engineering our future
Embracing change Strategic plans rely on intelligent change to be successful.
Change is inevitable. We must change and evolve to survive. When Benjamin Franklin said, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” he may have not considered that change is also a certainty. Despite the AEC industry’s resistance to change, we are subject to change just like any other industry. Clients change, markets change, and staff members change — everything changes over time. Resistance to change is why we struggle to deal with problems and to really break out of our mold. Additionally, resistance to change is the enemy to executing strategic plans effectively. Those plans often require significant change in order to make a positive impact on the company and is why 70 percent of firms fail to execute any part of their plans. Managing and leading change effectively is something that every firm leader must learn to do to enable their firms to grow and evolve. If you can get more comfortable with change, you will set yourself apart and likely enjoy the reward of an accelerated career path. To get comfortable with change, you must be comfortable with risk of the unknown. That is where the DNAof engineers makes resistance to change naturally difficult. We are taught the mitigation of risk from day one in engineering school. However, taking risks in business in order to advance a firm is not the same as taking risk with an engineering design. We must view the risks and rewards relationship in business separately and embrace taking calculated risks to effect positive change. Strategic plans are all about the longer-term prosperity of the company and they rely on intelligent change to be successful. Leaders need younger, ambitious staff to help make strategic plans work, so step up with a willingness to effect positive change. If you work for a firm that has a strategic plan, make sure you know what the plan calls for and do what you can to aid in the execution. It is key to getting noticed and to being a part of something bigger.
CHAD CLINEHENS, P.E., is Zweig Group’s president and CEO. Contact him at cclinehens@zweiggroup.com.
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csengineermag.com
April 2018
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