I relaunched Entrepreneur Architect on December 12, 2012 as an online resource for sole proprietors, small firm architects and students of architecture. It is my mission to share everything I know about succeeding in the profession and I encourage every other architect to do the same.
The most successful organizations are built around great teams sharing what they know. I believe that the future of our profession will depend on individual architects taking the responsibility for the changes needed. I am an active supporter of our current professional organizations, but I don’t think they have the same power that we do. When we bring together our collective knowledge, we will be unstoppable. We will take the profession to levels of success and respect that we’ve never before seen.
My father is a retired auto mechanic and I was born and raised a “Corvette Kid”. Dad would buy and sell classic Corvettes to earn extra money as he pursued his personal passions for classic cars. Cars are part of me and fast cars are in my blood.
Each year, I look forward to this past weekend all year long. Sunday evening, after a six hour Daytona, Florida rain delay, the Sprint Cup NASCAR racing series lunched their 2014 season. I am putting the final touches on this post while they race, so I don’t know yet who has won. I hope that by the time you are reading this, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has fought his way to the front and enjoyed his shower of champaign in victory lane.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is a team member at Hendrick Motorsports. In addition to Earnhardt, Jr.’s team, Hendrick fields three other NASCAR Sprint Cup teams, including teams for Kasey Kane, 4-time champion Jeff Gordon and current and 6-time champion Jimmy Johnson. Since the organization began in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has earned 218 victories (hopefully 219 after tonight) and 11 Sprint Cup championships. One of the most successful organizations in NASCAR history, they are sport’s dream team.
Why is Hendrick so successful? The team owner, Rick Hendrick is a very respected leader who has established a culture of pride and cooperation. Unlike many of the other teams in NASCAR, Hendrick requires his four teams to share all information. During race day, the teams compete independently, but during the week the teams work together at the organization’s 100-acre fabrication facility, collaborating with transparency, swapping notes, comparing data, sharing everything they know. Many attribute much of Hendrick Motorsport’s success to this open, sharing environment.
Our mission here is the same. Share everything we know, so that we may dominate the pack. For generations, the architecture profession has been cloaked by a culture of secrecy. Architects have been slow to share the information that has made them successful. Fees, business systems, sales and marketing strategies have all been held close to the vest. Even within individual firms, leaders keep business strategies and financial stats hidden from members of their own firms.
This season of secrecy must come to an end. The survival of our profession depends on it. We must embrace a culture of collaboration. Sharing our knowledge with one another, and with future generations of architects, will build a profession of progress and success will be enjoyed by all.
With this blog, the Entrepreneur Architect Podcast, the Entrepreneur Architect Report (my free weekly newsletter) and speaking out with all of my knowledge every chance I receive, whether on a stage or online at Google Hangouts, I am doing what I can to lead the way to revolution. Things can change. We will be a strong and respected profession again.
Share what you know and lead the profession to progress and success. Together we will all be the champions of change.
How are you sharing your knowledge? Do you write a blog? Produce a podcast? Speak about the profession of architecture? Do you meet with fellow architects and compare notes? Do you invite interns to learn what you know? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.
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Photo Credit: Scott LePage Photography / MotorRacingPhoto.com
Great post Mark and very timely. I just finished reading Austin Kleon’s new book “Share Your Work!” In it, he advocates becoming a documentarian of what you do and sharing your process, warts and all, with the outside world. He believes that sharing the “how” of what you do is just as important as sharing the finished product. I’m in the process of starting a new blog so I found the book to be very inspiring. It’s a quick read and is similar in style of his previous book, “Steal Like an Artist”. I highly recommend it.
I wholeheartedly agree with you Mark, and this post is a reminder to kick myself in the pants and get my instruction videos out.
The few times I met with fellow architects and I asked for advise (how much I should charge ecc.), I got answers that led me to a situation not to get the job! Thank you very much for your contribution!
Hey Mark, great post. I totally agree but you already knew that! This comment isn’t so much for you as it it is for the readers in this community. I share everything I know on my 3 websites:
http://evantroxel.com – my personal site and blog where I share things that interest me (and hopefully you).
http://archispeakpodcast.com – the podcast about all things architecture.
http://getmethod.com – making architects worth more through digital training and tutorials.
The more we share the better and more unified we’ll be. Let’s design the future of our profession together.