The Heath Brothers, authors of the new bestseller, Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, walk the walk in their ChangeThis manifesto about three straightforward ways to make your strategy work. They preach the power of concrete language and stories to communicate your strategy effectively. Missed the Heath Bros. on “The Today […]
The Pain Level Chart
A trip to Northern Westchester Hospital Center today (everyone is fine now, thanks – a story for another day) got me thinking about systems and how important they are to a successful business. Whether that business is helping patients feel more comfortable or designing a home for a young family, properly designed systems can ensure […]
A Blog a Day…
If you are reading this post, you have probably already learned the value of a well written blog (I hope I am working my way up to “well written”). The best posts will give you a nice juicy morsel of information with links for those who want to dig deeper into the subject. I read […]
Apple for Architecture
I have been using PCs with Microsoft operating systems since purchasing my first PC in 1992. We still use Dell PCs with Windows XP at the studio. When I hired John Whalen, our first Project Manager, he started preaching the virtues of Apple computers. I never considered Apple for the studio, because they would not […]
What’s in a Name?
I am very interested in the business of naming. When Annmarie and I launched Fivecat Studio, we wanted a name that differentiated our firm from all the “Smith and Smith” firms in the region (our legal entity is still McCarthy LePage Architects, PC, so we have not yet taken the full plunge). The Name Inspector […]
Patience, Promises and the Power of Being Centered
Seth posts How to Succeed in Business (to Business). He writes about the importance of patience, not overpromising and finding one thing that clients need, then being the very best at that one thing. I think its pretty good advice for us architects as well. Anyone practicing architecture for more than a few months knows […]