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O P I N I O N
Honestly, let’s do business If a firm is to stand the test of time, two building blocks have to be in place – honesty and integrity.
M y entire life I have looked up to my dad and uncle as pillars of the community. City council. Church. Membership on various bank and hospital boards. They got involved. They served. They were also architects who helped grow a small firm that started in the early 1970s to one that now employs more than 250 people. It has become a cornerstone of our community. When I asked them what made the firm successful, they said the recipe was simple – honesty and integrity when conducting business.
Will Swearingen
When I think about what that means, it makes complete sense. From our own internal compass, to our many daily dealings, to the execution of a project on-site, honesty is crucial to success. Too often we are stretched thin on time and resources. If we could just buy a little more time, have a few extra hands here or cut a corner there, we could accomplish the task in time and under budget. But let’s be honest, everyone knows no A/E/P project has ever been completed with an efficiency rate of 100 percent. So you must be careful not to sacrifice your firm’s capacity for the sake of the sale. Projects get messy. Change orders become routine.
Projects come in way over budget. Resources get stretched, and time and money are wasted. But what if everyone was completely honest about their expectations? Would it impact the way one bids and manages a project? Would it compromise one’s leverage in closing a deal? Should you be so honest that you flat-out deny a budget and timeline can be met? No, but the conversation needs to be open and transparent from the beginning to the end. The project lead has to have complete confidence his team and client are working together to achieve the same goal. This all starts with candid communication.
See WILL SWEARINGEN, page 12
THE ZWEIG LETTER April 18, 2016, ISSUE 1148
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