeared to be rather brazen move, had stood up against a client's brief. The mentor challenged the brief, albeit diplomatically, which while detailed in its design requirements, was absent on the client's goals. When questioned on his approach, the mentor had these wise words to say:
I wasn't standing up to them, I was making sure that I clearly understood the problems that they need to solve. Good designers take orders and hand over exactly what a client wants. Great designers dive deep to uncover what a client actually needs.
It is that last line, which resonates most with me, that you have to courageously commit to your client's success and not just your client. Mike Monteiro wrote about this and the many battles that they have had to 'fight' against clients, over years of running a design service, in order to ultimately work together with clients to win the war. In other words, the goal is not to make clients happy, but rather to make them succeed. Go above and beyond to understand what makes them them tick and then, give them what they need – even if they do not know it themselves yet.
Joga poker online. And, how do you do that? Well, again, I take leave from the great Harvey Specter:
You do what they or they shoot you, right? Wrong! You take the gun. You pull out a a bigger gun or you call their bluff or you do one of another 146 other things.
Risky, yes, but that is what it takes to be THE DESIGNER (MAN / WOMAN).
Most people hated mornings, and Harvey Specter was one of those people, but he didn't hate everything about them. Sure, he could do without the early rises, the realisation that he would have to deal with some kind of bullshit at work and the New York City traffic at rush hour, but there were some things he always looked forward to.
Like clockwork, every morning at 6, his phone would ring, letting him know that she would be there in 15 minutes. That gave him just enough time to grab a banana, get dressed, and open the door to her at 6:15. Then, they would jog until 6:35, when they would come back to his apartment to shower and get ready for work. Then, Ray would pick them up at 7, getting them there for anywhere between half past and 8 depending on the traffic.
Nobody in the firm knew of their little arrangement, and as far as they were concerned, it could stay that way. There was already enough implication that their relationship was sexual in nature, there was no need to add more fuel to the fire. Of course, most of that was down to the way they blatantly flirted with each other and constantly joked around, but the way they saw it, they were just close friends.
This morning was just like any other. He awoke to the sound of his ringtone, and groaned slightly when he saw the time, but her ever perky voice made him crack a smile as he climbed out of bed. He wasn't sure if it was the excitement to see her, or that he was terrified of what she would do if he wasn't ready on time, but either way, he was ready and waiting for her to knock at his door.
Harvey Specter Poker Play
He could tell from the way she knocked it was her, it sounded like a little jingle. They both knew that the knocking was more a thing of habit than anything; she had a key and wasn't afraid to use it. He quite often got home late to find her sat on the couch, or heard the lock go in the middle of a Sunday afternoon just because she wanted company. He couldn't say he didn't like it either, in fact, sometimes he was disappointed when Donna wasn't waiting for him.
'Ready?' She asked, placing the bag containing her perfectly pressed dress down on the bed and tying her gorgeous locks up into a ponytail.
'Yep.' He responded, popping the p in an unusually chirpy manner.
As they ran, as they usually did, they raced each other a little. Not in a serious way, but more of a light competition, something to get their hearts racing and their blood pumping for the day ahead. They were far from serious. The way they laughed as their feet pounded the pavement would have told anyone that.
After years of doing it, they had their routine practically down to a T. When they arrived back, Harvey would climb in the shower, being the quicker of the two, and Donna would get his suit out of the cupboard and make the coffee. Then, whilst she washed, he got dressed and made breakfast. He usually helped her zip up her dress, and as they ate she added the finishing touches to her hair and makeup whilst he read the paper.
Then Ray came and dropped them off at work, and they entered in true Harvey and Donna style. The elevator doors opened and they walked down the hall together as she told him everything he had scheduled for the day as well as anything else he had to know. He had no clue how she had found so much out between leaving his house and arriving, but he had stopped asking questions like that years ago.
She just knew.
When they got to his office, finishing the last of the coffee that they had poured into travel mugs, they were both surprised to hear Mike interrupt their conversation.
'Do you two, like, live together, or do you manage to time that entrance perfectly every day?'
Harvey didn't dignify that question with an answer and rolled his eyes at Donna as they swapped some files between them and she left, closing the door behind her.
'So, you've finally figured out what time you need to get here, it's taken you long enough.'
He saw Donna shake her head through the glass as she listened through the intercom. He had gotten so used to her hearing every conversation that it would feel weird to have to explain anything to her.
'The Hendrickson briefs, where do you want them?' Mike asked, slightly cocky that he had finished what would take most associates at least two days in just under 12 hours.
'In my office.' Harvey replied, as though it should have been obvious after all this time. 'What you got?' Casino del sol buffet sunday brunch.
Mike sighed.
'That's the problem, there's no concrete evidence that supports the CEO's claim.'
Without even looking up from the computer he was typing from, Harvey responded.
'Okay, I need you to go down to the court and get the judge to grant us a TRO before opposing council can file a subpoena. Then, get back here and go back over the depositions.'
