single working moms - the zweig letter · geoffrey bawa, the master architect from sri lanka,...
TRANSCRIPT
Expected marketing spending
In Zweig Group’s 2019 Marketing Survey of AEC Firms, firms shared whether they expected their marketing spending to increase, decrease, or remain the same over the next fiscal year. Forty-eight percent of firms expected their marketing spending to increase while less than 10 percent expect a decline in spending. Among the firms that anticipate an increase, they believe the marketing spending will increase by an average of 11 percent over the next fiscal year.
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T R E N D L I N E S
F I R M I N D E X
W W W . T H E Z W E I G L E T T E R . C O M
T H E V O I C E O F R E A S O N F O R A E C F I R M S & M A N A G E M E N T C O N S U L T A N T S
Baldridge & Associates Structural Engineering ............................................6Dewberry ................................................4Greeley and Hansen ...............................4LEO A DALY ...........................................8Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. .....8M. Grisafe Architects ............................12Rincon Consultants, Inc. .........................8
S e p t e m b e r 1 6 , 2 0 1 9 , I s s u e 1 3 1 2
See CHRISTINA ZWEIG NIEHUES, page 2
M O R E A R T I C L E Sxz MARK ZWEIG: Lack of email etiquette is still a problem Page 3
xz Driven to do good: Steve Baldridge Page 6
xz PETER ATHERTON: A new definition Page 9
xz GREG SAUTER: Leading an innovative culture Page 11
Not long ago I was on Facebook and a post showed up on my newsfeed from someone in an “Architects” group. The
person wrote, “I’m 30 years old and a single mom. Do you think it’s already too late for me to pursue architecture?”
I quickly read through the 131 comments. Judging by the names and pictures of most of the other members of this group, many of the people who commented were male and international. I was surprised that most of the comments were positive and supportive.
Here are a few of my favorites (some are edited slightly for ease of reading):
z “It’s not too late. Design is mainly a personal passion. Even if you start at 50, it is still OK.”
z “I was 42 when I got my master’s degree in architecture. You’re far younger than you even realize! Ask yourself this: Would you rather be 35 and in the same place, or 35 and an architect? Either way you’ll be 35. Might as well be an architect too, right?”
z “You already solved the kids problem. Go for it. With your maturi-ty and energy, you have more chances to succeed than your future classmates.”
z “It’s never too late for anything! Considering all the s*@t building around the world, there’s plenty of room for talent ;).”
z “Never too late ... Geoffrey Bawa, the master architect from Sri Lanka, started his architecture in his 40s ... He was a barista ... qualified in U.K. ... Hidden talent was discovered and pursued. He became an internationally acclaimed architect … with some signa-ture designs.”
z “Thirty is nothing. Think about it. Average life is 70. If you start now it can be finished by the time you are 35. That means 35 years in architecture. It’s worth it and you deserve it. Just do it.”
z “It’s never ever too late to fulfill a dream. Go for it, dear, and teach your child what it means to be passionate. Wish you all the best.”
I’ll admit I got a little emotional reading this outpouring of support and encouragement, but one comment did sit a little uneasy with me – the one about the “kids problem.” I don’t think the AEC industry is alone in presenting a “kids problem” for young people (to generalize, women), but Zweig Group’s data does show it’s an issue that isn’t being addressed.
According to the recently released 2019 Recruitment and Retention Survey of AEC Firms, 43 percent of firms are now
There’s plenty of support out there for women in the AEC industry, but the stats still have to catch up to the sentiment.
Single working moms
Christina Zweig Niehues
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All rights reserved. THE ZWEIG LETTER September 16, 2019, ISSUE 1312
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NEW RELEASE2019 RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION SURVEY The survey has statistics relating to all the latest methods used to hire and retain professionals in the industry. This survey contains data about recruiting methods and policies, training, HR departments experiences, attitudes, and challenges regarding the hiring and firing process, turnover rates, and compensation and benefits.Are you looking for hiring methods, expectations, and metrics in the AEC Industry? Do you know what most firms in the industry are doing to recruit top talent? This survey covers all areas of recruitment from the search process through integrating a new candidate into a firm. The 2019 Recruitment and Retention Survey of AEC Firms also has data about HR departments and the use of outside executive search firms.Visit bit.ly/2KcLfHp for more information.
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specifically recruiting women to ensure a diverse, non-discriminatory culture. We know firms have to recruit women, because more of them are pursuing degrees in STEM and design-related fields. More of them are entering the workforce, but the data shows they aren’t staying. More than 90 percent of firm principals are men. What’s happening to all the women?
