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BUSINESS NEWS H2M ANNOUNCES ADDITION OF INTERIOR DESIGN AND SPACE PLANNING H2M architects + engineers (Melville, NY), a full-service consulting and design firm with more than 290 architects, engineers, planners, designers, inspectors, surveyors, and scientists, has announced the addition of interior design and space planning to its roster of architectural services. Interior design is a multifaceted profession that includes conceptual development, communication, management, and execution of the design. Space planning is a critical part of the interior design process, during which the design professional hones the program requirements to lay out interior spaces based on function for people and process and then later adds the equipment and furniture. “As the firm and our client-base grew, we started receiving more requests for interior design and space planning services,” said Joe Mottola, H2M’s

director of architecture. “We always want to provide a complete range of services for our clients, so we saw tremendous value in making this investment.” With the addition of the service, H2M has brought in Allison Linsky as the firm’s senior interior designer and space planner. She joins H2M with more than 30 years’ experience as an interior designer and an established record of accomplishments in corporate and commercial space planning, interior design, and construction. She was most recently principal of Woodbury-based William Allison Design Associates Ltd. “I am excited for the opportunity to help develop H2M’s interior design and space planning department,” Linsky said. “When you are able to build something from the ground up, with a company of this size, you have unlimited potential.”

MARK ZWEIG , from page 1

or not. Years ago, we worked with a small firm owner – he had about 28 employees. He paid himself $380,000 a year. His next highest paid employee made $75,000. They weren’t doing very well, and morale stunk. People sense huge gaps and disparity. And they really appreciate it if you share some of the spoils around the table. 7)Get the right people in. The “right” people are those with the right attitude. They want to succeed, they’re nice, they don’t just move from one complaint or gripe to the next. They also want to learn and help out their fellow employ- ees. Clients like them, other people in the firm like them, and you like them. They are good to work with. Compe- tent, smart, and can-do in spirit. Good people want to work with other good people and bring them in. 8)Move the bad apples out. The bad ap- ples are the opposite of the right people described above. They’re negative or chronically unhappy, hard to work with, incompetent, angry, hostile, and more. Lazy, with bad attitudes, bad commu- nicators, dishonest … what else can I say? They need to go. If bad people are allowed to stay, good people will leave. I could go on and on: Your success is so tied to your people and leadership and management practices. It is really clear when you meet the leaders of our Hot Firms and Best Firms to Work For at our conference. The best aspect of this event is the people who come. Always an entrepreneurial, optimistic group, so many of them my personal friends – of 20 or 30 years in some cases. It is great to see these successful people in action. They’re smiling, they’re upbeat, they’re winners! And they make good things happen in their companies! MARK ZWEIG is founder and CEO Zweig Group. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup. com.

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2)Get everyone involved in the busi- ness-planning process. Asking every- one for their opinions and input – and really trying to incorporate their think- ing into the business plan – is certainly one of the cornerstones of effective management and leadership. People want to be involved and feel like they have some influence over their work environment and their futures. 3)Institute some form of open-book management. It’s so critical to share your numbers with your employees – I cannot overemphasize it. Do it quickly, succinctly, and clearly. Give the num- bers to everyone. Don’t share salary info – that is harmful. Do share info on revenues, profits, cash position, mar- keting stats, and more. This helps build trust between you and your people. 4)Make your office cool. Most offices I see are not creative spaces. In fact, they might be the opposite! They are dark, dirty, messy, cramped, and filled with tiny cubicles. Collaboration is just a word or something you do electroni- cally. That’s really crazy, especially when you consider what many firms in this business actually do for a living – in many cases, they design workspaces! Consider your office a tool – a place to help you SELL good employees (who always have other opportunities) on coming to work for your company. 5)Have some fun. Everyone is too seri- ous. If you do some fun stuff at the office – having something fun or funny happening – you WILL have happier people. Happier people will be positive. And positive people make good things happen. Most people in this business are just too serious. Best places to work are FUN places to be. 6)Share the rewards. Spread the money around. Don’t be greedy. Firm owners, you know the difference in being greedy

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38 West Trenton Blvd., Suite 101 Fayetteville, AR 72701 Mark Zweig | Publisher mzweig@zweiggroup.com Andrea Bennett | Managing Editor abennett@zweiggroup.com Christina Zweig | Contributing Editor christinaz@zweiggroup.com Sara Parkman | Editor sparkman@zweiggroup.com Megan Halbert | Design Assistant mhalbert@zweiggroup.com Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent lsullivan@zweiggroup.com Richard Massey | Correspondent rmassey@zweiggroup.com

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E-mail: info@zweiggroup.com Online: www.thezweigletter.com Twitter: twitter.com/zweigletter Blog: blog.zweiggroup.com Published continuously since 1992 by Zweig Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. ISSN 1068-1310. Issued weekly (48 issues/yr.). $475 for one-year subscription, $775 for two-year subscription. Article reprints: For high-quality reprints, including Eprints and NXTprints, please contact The YGS Group at 717-399-1900, ext. 139, or e-mail TheZweigLetter@TheYGSGroup.com. © Copyright 2015, Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 21, 2015, ISSUE 1120

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