Favorite Five Takeaways from the "Back to Business" Event
Posted on Oct. 26, 2022 / Favorite Five, Events / Subscribe 0
AUTHOR: Jenn Robertson Contact
Earlier this month, I attended SMPS Boston’s Back to Business event featuring keynote speaker Ryan Berman. Ryan is the founder of Courageous and has been credited with instigating the corporate courage movement. He spoke with SMPS Boston members about the importance of courage in the workplace, on both a corporate and personal level. Here are five of my takeaways from this thought-provoking event - and some thoughts on how they relate to the AEC industry.
Market the creature, not the product
It’s easy to get swept up in showing off the beautiful building your firm designed or built, and while project outcomes are certainly important, they aren’t the most crucial piece of the puzzle. What matters most to the client is your firm, and taking that one step further, your people. Especially in an industry where every final product is different, clients need to trust that the team they’ve chosen for their project is the right one. This means crafting a curated approach for each proposal and highlighting the unique experience and thought leadership of your team, as well as how the team nurtures relationships with client representatives. Proposals and interviews are your opportunities to give a preview of what working with your team would be like - and you need to make a good impression.
What got you here won’t keep you here
There’s a saying - “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”. That sounds great at first, until you realize that just because something isn’t broken doesn’t mean it’s the best version of itself. Take electronics - VCRs didn’t fade into oblivion because they all stopped working on the same day. DVDs came along and showed the world a better way, only to in turn be ousted by streaming services. Although architecture, engineering, and construction have some basic core tenants that will always hold true, it’s important to pay attention to shifting interests and priorities. Advanced approaches to sustainability, health concerns, and DEI initiatives may have seemed radical in a proposal even 10 years ago, but if you haven’t started to seriously consider them by now, you’re falling behind. Answering only the questions that are asked of you in a proposal is a safe bet, but providing information the client didn’t realize they needed is a more courageous move with greater payoff.
Core values are an important part of your company’s - and your personal - brand.
I didn’t anticipate this topic sticking in my mind as much as it did. I’m not someone who gives much thought to my personal brand, and have never really considered naming my core values. But after leaving this event, the idea kept creeping back into my mind. Ryan spoke about his personal core values - courage, of course, being one of them - and it made me consider what I would choose as my own, if I really thought about it. It was an interesting exercise in introspection! Once I figured out what those values were, I could ask myself, “do the actions I take, the things I spend my time thinking about, and the way I present myself all honor those values?” This is, of course, something companies should consider as well. A firm’s core values should be more than a PowerPoint slide in the new hire welcome presentation or an often overlooked page on a website. They should inform all of the choices a firm makes.
Courage = Knowledge + Faith + Action
In my mind, this boils down to: you need to know how to do the thing, you need to believe you can do it, and then you need to do it. If you are missing any piece of that equation, you’re going to fall short. Without knowledge, moving forward is careless and risky. Without faith, you’ll never be able to move past the unknowns. Without action, you’ll never move at all. Together, these three components allow you to move past the fear of doing something new, risky, or bold. They make you courageous.
How do you eat an elephant? With a pack of strategically-aligned lions.
If you are unfamiliar with the proverb, the typical answer to this question is “one bite at a time”. And in some instances, that may be the correct answer. But in today’s business environment, there simply isn’t enough time. Ryan’s updated answer is “with a pack of strategically aligned lions.” In other words, your team needs to be in sync - do you have the same goals, values, and priorities? Most importantly, do you trust one another? In this field, we don’t work in isolation, and your team can make or break your experience and success. I’m one of the lucky ones - I have a fantastic team, and knowing that they have my back allows me to make courageous choices. In such a collaborative field, this is crucial. Aligning your teams should be your first priority if you’re trying to strengthen your company culture and success.
If these takeaways have piqued your interest, there are many other ways to engage with Ryan’s content - take a look at his website to get started.
Image courtesy of Frank Monkiewicz.
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