Many women leave the industry in their late 20s and early 30s. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that only 21 percent of firms provide paid maternity leave, with an average length of time of 5.4 weeks. Nearly half, 41 percent of AEC firms, have no maternity leave (64 percent have no paternity leave). That means if someone gets pregnant and has a child, they have to use PTO or sick leave. The average number of PTO days is now 22, and the median is 16, across all AEC firm types and job roles. This means for a woman, even if you could manage to not take a single day off work all year for any reason and work until the day you gave birth, you may only have two to three weeks to recover and spend time with your newborn before having to go back to work full-time.
Just about half of all firms are subject to the Family and Medical Leave Act, which says that covered employers must grant an eligible employee up to a total of 12 work weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for one or more of the following reasons: Birth and care of a newborn child of the employee; placement with the employee of a son or daughter for adoption or foster care; care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition; or to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition. Of the firms which are subject to this act, the median number of employees who have taken leave over the past year is just three.
These numbers above only address the issue of becoming a parent, not even the challenges faced by single working parents who already have children.
My experience in the industry, highlighted by the comments above, is that many people working in the AEC industry are supportive of each other, encouraging to those entering the industry, and supportive of more diverse teams. However, policy doesn’t reflect these attributes. It’s time for a change and more progressive policies. The tech industry has done it, and found ways to continue to encourage productivity and profitability – the AEC industry can do it too!
CHRISTINA ZWEIG NIEHUES is director of research and e-commerce at Zweig Group. She can be reached at [email protected].
CHRISTINA ZWEIG NIEHUES, from page 1
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THE ZWEIG LETTER September 16, 2019, ISSUE 1312
Email. As hard as it is to believe – because it has been used as a business tool for so long – people in the AEC business still don’t understand basic email etiquette. It
is a great communication device, but more than that, using it properly is critical to client service and relationships inside and outside the firm. Because it is so important to individual success in the business world, I usually devote a half hour or so each semester to this topic for my entrepreneurship students.
“As hard as it is to believe – because it has been used as a business tool for so long – people in the AEC business still don’t understand basic email etiquette.”
O P I N I O N
Here are some “rules” I like to live by:
1) When someone in your firm gets an inbound email inquiry regarding a problem, and that person re-sponds and copies you in on the conversation so you can deal with the issue, do NOT cut that person out when you reply. This is one of my greatest frustra-tions as someone who often gets these inquiries. The person replying doesn’t include me in their response. When that happens, I don’t know if the in-quirer has had their question or concern addressed. But once the email string gets down to logistics, or going back and forth about what time of the day you will meet someone for lunch, it IS OK to cut me out. I don’t need an extra 10 emails in my inbox about whether someone likes sushi or BBQ.
2) Likewise, when someone refers a client to you for
a new project, and you make a proposal to them, first send the draft proposal to the person who gave you the referral so they can review it and comment.
Lack of email etiquette is still a problem
See MARK ZWEIG, page 4
Mark Zweig
“We all get WAY too many emails from inside and outside of the firm. The problem is compounded by overuse of the ‘reply to all’ button. This may take a periodic reminder from you, the boss, to make sure ‘reply to all’ isn’t abused.”
© Copyright 2019. Zweig Group.
All rights reserved. THE ZWEIG LETTER September 16, 2019, ISSUE 1312
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Get their input! It was “their” client. Then copy them when you send the actual proposal so the client knows they were involved. Do not cut them out of the loop. It’s not only disre-spectful, it’s just dumb because it reduces your chances of get-ting the job. This has happened to me more than once in my own businesses and, frankly, it pisses me off!
3) Respond quickly. I could talk about this until I am blue in the face. The faster you respond, the better you will be thought of by those inside and outside of your firm. It’s that simple. It shows you care and that the other person is important. Long response delays make the other person think you are lazy or lackadaisical, don’t care about them, or that you can’t honestly answer their question. None of that is good. A quick response, even if just to say, “I will get back to you on Monday with this” (and be sure to then DO that) is all it takes.
4) Use “reply to all” very judiciously! We all get WAY too many emails from inside and outside of the firm. The problem is compounded by overuse of the “reply to all” button. This may take a periodic reminder from you, the boss, to make sure
“reply to all” isn’t abused. I have witnessed this firsthand in many companies in this business. Someone gets their P.E. license and it is announced to the company, and then 128 people “reply to all” with their congratulations. Why does this happen? Maybe those offenders are trying to show the boss(es) that they are good employees themselves? I don’t know. But I do know it wastes a lot of time.
