Here are my latest tips and tricks for improved AEC firm performance. See something that resonates? Make it happen at your firm! In so many cases, the difference between high performance and the rest of the crowd is simply a bias for doing and executing on good ideas...quickly!
See something here you want more info on or maybe even a tip that you just completely disagree with, let me know!
TALENT OPTIMIZATION: Your highest performers are watching what you tolerate.
Struggling to find or keep top talent? Nothing drives away ambitious rising stars faster than a culture that protects underperformance. It may not seem like an obvious problem when chronic underperformers face no consequences or when toxic behaviors are rationalized because someone “brings in business”, but the impact is real. Accountability is a retention strategy. If you think you may have some work to do on building a high-performance team, get your copy of PSMJ’s latest release, Build Your AEC Dream Team, today!
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: Stop promoting great technicians into bad managers.
Technical excellence and business leadership are different skill sets and excellence in one doesn’t automatically indicate excellence in the other. Some of your strongest technical performers may thrive as senior experts, client advisors, technical fellows, or design leaders, but not as people managers. When the only path to advancement requires becoming a manager, firms unintentionally push people into the wrong seats.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Every write-off is trying to teach you something.
Scope ambiguity, weak PM discipline, bad pricing, poor client management, staffing mismatches, and the list goes on. So many times, project write-offs are operational feedback if you are willing to look (and listen) honestly. PSMJ’s AEC Project Management Academy is our all-new library of 24 on-demand courses that are packed with immediate ROI tips and tricks for AEC Project Managers.
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STRATEGIC PLANNING: Growth without discipline is just expensive chaos.
Your firm has been on a good growth run over the past few years, but is the firm getting better…or just bigger? Top-line growth is exciting…until margins disappear, delivery suffers, and leaders spend their days putting out fires. Sustainable growth requires operational discipline: a clear and compelling vision, strong project management, consistent accountability, disciplined hiring, and the willingness to say “no” to the wrong work.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Your backlog is not the leading indicator that you may think it is.
A healthy backlog feels reassuring, but it reflects yesterday’s wins. Leading firms obsess over proposal activity and market shifts because pipeline metrics tell you where revenue is headed before your backlog or financial statements do. PSMJ’s Quarterly Market Forecast report provides clarity on proposal activity trends in 11 key client end markets and dozens of client submarkets. Check out the latest report today in the PSMJ PRO member portal. Not a member yet?Join today!