JPEN

ASSISTANT DESIGNER SHIHO YOSHIBA

由波 志帆 SHIHO YOSHIBA
INTERVIEW

自分の進んだあとに、道ができていると信じて。

PROFILE

2009
Graduated from the Course in Architecture in the Department of Environmental Science and Design at Showa Women's University
Joined Link Place Co., Ltd.
2012
Company name changed to DE-SIGN INC. through a management buyout
由波 志帆 SHIHO YOSHIBA
This is your tenth year since graduating from college and beginning your professional career. What were your days like when you first joined the company?
After joining the company as a new graduate, I gained a broad range of experience not only in design but also in areas such as real estate brokerage and project management. To be honest, I don’t remember doing anything but working during my first three and a half years or so with the company (laughs). I was in charge of multiple projects, and on weekdays I spent the daytime hours visiting with clients and the evening hours preparing materials. On weekends I visited construction sites, and once a project was complete, a new one would start up . . . . That’s how I spent my days.
What has proven to be a watershed in your career through now?
It was when I decided to make supporting team members the main part of my work. For the first three and a half years or so after I joined the company as a new graduate, I was so busy that I really don’t remember doing anything but work (laughs). I felt like I could not go on spending every day being so busy, with no end in sight, and once I even let it slip to my supervisor at the time that I had had enough. Maybe for that reason, my supervisor proposed a brand-new position in which I could contribute to the company by supporting team members. I was confident that I could continue to work in a role like that.
由波 志帆 SHIHO YOSHIBA
What has changed between that time before your role changed and now?
At first, I faced a dilemma. Even though I had announced that my main role from then on would be to provide support, neither I nor the people around me were able to change right away. If a team member who relies on you asks for help, you can’t just turn them down because it’s time to go home. But I realized that if that were the case then nothing would change at all, and so I decided to give up some tasks. It took about three years before I was able to control my work fully myself. After this change in my roles, the new position of support staff was established and the number of staff members in positions similar to mine increased. It makes me happy to think that this is proof that the position of support staff has taken firm root in the company.
What do you consider important in doing your work?
Right now, I am working at home from the living room of my home in Nagoya. When my husband was transferred to Nagoya, I told my supervisor that I was afraid I would have to quit my job. But my supervisor suggested I simply switch to a style of working that did not require me to come to the company. I had never expected that. Today, this style of working has become an official company program called Satellite Work (laughs). Because of this background, I try to generate results that will satisfy anybody, so that everybody knows that I’m working hard even though I’m so far away.

MY WAY OF THINKING

I believe if you go first, the road will form behind you.

Right now I’m getting ready to take maternity leave, but I would like to continue working for DE-SIGN INC. from Nagoya after my leave ends. I would like to try Satellite Work while holding my baby. Although sometimes I wonder if I can do it without inconveniencing other staff members, I still want to give it a try, because I hope that my way of working can be helpful to others who have the same concerns as me.

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