5) “Out of the office” replies. Some readers may disagree with me on this one so we will just have to agree to disagree. I think these, for the most part, connote a lack of service. Let’s face it, most of us are rarely, if ever, in a place where we can’t reply to someone who needs us to. Even when you travel a lot, you can usually get Wi-Fi on the plane. Why not just respond to the sender? Just think how it sounds to your successful cli-ent, a nine-figure net worth hotel developer, when you state in your “Out of the office” reply that you are on a two-week vacation and can’t be reached – when that client has never even taken a one week vacation where they fully discon-nected. They don’t like it. This may be an extreme example but there are a lot more people who operate like this than you may imagine.
That’s my rant for this week. If you like these points you may want to share them with your staff. And if you have any comments or feedback for me, I can be reached at [email protected].
MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at [email protected].
MARK ZWEIG, from page 3
ON THE MOVEDEWBERRY’S JASON ESTES NAMED BUSINESS UNIT MANAGER Dewberry announced that Jason Estes, P.E., was promoted to business unit manager for the firm’s Daphne, Alabama, office.Estes has nearly three decades of experience and has spent the last 20 years with Dewberry. His team of surveying professionals, environmental scientists, and site/civil, land planning and development, and water engineers have been practicing in the Daphne area for more than two decades. The office serves a variety of clients, including those in the commercial sector as well as municipal, state, and local governments. As a senior associate with a background in civil engineering, Estes has spent much of his career focused on general civil engineering projects in residential land development, sanitary sewer and water systems, watershed and drainage modeling, and highway design and construction.“Jason has done an outstanding job helping us to diversify our services in Daphne while maintaining a long-term, loyal client base in the market,” says Dewberry Executive Vice President Dave Maxwell. “He has also helped to build a technically strong, client-focused team of professionals in Daphne who are ready for any challenge put in front of them.”Estes earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Auburn University.
Dewberry is a leading, market-facing firm that provides professional services to a wide variety of public- and private-sector clients. Established in 1956, Dewberry is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, with more than 50 locations and more than 2,000 professionals nationwide.ROBERT HENRY JOINS GREELEY AND HANSEN AS MANAGING DIRECTOR Greeley and Hansen, a global civil and environmental engineering, architectural, and management consulting firm, has named Robert F. Henry as the new Managing Director of the Southwest Operating Group.Robert F. Henry joins Greeley and Hansen as the new Managing Director of the global engineering firm’s Southwest U.S. Operating Group.Henry has over 25 years of diverse project management experience in the design and construction of large and complex water and wastewater projects, as well as in leading business development efforts to expand both market and revenue growth. Henry joins Greeley and Hansen from CEG Applied Sciences and from Art Anderson Associates, where he held various executive leadership roles.As the Managing Director, Henry will have broad responsibility for directing the overall business operations for multiple Greeley
and Hansen office locations and for driving business development and strategic growth for the firm in the southwestern U.S.“With his strong technical background and solid leadership skills, we’re excited to bring Rob onboard to direct our operations and to serve the needs of both our long-term and new clients in the southwest,” said John C. Robak, Greeley and Hansen President. “His genuine commitment to providing clients with outstanding service and sustainable solutions through operational and technical excellence is right in line with our core values and ongoing strategy for growing our business.”Henry is a registered Professional Engineer in multiple states and is also a certified Project Management Professional. He holds an MS in Systems Management from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Washington.Greeley and Hansen is a global leader in developing innovative engineering, architecture, and management solutions for a broad scope of water challenges. With 105 years of proven experience in all phases of project development and implementation, the firm collaborates with clients in the water sector to develop sustainable water resources programs to create better urban environments that improve the quality of life in communities worldwide.
“The faster you respond, the better you will be thought of by those inside and outside of your firm. It’s that simple. It shows you care and that the other person is important.”
THE ZWEIG LETTER September 16, 2019, ISSUE 1312
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P R O F I L E
Driven to do good: Steve Baldridge President of Baldridge & Associates Structural Engineering, a full-service structural and forensic consulting firm based in Honolulu, Hawaii.
A boutique firm focusing on buildings, BASE has the resume of a larger firm, yet provides the personalized
service common in smaller firms. In his career, Baldridge has worked on more than 60 major projects – both domestic and international, including 16 high-rise buildings.
