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TED MAZIEJKA , from page 5

become the way business is done,” Graffam says. “As GSA goes, so will go the others.” “Familiarity with the rating system in the beginning gives you a leg up. You understand how much it will cost. We bring it up with our clients early in the conversation. It helps us serve the owner better.” Truly transformative change can often start with the third tier, the 25 to 30 year olds who should be valued for their ability to think outside the box, review processes, and create efficiencies through an unfiltered view of how work can be accomplished. And here is the true secret of transformative change. In The Truth about Leadership , by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posners, the 10th point focuses on the concept that “Leadership Requires Heart.” In other words, care and concern are the foundations of great leaders. Positive leadership generates positive emotion and, in that space, teams can create amazing and extraordinary results! TED MAZIEJKA is a Zweig Group financial and management consultant. Contact him at tmaziejka@zweiggroup.com. achieve this epic vision. The new president was equally passionate in his commitment to reassure the team that there would be no obstacles standing in the way of creating a transformation. WOW! “Revenue growth that is this transformative has so many components and every facet of the organization has to engage in the effort.” Revenue growth that is this transformative has many components, and every facet of the organization has to engage in the effort. Business development goals, management goals, production and staffing needs, potential merger and acquisition strategies, technology, and new ways of staffing and planning. The firm must commit to assess and manage the strategic vision by reviewing the monthly or quarterly goals. The only way success can be achieved is by always keeping everyone’s eye on the prize. Transformation ultimately drives down to the staff level, and what will their impact be on how the firm achieves its established goals? By participating and being invited to engage in the process!

longevity of the participants in the respective practice, are often perceived as ordinary elements of the work that they do; the plumbing detail, the culvert design, the space plan, the fenestration design, the electric load calculation, the Phase 1 study and the structural load calculation. The reality is that these are all extraordinary efforts, brought about by equally extraordinary staff members who have forgotten that attitude and approach can be transformative. If the senior leaders can rally around the concept that everything is extraordinary, there is an ability to inject new energy into their departments by transforming the attitudes of their staff. The development of a tangible, quantifiable vision is often started by the suggestion that all areas of the firm need to move from one level of revenue to a radical look forward over five years. Often this amounts to doubling, tripling, or quadrupling revenue growth. “The development of a tangible, quantifiable vision is often started by the suggestion that all areas of the firm need to move from one level of revenue to a radical look forward over five years.” Recently, with a planning session involving both senior leaders in their late 50s and early 60s, and a mid-level leadership team ranging from their early 30s to late 40s, the collective decision took the firm from $15 million in annual gross revenue to more than $50 million by 2020. This transformative plan was crafted on day one, and on day two, we asked how that $50-million goal felt after a good night’s sleep. One brave soul raised their hand and stated what many felt: “This plan was sheer terror and fear.” But they were reassured by the senior leaders that they stood behind the plan and would commit the resources required to

LANDSCAPE , from page 7

Graffam noted the vast reach of the GSA, which has proper- ties in dense urban areas as well as in rural environments. In the process of outfitting GSA properties with SITES cer- tified landscaping, valuable development models are bound to emerge, a positive for the industry, Graffam says. He also says that the GSA, with its size and influence, will likely affect the approach state and local governments will take when considering their green spaces.

“They [environmental standards] become less novel and

“The U.S. General Services Administration’s decision to adopt SITES for its capital construction projects shows incredible leadership. The GSA’s public buildings service is one of the largest and most diversified public real estate programs in the world, and by adopting the SITES rating system, GSA will align land development and management with innovative sustainable design that will protect and enhance the benefits we derive from healthy functioning landscapes. This is another great step in scaling up the SITES program and elevating the value of landscapes in the built environment.” — Jamie Statter, vice president of strategic relationships, U.S. Green Building Council

THE ZWEIG LETTER May 23, 2016, ISSUE 1153

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