4 about every aspect of our business. There is an immense ap- petite, especially among our younger staff, for information about every aspect of our work – successes, failures, good news and bad. This has been really important, and it’s un- locking a lot of energy and creativity for us. TZL: What are your key strengths? What do you feel the key strengths are for an effective leader? DS: I like change. I like thinking about the future. I’m a pret- ty good listener. I have a reasonable amount of patience. I admire excellence, in any activity, however modest. Effec- tive leaders have an orientation to action, to take responsi- bility for failure, and to have the awareness and flexibility to understand what’s needed from them in a given situation. TZL: How would you describe your leadership style? DS: Collaborative. My sense is that when we’re all swim- ming in the same direction, success may not be guaranteed, but it’s far more probable. Q&A, from page 3 “Effective leaders have an orientation to action, to take responsibility for failure, and to have the awareness and flexibility to understand what’s needed from them in a given situation.” TZL: To date, what has been your greatest challenge and how did you deal with it? DS: The period between 2009 and 2011 was a challenging one for us as a firm. It forced us to make difficult decisions around layoffs, salary reductions, and other changes. We said goodbye to people who had made important contribu- tions to our practice. In retrospect, we should have made some of the tougher decisions faster, which would have en- abled us to recover quicker and mitigate risk for everyone. We’re an employee-owned firm and it’s now my responsibil- ity to everyone here to make hard, but necessary decisions faster. TZL: What’s your vision for the future of Goody Clancy? DS: That’s the big question. It’s a conversation we’re having now. In my mind, it begins with innovation, which is such an important success factor for a mid-sized firm like ours. We currently have a teaching partnership with Roger Wil- liams University to lead an innovation studio. It’s the re- search topic where our interests and our future converge. TZL: Tell me about a recent project you are especially proud of and why. DS: We just completed the Chao Center for Executive Ed- ucation at the Harvard Business School. Our team created a building that’s a linchpin of the campus, a beautiful and comfortable place expressly designed to foster interaction and engagement, and yes, a place where innovation in busi- ness happens. TZL: How have you helped your firm to outperform some competitors? What do you feel sets you apart?
DS: We aspire to foster a culture of continuous improve- ment in every aspect of our work. We understand that our success is driven by the talent and capabilities of the people we attract, develop, and retain. We want to be known as a great place to work, so we are delighted that we were recog- nized as a Best Firm to Work For by Zweig Group in 2016. TZL: Is there any news you care to share about recent projects or anything else? DS: We’ve recently begun an exciting new project for the School of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth Universi- ty. We’re also working with the University of Louisville on a new academic building – the first one built there in decades – that includes a student success center. Additionally, we’re doing a major laboratory renovation at the University of Connecticut and a new business school building at U Mass Amherst. On the planning side, we are part of the Hartford Interstate 84 design team, which is the single largest infra- structure project happening right now in the United States. TZL: Are you married? Children? Pets? DS: Yes, to all three. TZL: What’s one thing most people at the firm don’t know about you? DS: Most people would be surprised to learn that I was born in Guyana and grew up in Ireland. TZL: Do you have a favorite vacation spot? DS: Somewhere near the water with a book. TZL: What’s the last book you read? DS: The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver. TZL: What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received? DS: Rosabeth Moss Kantor, a professor at Harvard Business School, once wrote, “Anything worth doing looks like a mess in the middle.” I find this to be insightful, inspiring, and oc- casionally reassuring. TZL: Who is a leader you admire? Why? DS : Bill Belichick, New England Patriots. It’s a wonder to see team-building, preparation, and precision executed at such a consistently high level. TZL: When you’re not working, what types of activities do you enjoy? DS: I love ocean kayaking. I grew up near the ocean in Ire- land and any activity in, on, or by the water is compelling to me. These days I spend summers in a kayak in Maine. It can be a battle with hypothermia and I have to avoid becoming
a speed bump for lobster boats. TZL: What’s your favorite lunch?
DS: It’s not so much a meal as a place. I enjoy sitting outside on a park bench near our office. It’s a setting that seems to encourage informal and insightful conversations.
© Copyright 2016. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.
THE ZWEIG LETTER October 10, 2016, ISSUE 1171
Made with FlippingBook Annual report