“While we embrace cutting edge technology in the AEC industry, it’s often over-promised and under-delivered,” Baldridge says. “For the near term, there really is no substitution for a good engineer who is a problem-solver and listens to our clients.”
A CONVERSATION WITH STEVE BALDRIDGE.
The Zweig Letter: What are the three to four key business performance indicators that you watch most carefully? Do you share that information with your staff?
Steve Baldridge: Rather than watch multiple indicators,
I think the most important one to pay attention to is the quality of our firm’s work; there’s no easy way to measure that other than maybe repeat work or client satisfaction. We do watch project budgets, but more as a way to set pricing and budgets for future work. If a project is over budget, we don’t really back off on our efforts to put out a good project. You can’t, however, run a business doing quality work that you can’t make money on so you do need to understand why a project may have gone sideways financially and endeavor not to repeat that cycle.
TZL: Artificial intelligence and machine learning are potential disruptors across all industries. Is your firm exploring how to incorporate these technologies into providing improved services for clients?
SB: The use of the words “artificial intelligence” can be a bit misleading. In our industry, what level of intelligence are we really at in AI? It might be that of a child or a teenager with no common sense. If you look at the recent experience with Boeing and AI in the cockpit, for
By LIISA ANDREASSENCorrespondent
© Copyright 2019. Zweig Group.
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HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu, Hawaii
YEAR FOUNDED: 1995
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 32
NUMBER OF OFFICE LOCATIONS: 5
EXPERTISE:
z Engineering
z AT/FP
z Testing and Inspection
z R&D
GIVING BACK: BASE gives back to the community in many ways including:
z Forming the local chapter of the ACE Mentor Program to expose high school students to the industry
z Adult Friends for Youth working with at-risk teenagers
z Disaster response and assessment
z Pro bono design work for charities and community organizations
HOLISTIC ENGINEERING: BASE does not believe in a silo approach. It’s proactive with its project teams in working out structural design solutions keeping the holistic building design and aesthetics in view. They often review multiple solutions with the design team on larger projects to hone in on one that works best for all trades involved.
example, there is no substitution for a good pilot. While we embrace cutting edge technology in the AEC industry, it’s often over-promised and under-delivered. For the near term, there really is no substitution for a good engineer who is a problem-solver and listens to our clients. Then, by providing that engineer with the right tools, both electronic and human (good colleagues), it will help them design a quality project.
TZL: What, if anything, are you doing to protect your firm from a potential economic slowdown in the future?
SB: We try to ensure that we have a diverse stream of work in both private and public sectors. During the last recession our public and international work helped to make up for the large slowdown in our private sector work.
TZL: Does your firm work closely with any higher education institutions to gain access to the latest technology, experience, and innovation and/or recruiting to find qualified resources?
SB: We’re investing more time these days in connecting with universities, both on an R&D level and for recruiting. Our employees are involved in technical non-profits where many members are university professors, and sometimes these relationships result in referrals of students seeking careers. We also give presentations to engineering students and participate in college recruitment fairs.
TZL: What unique or innovative pricing strategies have you developed, or are you developing, to combat the commoditization of engineering services?
SB: We try to illustrate to our clients that our value really comes from saving them overall construction dollars and not in a reduced fee structure. On several projects, we’ve been able to show our clients how we saved dollars per square foot in construction cost rather than pennies per square foot in design fees. However, this doesn’t always work as there are
sometimes accountant-types lurking in the background. We recently lost a project because our fee was a few cents per square foot higher than another proposer even though the client loved our work product.
TZL: They say failure is a great teacher. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve had to learn the hard way?
SB: Letting accounts receivable stretch out too far with some clients. We are so driven to do a good job for our clients that the financial side is often an afterthought. We have gotten stiffed a couple of times and when you look back on it you realize you could have prevented it from happening.
TZL: How many years of experience – or large enough book of business – is enough to become a principal in your firm? Are you naming principals in their 20s or 30s?
SB: I once had a boss who said you can have one year of four years’ experience or four years of one-year experience. Some people advance faster than others and unfortunately some don’t advance much at all, so you really can’t use chronological years of experience as the primary determiner. A bright, quick learner with a good personality and work ethic can become a principal fairly early in their career.
TZL: In one word or phrase, what do you describe as your number one job responsibility as CEO?
