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OPINION
Adapting to smaller AEC markets requires leveraging networks, building staff-client trust, and scaling operations for sustained success. From the big city to a smaller market
I n today’s world, with firms offering remote, hybrid, and in-office options, executive transitioning into a new role has never been easier. If you want to take advantage of living in Kansas and telecommuting to Chicago, it is possible for most professionals. The costs of living can certainly be advantageous just as much as not having to get out of your pajamas and your fuzzy slippers!
Todd Hay, PE
However, executives in the AEC industry need to have the connection with people in the office and in the field more than ever since the COVID pandemic. Technology, like video meetings and even AI, empowers professionals with the tools they need to be effective in this new working landscape. What if you leave a job in New York City to take a job in North Carolina, moving from a huge market to a much smaller one? Well, I’m here to tell you it can be done. Here are some tips to get back to the basics as you navigate this new landscape: ■ On-boarding. When your organization changes your role, there should be a sense of positivity starting with the organization, which trickles down to the staff. Even if there is a new and
unfamiliar person filling the void of leadership in that market, your organization may want to start by creating the buzz that gives hope and relief to small market staff and make sure their concerns and objectives can be met by creating a much better work environment. Review your surroundings within the office environment. It is important to listen to the existing staff and learn about the good, the bad, and the ugly, so you can do your own SWOT analysis. An executive who makes up their mind early and immediately puts their stamp on things is not considering the two things that make any office successful to begin with: clients and staff.
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See TODD HAY, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER DECEMBER 30, 2024, ISSUE 1566
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