'Aye, aye captain.' Mike said as he swiftly left the room, knowing that Harvey would be pissed if he didn't get the TRO in time.
'Donna, when Mike gets back, can you call and make sure he did it properly, and can you also track down those depositions.'
'Yep, anything else?'
'Call Klein back, tell him-'
Danbury casino promotions. 'You need to schedule a meeting to discuss the merger in more detail and make sure he wants to proceed, already done, it's in for Tuesday at 11.'
He didn't even remember telling her about that, or mentioning it at any point she could have heard. He didn't believe in that kind of stuff, but he was starting to think there was no explanation other than her being a psychic.
'I'm not a psychic.' He heard over the intercom. 'I anticipate your needs, your poker face isn't as good as you think it is, and you talk to yourself without knowing it.'
Did he? God, what else did she know about? She couldn't possibly know about the - could she?
Brushing the disturbing thought that she could indeed know everything from his mind, he got back to work, only to be interrupted again by Louis.
'Hey, Harvey, do you by any chance have those financials I gave you last week?'
He held up a blue folder and Louis gladly took it.
'Hey, funny thing, I saw you this morning.'
Donna stopped her typing and raised her eyebrows in alarm.
'Yeah, I was out for my daily power walk and I saw you jogging. You can't have been going much faster than me, but that's not important.'
Donna and Harvey made eye contact through the glass as they both wondered what Louis was gonna say next.
'The funny thing was, I saw Donna a few seconds later tying her shoe, what a coincidence, we should all go together some time!'
Both of them let out a breath in unison when he said that and left, thanking Harvey for the document.
'He nearly caught us, you know, we should be more careful.'
'Why, it's not like we're doing anything wrong?' He replied, looking up so he could see her face as he spoke.
In one episode, Harvey challenges the opposition to a game of poker to win back the company that Harvey's client had carelessly lost to the opposition in an earlier card game. Harvey's sidekick, Mike, who has the ultimate photographic memory, offers to play the poker game for him. Harvey rejects Mike's help with this brilliant one-liner: 'I don't play the odds, I play the man.'
True enough, at the poker game, and in spite of his bad hand, Harvey wins back the company by unnerving the opposition by playing on the opposition's past and deep insecurities. Harvey's genius is that he understands that anybody can play the odds at poker (and indeed, life); whether by chance as his gambler of a client did or by logic, as good card players like Mike do. However, what makes a great card player is one, who respects the human element of the game, one that not only reads the play but more importantly, the players.
Great designers read people
Design is a game of poker, where designers are often sitting at cross-roads trying to anticipate and fulfill the ever-changing needs of users, through the use of every logic and / or emotion. Simple as that may appear to be, it can also be downright difficult because you will very often have to challenge the very people that you are serving (and desperately want to please) in order to give them what they really need.
Jennifer Aldrich, in her post about 'Good Designers vs Great Designers', tells the story of a designer friend, whose mentor in what appeared to be rather brazen move, had stood up against a client's brief. The mentor challenged the brief, albeit diplomatically, which while detailed in its design requirements, was absent on the client's goals. When questioned on his approach, the mentor had these wise words to say:
I wasn't standing up to them, I was making sure that I clearly understood the problems that they need to solve. Good designers take orders and hand over exactly what a client wants. Great designers dive deep to uncover what a client actually needs.
It is that last line, which resonates most with me, that you have to courageously commit to your client's success and not just your client. Mike Monteiro wrote about this and the many battles that they have had to 'fight' against clients, over years of running a design service, in order to ultimately work together with clients to win the war. In other words, the goal is not to make clients happy, but rather to make them succeed. Go above and beyond to understand what makes them them tick and then, give them what they need – even if they do not know it themselves yet.
Joga poker online. And, how do you do that? Well, again, I take leave from the great Harvey Specter:
You do what they or they shoot you, right? Wrong! You take the gun. You pull out a a bigger gun or you call their bluff or you do one of another 146 other things.
Risky, yes, but that is what it takes to be THE DESIGNER (MAN / WOMAN).
Most people hated mornings, and Harvey Specter was one of those people, but he didn't hate everything about them. Sure, he could do without the early rises, the realisation that he would have to deal with some kind of bullshit at work and the New York City traffic at rush hour, but there were some things he always looked forward to.
Like clockwork, every morning at 6, his phone would ring, letting him know that she would be there in 15 minutes. That gave him just enough time to grab a banana, get dressed, and open the door to her at 6:15. Then, they would jog until 6:35, when they would come back to his apartment to shower and get ready for work. Then, Ray would pick them up at 7, getting them there for anywhere between half past and 8 depending on the traffic.
Nobody in the firm knew of their little arrangement, and as far as they were concerned, it could stay that way. There was already enough implication that their relationship was sexual in nature, there was no need to add more fuel to the fire. Of course, most of that was down to the way they blatantly flirted with each other and constantly joked around, but the way they saw it, they were just close friends.