SB: “Job security.” I need to ensure that our firm is run well financially while still making sure we take care of our clients, so there is always a stream of work coming in, thus providing job security for our employees. These are great women and men, many with families, who depend on me for some of their livelihood.
TZL: What happens to the firm if you leave tomorrow?
See DRIVEN TO DO GOOD, page 8
“Waiting until recruiting time to ensure a diverse workplace is too late. That is one reason why BASE supports and has been actively involved with the ACE Mentor Program.”
“Some people advance faster than others and unfortunately some don’t advance much at all, so you really can’t use chronological years of experience as the primary determiner.”
© Copyright 2019. Zweig Group.
All rights reserved. THE ZWEIG LETTER September 16, 2019, ISSUE 1312
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SB: They might just throw a big party. The first time I came back from a lengthy trip, my office was turned into an employee lounge. The foosball table was nice, but I had a hard time getting to my desk.
TZL: Diversity and inclusion is lacking. What steps are you taking to address the issue?
SB: Waiting until recruiting time to ensure a diverse workplace is too late. That is one reason why BASE supports and has been actively involved with the ACE Mentor Program. ACE not only exposes students to the AEC industry, but also helps ensure there is a diverse and talented pool of potential employees by encouraging
students from many backgrounds to pursue careers in our fields. We believe diversity and nondiscrimination to be basic premises so we focus on hiring hard-working, driven, intelligent, good people without regard to race or gender. While not a specific goal in hiring, our staff happens to be around 6 percent minority (by Federal definition).
DRIVEN TO DO GOOD, from page 7 “While we embrace cutting edge technology in the AEC industry, it’s often over-promised and under-delivered. For the near term, there really is no substitution for a good engineer who is a problem-solver and listens to our clients.”
ON THE MOVETHOMAS MOUNTZ JOINS LAN AS SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER Thomas Mountz, P.E., D.WRE., CFM, joins planning, engineering, and program management firm Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. as a senior project manager. In this role, Mountz will manage flood control and drainage projects throughout central Texas.Mountz has more than 46 years of experience as an engineer and project manager. He has expertise in several areas, including water resources management, master planning, floodplain and dam breach modeling, design, stormwater quality analysis, stormwater management ordinance development, best management practices, FEMA map revisions and studies, fluvial geomorphology, stream restoration, grant applications and management, and construction inspection and oversight.Mountz has managed stormwater management projects throughout Texas. Some of the notable projects he has worked on include a roller-compacted concrete dam within the Trinity River, Lake Casa Blanca Dam Repair, and river modeling for building and bridge structural improvements in the Rio Grande floodplain in Laredo, Texas. He also served as the lead hydrologist for the $150 million San Antonio River Restoration project and as project manager for the post-Katrina update of hydrologic and hydraulic models of the hurricane protection system in Orleans and Jefferson Parish for the Corps of Engineers New Orleans District.“Tom has a unique blend of leadership and technical skills, as well as extensive experience working with clients at the local, county, and federal levels,” said Matt Manges, P.E., LAN’s stormwater practice leader. “His addition will further strengthen the firm’s stormwater expertise.”Mountz is recognized as an expert witness in stormwater management and floodplain issues and has provided reports and testimony for clients in Travis County, Cameron County, and Webb County. He has presented on
stormwater-related topics to school classes, peer organizations, civic groups, televised public hearings, and local governing bodies.Mountz received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a registered professional engineer in Texas and Florida. A certified floodplain manager, Mountz served as a treasurer for the Texas Floodplain Management Association two years ago. He also is certified as a diplomate in water resources engineering by the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers.LAN is a full-service consulting firm offering planning, engineering and program management services for the nation’s heavy civil infrastructure needs. With more than 350 employees across the United States, LAN is a national leader in the engineering industry and is consistently ranked among the “Top 100 A/E Firms” according to Engineering News-Record. LAN is a LEO A DALY company, an international architecture and engineering firm.RINCON CONSULTANTS, INC. NAMES JOHN DREHER AS NEXT PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER John Dreher has been elected by Rincon’s board of directors as the next president and CEO. In his role as chief operating officer, Dreher has worked closely with Michael Gialketsis (president and CEO since 2012) to ensure this smooth transition as Gialketsis steps into a strategic advisor role within the company.Dreher started with Rincon in 2002 as a regulatory permitting specialist to support a growing environmental compliance and regulatory permitting service line. Over the years, Dreher played an integral role in developing many long-term client relationships that helped Rincon diversify its clients and services, including public agencies, utility, renewable energy, and transportation infrastructure clients, and strategically partnering with other environmental, engineering, and design firms. He pursued his interest in driving the business and played a significant role in business
