July 2020 Planning for the Next Normal Let’s start with some good news: 2020 is a little more than half over and you (and presumably your business) are here to read this letter! We all understand that the ramifications of COVID-19 have been profound, having significantly affected: Our markets. While a few client-type markets are [...]
ACEC Virginia Emerging Leaders Institute, May 22, 2020
March 2020 Clients and friends, These are unsettling and rapidly changing times. No doubt your firm is grappling with disruptions that would have been difficult to foresee just weeks ago. It’s extra challenging right now to plan for the long-term future, so this month instead of my usual letter, I’m offering an article entitled “Prospering [...]
December 2019 Dear Clients and Friends, The dawn of a new year—and especially a new decade—is an opportune time to take a step back and gain perspective on where your firm is going. By that, I mean you should consider your firm’s vision as part of its strategic plan or, if your firm doesn’t have [...]
Berkley Design Professionals Insurance, Webinar, December 5, 2019
October 2019 Dear Clients and Friends, If your firm is over a certain size, it is likely composed of multiple business units, which may be a combination of market-based or discipline-based departments, groups, studios, and/or offices in a multi-office firm. In most firms, these business units develop annual business plans. A firm with multiple business [...]
August 2019 Dear Clients and Friends, These are great times for most architecture and engineering firms! Our industry continues to benefit from the longest economic recovery since WWII. From my consultant’s anecdotal perspective, my clients are doing very well, with plenty of work to go around and very healthy financial performance. Current A/E industry surveys [...]
May 2019 Dear Clients and Friends, Next week, I will be making a presentation at the ACEC Annual Convention entitled “Getting It Done! Keys to Implementing Your Firm’s Strategic Plan.” If you can make it there, great! I look forward to seeing you. For the rest of you, here’s a summary of my key points: [...]
March 2019 Dear Clients and Friends, If you’re reading this, you’re either leading your firm or would probably like to be leading it someday. Effective leadership is the single most crucial asset a firm must have to succeed. Firms that need money can borrow; firms without enough business can boost their marketing; but firms that [...]
DesignDC (AIA-DC annual conference) September 17, 2019