Photo by Jehyun Sung by Greg Burke, FAIA It is often said the leaders don’t create followers, they create other leaders. Why is this important? Leadership is not a mystical thing that is often hard to identify but can be seen in just about everyone who involves themselves in operating in and for a business. Not everyone is cut out to be a leader though. Leadership is a trait that is inherent in the personality and capabilities of an individual. Leadership is that innate quality in a … [Read more...]
What Was I Thinking?
Four Lessons in Telling the Truth
My First Assignment Many years ago, before Annmarie and I started our residential architecture firm, I was a project manager with Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson Architects in Mt. Kisco, New York. I worked very closely with the senior partner at the time, Dick Kaeyer. My first assignment as Project Manager was a major addition and renovation project for a church and facilities in Yorktown Heights. Dick designed the project and I developed it through construction drawings. Then, in order to … [Read more...]
How to Develop a Strong Culture at Your Architecture Firm
A Culture at Your Architecture Firm Will Make or Break Your Firm As your small firm grows beyond its infancy of the sole practitioner and you develop a strong team, the culture of your firm will evolve. The different personalities and experiences brought to your firm will mix and a firm culture will develop; with or without your guidance. You are a busy architect seeking your next contract and working hard to complete the current projects on the boards. You just need to get the work done. … [Read more...]
How to Establish an Orientation Process for New Employees in Architecture
For this final week of March here at EntreArchitect.com, where throughout the month we have been sharing content on the theme of Leadership, we are sharing a great guest post from earlier last year by Norbert Lemermeyer of Architecture + Business. Establish an Orientation for New Employees The following outlines the standard orientation for a new employee into a small architectural office. This was my orientation some 40 years ago. Recently I talked to Tyler, a newly graduated architect … [Read more...]
5 Principles of Servant Leadership
Successful Leadership as an Architect Late one winter night, under a bare bulb in an empty under-heated DC university dorm room I read Leadership Is an Art by Max De Pree; a book that influenced my approach to leading others from that night forward. Earlier that day, our hosts at the 1992 American Institute of Architecture Students Grassroots conference gave each student leader a copy of the inspirational paperback following a motivational speech about leadership. Full of excitement, eager … [Read more...]
EntreArchitect 2.0
The older we get, the more we discover the true value of our time. There is little more valuable than each moment of our lives. Minute by minute, the story of our life unfolds. Most everything else is renewable; money, relationships, companies… it can all be earned, reclaimed or rebuilt, but with each click of the clock, another second passes, never to be seen again. EntreArchitect 1.0 On December 12, 2012 I announced to the world through my blog that I was committing much of my time from … [Read more...]
Eight Independent Architects Taking the Lead
These past weeks, before and following the AIA Convention in Denver, I have heard from many architects seeking solutions to the crisis in which we architects find ourselves. Many small firm architects and sole proprietors have declared Repositioning a failure before it has even begun. This August will mark my twentieth year in this profession. In all honesty, I have been listening to the same complaints and criticism since before my first position as an intern. I am tired of the bemoaning and … [Read more...]