planning efforts over the last decade, which led to him to becoming COO in 2014. Dreher has pushed to evolve Rincon’s foundation by building a strong and nimble platform to allow our professionals to perform at a high level to lead the environmental consulting industry. His vision that Rincon is never quite “there” and that there is always opportunity to improve helps Rincon provide client services that consistently exceed expectation.Dreher along with other leaders have been instrumental in pushing the firm to be a leader in the environmental consulting industry. In 2019 Rincon ranked as No. 11 as both a Zweig Group’s Best Firm to Work for and Hot Firm. Dreher’s transition into president and CEO will continue Rincon’s investment in the value offering to its employees and clients. The Best Firms to Work For competition ranks firms in the AEC industry based on workplace practices, benefits, retention rates, and more, and Hot Firms ranks the 100 fastest-growing architecture, engineering, planning, and environmental consulting firms in the U.S.“This is an exciting transition of leadership for the firm,” says Gialketsis, “and through John’s evolution and growth at Rincon, I am confident that his leadership, with the support of all members of the Rincon team, will continue our vision of achieving a powerful healthy culture and leading professional excellence.”Rincon Consultants, Inc. is an environmental science, planning, and engineering consulting firm with thirteen offices throughout California. Founded in 1994, the firm has emerged as a statewide leader in environmental sciences, urban planning, biological resources, cultural resources, water resources, sustainability services, soil and groundwater assessment, and remediation. Rincon’s wide breadth of expertise and qualifications are mirrored by the diversity of projects they manage, serving both public and private entities.
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THE ZWEIG LETTER September 16, 2019, ISSUE 1312
Effective and sustainable employee engagement and growth is critical to success in the workplace, marketplace, and recruiting space. This is especially true for
competitive and talent-starved industries, including the AEC industry.
The World Health Organization just redefined burnout and classified it as an “Occupational Phenomenon.” So, what’s next?
O P I N I O N
The presence of professional burnout, and the disengagement that results, diminishes an organization’s attractiveness and brand to both talent and clients – a one-two punch to our long-term success.
The World Health Organization’s actions legitimize workplace burnout and give more definition for those who may be experiencing exhaustion, distance, and loss from work they once loved.
The question for leaders is what, if anything, to do now?
Depending on our response, this redefinition and classification by the World Health Organization can either provide organizations and leadership teams with opportunities to further differentiate,
incentives to recalibrate, or expose them to the negative consequences of burnout.
WHAT THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DID. Burnout is included in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases as an occupational phenomenon. It is not classified as a medical condition.
A new definition
See PETER ATHERTON, page 10
Peter Atherton
“Top talent today wants to win at both work and lif, and our most dedicated employees, managers, and leaders already want to prevent and reverse burnout – a concept that is now no longer abstract.”
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All rights reserved. THE ZWEIG LETTER September 16, 2019, ISSUE 1312
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It is described in the chapter: “Factors influencing health status or contact with health services” – which includes reasons for which people contact health services but that are not classed as illnesses or health conditions.
Burnout is defined in ICD-11 as follows:
“Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:
z Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
z Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job
z Reduced professional efficacy
“Burnout refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”
Burnout was also included in ICD-10, in the same category as in ICD-11, but the definition is now more detailed.
The World Health Organization is about to embark on the development of evidence-based guidelines on mental well-being in the workplace.
OPPORTUNITIES. Growth-oriented organizations have already bought into the benefits of effective employee engagement. They design systems focused on performance and maximizing innovation and sustainability. They also build in flexibility and encourage new growth, especially as employees evolve and transition from and into new work and life seasons.
The redefining and classification of burnout is just one more opportunity for the leaders of these organizations to engage their employees and internal peer groups with experts to discuss, help identify, and begin to implement the best prevention strategies.
INCENTIVES. For organizations that seek to develop a more engaged, high-performing, and sustainable culture, the redefining and classification of burnout can be a catalyst to:
z Begin conversations about employee engagement, excellence, and burnout prevention
z Establish common language, define goals, and identify opportunities and any obstacles
z Develop strategies to close gaps and realize better outcomes with more relevant and effective training and well-designed employee resource and stakeholder groups
EXPOSURE. For leaders and organizations that don’t seek to
understand and take new action to address chronic and unmanaged workplace stress, there could be exposure. This could take the form of reduced commitment, loyalty, and performance both inside and outside of the organization (i.e., the manifestation of the definition of burnout described above) – and even the form of new claims.
