These common leadership mistakes hinder the growth and success of your business.
As an owner, you set the stage for your firm – the brand, the environment, and, most importantly, the culture. No matter if you own all of the firm, 33 percent, 10 percent, or even just 1.967 percent. Once you become an owner there is a higher expectation of performance and ability to endure pain, because we all know that running a business, however big or small, is a tough endeavor.
Despite our best intentions in wanting to improve our business, sometimes we mess up some crucial things that are necessary for its growth and continued success. Here are some follies I have observed:
- Not knowing your employees. Having a keen interest in the success of your employees starts by engaging with them on a human level. Simple things like remembering their birthday or asking them if their kid’s baseball team won allows you to build trust with them and show you care beyond the work they do for you. After you establish this type of relationship, you’ll be better able to understand your people’s motivations, fears, and future aspirations. You may think this sounds silly, but it’s true. We worked with an architecture firm owner who admitted that some of his fellow partners didn’t even know the names of their employees! They had 40 employees and were a well-respected, established firm. So please owners, don’t kid yourselves. Walk around and get to know your people. If you create intentional, genuine conversations, you’ll have their ear and they will have yours. This allows them to voice concerns about the business that will help you, and will help you avoid superficial, plastic relationships!
- Creating a divide. This is especially common when a firm has more than one discipline. The engineers and the planners don’t communicate with one another. The architects blame the engineers for not bringing in work. When principals participate in this type of us versus them mentality, it further drives the stake into the heart of the culture. What are you trying to create? Do you really think your firm will grow to its full potential with an environment like this? Whether it be egos in a purely architecture firm, or discipline heads in an A/E firm, the result is the same – this type of divide results in individuals undermining each other, cementing disfunction.
- Lack of clear communication to key talent. If AEC firms are having such a hard time keeping and hiring people, why not be direct and clear with your people that you want them there and build a case of why they will be successful at your firm? This applies to interns and senior PMs. Owners need to participate in this activity. Before the time comes that they graduate or become licensed, they need to know that you want them there. The amount of time you go through interviewing, looking at resumes, etc., you better make sure the individuals you let in stay and flourish. This requires intentionality from the owners themselves. Distinguish your firm and be different!
- Being so damn busy. I know, I know. You can’t help it. But what you can help is seeing what is occupying your time. Have you learned to delegate? If so, have you learned to be a mentor? If so, why isn’t the transition completed yet? It’s all about priorities. The things on the horizon that don’t seem important now will be one day. It is better to be proactive before you spend unnecessary time putting out fires that resulted from your failure to prioritize.
- Hypocrisy. I can bet you there are certain things you do for your clients that you do not do for yourself or your employees. You have a process for clients that is spelled out clearly, but internally your own firm is disorganized. Or even better, your client does it better than you do! Our own practices often fail to meet the same high standards. How can you expect others to believe in your expertise if you’re not willing to live by it yourself? Time to practice what you preach!
I am certain there are countless other follies, but these have stood out to me the most. Firm owners, you have started your business or bought it and are now a second, third, or fourth generation owner. You are running an entity that employs individuals, and all those people depend on you. The work you do benefits society because we need good design everywhere. You have been entrusted with a great responsibility – create opportunities for younger people and do good work. The payoff will come once we fix our follies!
Ezequiel Tovar is a senior transition analyst at Zweig Group’s. Contact him at etovar@zweiggroup.com.
