Hello, I'm Jupiter!
CONTACT INFO
MY PERSONAL STORY
Rumor has it I was named after Mozart's Symphony 41 in C Major, a.k.a. The Jupiter Symphony.
I grew up with cool parents. They were hippies. My dad was a sculptor and my mom was a bookkeeper. I landed somewhere in the middle.
I have always been pretty good at math and art. I was an art major who actually enjoyed logic class. I started creating art when I was a child in my dad's studio, but was never the kid who could just pick up a paintbrush and go wild. I was more calculated, I loved shapes, lines, and patterns.
I like systems, grids, and straight lines, but also find magnificent beauty in nature's wild asymmetry. I like to use a logical, planned approach when I create things. I am drawn to simple designs, I like minimalism mixed with a bit of soul, like a ragged edge or an old patina.
Product design feels like a natural fit-I am drawn to it.
I believe that you will make better products if you involve your design team in the very beginning of the product development process. Design needs to be viewed as strategic thinkers. We add the most value when you treat us as equal partners...not service providers.
When I'm not working, I'm usually with my lovely wife, three kids, and two rescue mutts. Being outdoors calms me, especially in the mountains. I love riding pretty much any type of board or bike. Hiking, backpacking, camping, or fishing you ask? Yes please!
I listen to a lot of music, especially when I'm cooking or driving.
I'm currently in Seattle, but these days, that doesn't really matter does it? I mean, it matters to me, but not so much to employers.
Below is a letter to my next team introducing myself and how I think and operate. As someone who once had 5 different managers in 13 months (yes, seriously), I understand the impact of ambiguous expectations. This would have been a huge help in my journey, so I love the idea of it.
LEADERSHIP IS A MINDSET
Having a growth mindset is a gift not only to yourself, but a gift to the world. It allows you to unlock what the world needs and help you embrace the idea that you can improve and develop the skills needed to make those things happen.
I love to expose myself to new and diverse ideas, ways of thinking, research methods, opinions, processes, tools, and people. I'm missing some things here, but you get the idea. Doing this allows me to be open to a constantly evolving world. The world is dynamic, and we are all constantly adapting to our situations. I understand and embrace the fact that I am not the same person I was a year ago or the same person I will be in a year from now.
I want you to believe in yourself! I encourage you to be passionate, to be bold, to take risks without fear of being wrong or failing, to push and sometimes disagree with your peers, to push me, to disagree with me. I want you to feel safe saying "I don't know".
I also want you to make sure that when you do these things, you come from a position of strength gained through empathy, respect, and deep thinking.
I want you to take the time to listen, to understand, to consider the alternative point of view, to think through the consequences of your words and actions. Above all, I want you to always, always, always come from a place of good intentions. I will try my very best to do the same.
Here are some detailed thoughts on areas that matter to me.
PEOPLE NEED BALANCE
Self-Actualization is only possible if you have a healthy balanced life. Your career is a big part of that balancing act.
As your manager, I know that you are more likely to thrive in your career if we have a good connection and I am able to understand what you want and need from me. It helps me to understand who you are as a person, not just an employee.
Don't worry, this doesn't mean that I want to know everything about you...or even most of it. :)
What it does mean is that I understand that you are a human being and that work is only one part of your life. It does mean that I care about your overall well being and want to know what is important to you.
There are times when non-work things are urgent and take priority. My family and my health are the most important things in this world to me and I treat them as such. I suspect you have a similar mindset, and encourage you to prioritize them in a way that feels right to you.
I'm not a workaholic and I don't expect you to be. If you want a flexible or non-standard schedule, let's discuss what that looks like. As long as it doesn't negatively impact your performance or your team, we can probably figure something out. Communication is of utmost importance to me.
Use your vacation (all of it), take the weekends off, eat dinner or lunch with your friends or loved ones (or alone if that's your thing), don't stay up all night working. Of course there may be times when these things are not possible, but I will make sure that they are few and far between. Please hold me accountable if this is not the case.
Balanced people are more productive and happier. Burnout is a real thing which ultimately hurts everyone involved. Please don't be another burnout!
CULTURE MATTERS
It matters a lot actually. Creating a culture that celebrates diversity of race, religion, sexual orientation, age, perspective, ideas, ways of thinking, personal appearance, fashion style, process, tools, techniques, politics, and many other things is necessary in order for people to thrive.
Racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, bigotry and anything else like them are not welcome on my team or anywhere near me.
If you feel differently, or see instances of these things, please speak to me in private very soon.
ATTITUDE MATTERS TOO
Positivity is contagious!!! So is negativity. Work can be hard, it can be demoralizing when things don't go the way you had hoped. I don't expect you to always be happy, but I will encourage you to look for the positive in almost all situations. Challenging situations, including failures, present us with chances to reflect, learn, adjust, and grow.
Own your failures, hold yourself accountable, analyze, learn and then move on. Ask yourself what you could have done differently to avoid the results, what you will do better next time. We all make mistakes, don't dwell on it, but do your best not to repeat it.
EMPATHY IS A POWERFUL TOOL
Empathy is often a key to forging a great relationship with customers, coworkers, and partners. Listen with the intent to truly understand what the other person is saying. What is important to them, how they are feeling, what do they need in order to move forward in a positive way.
Truly listening to people gives you the foundational knowledge that you need to become a good partner.
COMMUNICATION
Strong communication is essential. Expectations are far easier to fulfill when they are clearly articulated. I can't expect you to execute the team vision without understanding “what” we are trying to do and also “why” we are trying to do it.
I will do my best to give you the information I think you need, but this should be a conversation, not a dictation. There will be times when I make assumptions about what you know or don't know. It's up to you to make sure I know where I'm falling short.
If you need more information or have questions, tell me. If you don't understand what I asking, it's my fault for not communicating well enough. If you don't speak up and tell me when you don't understand, then that is probably your fault.
I'm not great at email, please don't email me on important matters without following up to make sure I'm aware.
FEEDBACK
I believe that giving you direct feedback is a great way for you to grow your skills and progress in your career. I will give you feedback on a regular basis on the things that you are doing well and things that you need to adjust.
This should be a conversation, if you understand and agree, great. If you are confused or disagree, that is ok too. As long as you surface your questions and feelings with me, we should be able to come to an agreement on a path forward.
Feedback is not a one way street, I would appreciate feedback from you as well on how I am supporting you, both good and bad.
MY BACKGROUND
I am Jupiter Barton, an Experience Strategy and Design Director, and I love designing and building products that make people’s lives better.
I specialize in building and developing highly diverse, engaged and inspired teams of experience strategists, designers, researchers, and content designers.
I am well respected as a thoughtful, caring mentor who builds strong cultures based on performance, empowerment and collaboration while encouraging and guiding people on their path to becoming great leaders.
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TEAMWORK
Lift each other up and support one another!
Strong teams are those that are united in their mission and work together to achieve it. It's fine to ask hard questions and hold your team accountable, but remember to do so with good intentions, with the goal of supporting the team, the customer and the business results.
You are a smart person who is great at some things and not so great at other things. You are surrounded by smart people who are great at some things and not so great at other things.
Lean in to your superpowers whenever you can. Get to know your team mates so you understand where their superpowers lie and encourage them to lean in to those areas.
If the team is missing a necessary skill, let me know and we can work out a plan to address the gap.
Be selfless, be productive, be decisive.
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Wow, you're still here? Thank you again for your time.