In discussing this World Health Organization action with insurance industry and human resource experts, more exposure through Worker’s Compensation or Employment Practices claims could be possible.
It is not the goal here to lay out a specific case for either; just to point out stated possibilities, even if any claims would be initially challenged. It could also take time for carriers to decide if claims would be uninsurable or if exclusions, limitations, or added premiums for occurrences would result moving forward.
THE BEST APPROACH IS TO BE PROACTIVE. Top talent today wants to win at both work and life, and our most dedicated employees, managers, and leaders already want to prevent and reverse burnout – a concept that is now no longer abstract.
Spending time as a leadership team to figure out where you are, where you want to be, and design a plan to get there with the necessary authenticity, capacity, and courage to trigger new action has the power to create immediate engagement, enhanced wellness, sustainable growth, and greater commitment, loyalty, and profits.
Each team and organization has a different starting point and solution path. Your solution has to be right for your context, situation, and goals.
I have a passion for helping leaders and organizations engage top talent and prevent burnout while continuing to grow and excel.
On my website, you can take a free quiz that will help you resolve overwhelm or reverse burnout. My website also features free sections of my book. Both will better position you and your team to win in this new era of work and workplace transformation.
PETER ATHERTON, P.E., is an AEC industry insider who has spent more than 20 years as a successful professional civil engineer, principal, major owner, and member of the board of directors for a high-achieving firm. Atherton is now president and founder of ActionsProve, LLC, author of Reversing Burnout. How to Immediately Engage Top Talent and Grow! A Blueprint for Professionals and Business Owners, and creator of the I.M.P.A.C.T. process. Atherton works with AEC firms to grow and advance their success through strategic planning implementation, executive coaching, performance-based employee engagement, and corporate impact design. Connect with him at [email protected].
PETER ATHERTON, from page 9
“The presence of professional burnout, and the disengagement that results, diminishes an organization’s attractiveness and brand to both talent and clients – a one-two punch to our long-term success.”
“The redefining and classification of burnout is just one more opportunity for the leaders of these organizations to engage their employees and internal peer groups with experts to discuss, help identify, and begin to implement the best prevention strategies.”
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THE ZWEIG LETTER September 16, 2019, ISSUE 1312
What is our role in leading innovative organizations? Talk of innovation and technology adoption permeates discussions across the profession and the
broader industry. Our clients are challenging us, looking for guidance on how to think about and respond to these changes, infrastructure challenges, and rapidly evolving technologies and tools. As leaders, the organizational culture we create – including the limits we unintentionally set on our people – may limit our ability to innovate.
Ask yourself how you can remove constraints and let ideas flow, so they can be shared, shaped, and applied.
O P I N I O N
At WGI, we believe technology alone will not define our future, nor our path to innovation. These technologies – artificial intelligence, cloud computing, machine learning, virtual reality, etc. – are nothing more than the latest set of tools. Rather, we are defined by our own innovators who possess a passion for creativity, service, and the knowledge that we can do something different and special. As leaders, we work every day to avoid being limited by the past.
Unlocking the power of innovation is neither easy nor intuitive for an industry largely defined by problem sets, codes, and standards – an industry that encourages consistency, repetition, and legacy achievements. Further entrenching these
behaviors is a public client base which, in many cases, prefers time-and-materials contracting, encouraging a status quo approach to work that does not incentivize alternatives.
Leading an innovative culture
Greg Sauter
See GREG SAUTER, page 12
“We are committed to moving beyond control and focusing on our most important job – creating a culture which maximizes potential and extracts the latent value pent up in our team.”
© Copyright 2019. Zweig Group.
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Our people are the wildcard in this equation. Given the opportunity, they can be game-changers. However, any of us with long careers in the profession are hampered by traditional cultures of hierarchy, control, and fear of failure. If we cannot find a way to erase psychological limitations, we risk permanently ensuring a future that looks very much like the present and the past. WGI focuses on reinforcing leadership behaviors that promote and support a culture of innovation in three primary ways:
1) In my role, you regularly hear reinforcing messages on utiliza-tion, responsibility, and discipline. They are necessary in any services organization that must turn talent and time into revenue and margin. But, if we limit ourselves to that alone, we will never know our only asset’s true potential. While it may sound trivial, actively listening to the things our teams are thinking about offers important insight into what should hold our attention as their leaders – and more importantly, their mentors. Further, encouraging and supporting their ideas, either formally or informally, is important to reinforc-ing a culture that leverages the value of its team members. Struggling against commoditization is our pathway to differ-entiation. Lastly, if we don’t embrace our associates’ ideas, we all but guarantee a largely disengaged workforce.