This morning was just like any other. He awoke to the sound of his ringtone, and groaned slightly when he saw the time, but her ever perky voice made him crack a smile as he climbed out of bed. He wasn't sure if it was the excitement to see her, or that he was terrified of what she would do if he wasn't ready on time, but either way, he was ready and waiting for her to knock at his door.
Harvey Specter Poker Play
He could tell from the way she knocked it was her, it sounded like a little jingle. They both knew that the knocking was more a thing of habit than anything; she had a key and wasn't afraid to use it. He quite often got home late to find her sat on the couch, or heard the lock go in the middle of a Sunday afternoon just because she wanted company. He couldn't say he didn't like it either, in fact, sometimes he was disappointed when Donna wasn't waiting for him.
'Ready?' She asked, placing the bag containing her perfectly pressed dress down on the bed and tying her gorgeous locks up into a ponytail.
'Yep.' He responded, popping the p in an unusually chirpy manner.
As they ran, as they usually did, they raced each other a little. Not in a serious way, but more of a light competition, something to get their hearts racing and their blood pumping for the day ahead. They were far from serious. The way they laughed as their feet pounded the pavement would have told anyone that.
After years of doing it, they had their routine practically down to a T. When they arrived back, Harvey would climb in the shower, being the quicker of the two, and Donna would get his suit out of the cupboard and make the coffee. Then, whilst she washed, he got dressed and made breakfast. He usually helped her zip up her dress, and as they ate she added the finishing touches to her hair and makeup whilst he read the paper.
Then Ray came and dropped them off at work, and they entered in true Harvey and Donna style. The elevator doors opened and they walked down the hall together as she told him everything he had scheduled for the day as well as anything else he had to know. He had no clue how she had found so much out between leaving his house and arriving, but he had stopped asking questions like that years ago.
She just knew.
When they got to his office, finishing the last of the coffee that they had poured into travel mugs, they were both surprised to hear Mike interrupt their conversation.
'Do you two, like, live together, or do you manage to time that entrance perfectly every day?'
Harvey didn't dignify that question with an answer and rolled his eyes at Donna as they swapped some files between them and she left, closing the door behind her.
'So, you've finally figured out what time you need to get here, it's taken you long enough.'
He saw Donna shake her head through the glass as she listened through the intercom. He had gotten so used to her hearing every conversation that it would feel weird to have to explain anything to her.
'The Hendrickson briefs, where do you want them?' Mike asked, slightly cocky that he had finished what would take most associates at least two days in just under 12 hours.
'In my office.' Harvey replied, as though it should have been obvious after all this time. 'What you got?' Casino del sol buffet sunday brunch.
Mike sighed.
'That's the problem, there's no concrete evidence that supports the CEO's claim.'
Without even looking up from the computer he was typing from, Harvey responded.
'Okay, I need you to go down to the court and get the judge to grant us a TRO before opposing council can file a subpoena. Then, get back here and go back over the depositions.'
'Aye, aye captain.' Mike said as he swiftly left the room, knowing that Harvey would be pissed if he didn't get the TRO in time.
'Donna, when Mike gets back, can you call and make sure he did it properly, and can you also track down those depositions.'
'Yep, anything else?'
'Call Klein back, tell him-'
Danbury casino promotions. 'You need to schedule a meeting to discuss the merger in more detail and make sure he wants to proceed, already done, it's in for Tuesday at 11.'
He didn't even remember telling her about that, or mentioning it at any point she could have heard. He didn't believe in that kind of stuff, but he was starting to think there was no explanation other than her being a psychic.
'I'm not a psychic.' He heard over the intercom. 'I anticipate your needs, your poker face isn't as good as you think it is, and you talk to yourself without knowing it.'
Did he? God, what else did she know about? She couldn't possibly know about the - could she?
Brushing the disturbing thought that she could indeed know everything from his mind, he got back to work, only to be interrupted again by Louis.
'Hey, Harvey, do you by any chance have those financials I gave you last week?'
He held up a blue folder and Louis gladly took it.
'Hey, funny thing, I saw you this morning.'
Donna stopped her typing and raised her eyebrows in alarm.
'Yeah, I was out for my daily power walk and I saw you jogging. You can't have been going much faster than me, but that's not important.'
Donna and Harvey made eye contact through the glass as they both wondered what Louis was gonna say next.
'The funny thing was, I saw Donna a few seconds later tying her shoe, what a coincidence, we should all go together some time!'
Both of them let out a breath in unison when he said that and left, thanking Harvey for the document.
'He nearly caught us, you know, we should be more careful.'
'Why, it's not like we're doing anything wrong?' He replied, looking up so he could see her face as he spoke.
Harvey Specter Poker Game
'I suppose.' She looked back at her computer and began to type again. 'I guess I kinda like it being just the two of us. It's like the can opener only less, you know.'
Harvey Specter Poker
Mirroring her, not taking his eyes off the screen, he responded. 'I like it too. Just the way it is.'
