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STEPHEN LUCY, from page 5

advocacy groups are rallying to have the entire complex removed so that the site, above and below ground, can be wholly devoted to Penn Station. “It’s been talked about for so long, people start to get skeptical.” In regard to the redevelopment currently being sought, Goshow says he’s heard it all before. An RFP for Penn Sta- tion was put out years ago, but it went nowhere. “It’s been talked about for so long, people start to get skep- tical,” he says. But this time around, things could be different, Goshow says. Just a few blocks west, at Hudson Yards, the largest private real estate development in U.S. history is unfold- ing. There, millions of square feet of office, commercial, and residential space are under construction. A forest of towers, public green spaces, and a mix of retail and leisure, Hudson Yards is expected to usher in a new era for the west side of town, and bring a new crush of commuters through Penn Station. “Where you have rail hubs, that’s where you want density,” Goshow says. “I think it will happen. It has to happen. Penn Station is falling apart.” By establishing this business relationship, you build added value to your services, and it becomes easier to avoid commoditization of your work. You should be proud of your work, so why ever consider selling it for less than it is worth? WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? There is the risk that you might alien- ate a client or that they won’t return to you because you have declined them. My experience is that if you say “no” and offer the reasons why, they do return. But if you say “yes” and fail to perform according to their expectations, the road back to the client will be long and difficult. Instead of being afraid of declining work, you should be more afraid of blindly accepting projects that randomly present themselves. Consider the example of the food chain. The more highly advanced the species, the more selective they become on what they eat. So where do you want to be in the “food chain” of our industry? GAINING CONFIDENCE BY BEING DECISIVE. Stepping outside your comfort zone is never easy, but knowing and doing what is best for you and your firm is always the correct decision. Taking on the perceived risk of declining work, which I consider to be minimal risk for making decisions that are best for your firm, can be empowering for you and those who are on your team. We do this all the time in our per- sonal lives, so why be afraid in a business setting? By being decisive and leading your team to follow a strategic path that distinguishes your firm and demonstrates your core capabilities, you will develop the reputation that you deserve and discover the kind of growth that you will truly enjoy. STEPHEN LUCY is CEO of JQ with offices in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and Lubbock, Texas. Contact him at slucy@jqeng.com.

a serious shortage of talent and staffing resources. In this hiring environment, it can be very difficult and costly to buy your way out of this shortage. Are you spending all of your profit just to staff up for business when that business is not in your best long-term interest? Also, adding people just for the sake of gaining numbers to fill jobs for projects that do not fit your strategic plan can adversely impact your firm from the inside out. DECLINING: THE VALUE OF A STRATEGIC “NO.” Internally, it is impor- tant that you clearly define what work and clients you want to pursue. By knowing each client’s markets and future op- portunities, you can best position your firm to accept the work you want and decline the work that does not fit your strategic plans. So how do you say “no” when it is best for your firm, but still keep the clients you want? You explain why you are declining this specific project. When you explain why you are saying “no,” you also have the opportunity to articulate the strategic goals of your firm to your clients and, more importantly, how those goals align with your client’s goals. In some cases, you may even refer these clients to competitors who might serve them best for a given project. This may seem counterintuitive, but if you are a true partner, then you need to offer the best advice that you can. AVOID COMMODITIZING YOUR SERVICES. When you decline and explain why, and when you turn down work or refer it to others who are better suited for that work, you build trust with your clients. You operate as an advisor and consul- tant, and your client will begin to more highly value your advice and work product. They will recognize that you have their best interest in mind just as much as you have that of your own firm.

PENN STATION, from page 7

“In terms of scale, the need for a big, beautiful entry to New York – it’s nowhere more needed than at Penn Station,” Gos- how says. Goshow says he is not surprised Cuomo decided on recruit- ing the private sector for such a large job. “They [the Cuomo administration] think private enterprise can build more cheaply and more efficiently,” Goshow says. “There’s a recognition that private enterprise can do it bet- ter.” Perhaps also at stake is the fate of Madison Square Gar- den, home of the New York Knicks and the New York Rang- ers. While Gov. Cuomo’s Request for Expressions of Inter- est/Request for Qualifications, or RFEI/RFQ, only calls for the demolition of the Theater at Madison Square Garden – to make way for a pedestrian entrance on 8th Avenue – “They [the Cuomo administration] think private enterprise can build more cheaply and more efficiently. There’s a recognition that private enterprise can do it better.”

THE ZWEIG LETTER April 11, 2016, ISSUE 1147

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