2) Reporting lines, swim lanes, and accountability all play im-portant roles in every organization. However, they too often become rigid paradigms with high reinforced walls protecting the power bases of middle and senior managers. Instead, our role should include kicking down the doors of bureaucracy, helping our thought leaders navigate the organization, and removing the grit in the system.
3) Finally, become a champion of learning versus leading by fear of failure. I will never forget the day I went through an Order of the Engineer ceremony in a classroom at my university, and placing that steel ring on my pinkie. I felt both pride in my new role in society and an incredible responsibility. I com-mitted to be a protector of the public welfare above all else. This also translated into the mentality that, in our profession,
failure is not an option. When public welfare is at stake, this will and always should be the case. Experimentation must be separated from public risk. However, it should not exclude the possibility that improving WGI’s outcomes for our clients and society requires us to assume the risk of testing, piloting, and researching alternatives that will not work the first time. We are getting more comfortable with outcomes that, while not perfect, improve our understanding of the problem and move us closer to the ultimate solution. Being a leader that encour-ages learning, embracing imperfect outcomes as an important step in advancing our knowledge, sets us apart in a profession that intuitively seeks perfection.
Innovation happens; it is a natural part of any professional’s DNA. Whether the seeds of revolution are discarded or planted, watered, and harvested is the difference between the winners and losers. At WGI, innovation is as much about providing the safety, encouragement, and support for new approaches and ideas; and supporting versus controlling what is naturally a dynamic and synergistic workforce, more than it is any piece of technology or software. We are committed to moving beyond control and focusing on our most important job – creating a culture which maximizes potential and extracts the latent value pent up in our team. Every day, we should be asking ourselves how we can remove constraints and let ideas flow, ensuring they can be shared, shaped, and applied.
GREG SAUTER is president of WGI. Contact him at [email protected].
GREG SAUTER, from page 11
“We are defined by our own innovators who possess a passion for creativity, service, and the knowledge that we can do something different and special. As leaders, we work every day to avoid being limited by the past.”
BUSINESS NEWSLONG BEACH ARCHITECTURE FIRM LAUNCHES NEW PORTFOLIO TO SHOWCASE WORK M. Grisafe Architects, an architecture firm in Long Beach, California, announced that they have expanded their company’s website to include a more extensive portfolio of completed residential and commercial projects.Previously on their website, the architecture firm focused almost solely on explaining in depth their processes and philosophies related to architectural design and project flow. They wanted any potential clients to understand what they could expect if they hired an architect from M. Grisafe Architects for their commercial or residential project, and they also wanted to explain what types of clients are a good fit for their firm.This approach worked well for many potential clients, but not as well for those who are more “visual people” and prefer to see photos and renderings of completed projects rather than just read about them.
M. Grisafe Architects partnered with Southern California web design and digital marketing company, Modmacro Inc. to develop the new portfolio on their website. Modmacro had previously designed and launched the website for M. Grisafe Architects, so having them add the portfolio was seamless. Both the new portfolio and the entire website are mobile friendly, and look great across all devices, from desktops to tablets to smartphones. People looking for an architect in the Long Beach area will now be able to get a more complete picture of the capabilities of M. Grisafe Architects.Mark Grisafe, owner and architect at M. Grisafe Architects, had this to say about the new portfolio: “Adding a portfolio to our website just made sense for our business. Potential clients want to know that we are capable of handling the type of project they are considering. By posting photos and renderings of projects we’ve completed in the past, they can see the
diversity of our work and get a good idea of whether or not our architecture firm will be a good fit for them.”Grisafe continued, “We still recognize the importance of going into great detail about our processes and philosophies, but we understand that our new portfolio will connect with another type of client – one who likes to see photos and other visuals before making that first contact with an architect.”M. Grisafe Architects will continue to update their portfolio as new projects are completed and photos become available.M. Grisafe Architects is a full-service commercial and residential architecture firm based in Long Beach, California, offering commercial building planning and tenant improvements, new home design and custom remodels, landscape design, and interior design. With every project, they strive to exceed their clients’ design needs.