TZL 1368 (web)

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O P I N I O N

The texture of varying beliefs, values, and backgrounds inform how we see the world, and are at the very core of our ability to serve our clients and community. Empower your people for the greater good

T he nature of leadership has never been challenged more than during the extraordinary events of 2020.

As the year started, and before the pandemic closed our offices, I reflected on the leadership model we foster at FXCollaborative where responsibility is shared, with contributions being made in a dynamic way from both top-down and bottom-up. This model effectively moves the business forward, while at the same time advancing and securing the firm’s culture by engaging future generations of leaders. Subsequently, discussions of social equity have moved to the forefront of every conversation, leading to a more untraditional form of leadership – one that focuses on empowering each individual for the greater good. TRUST YOUR PEOPLE. Our firm has always prided itself on our collaborative culture, one where every person’s role is valued and every person has a voice. Every team member – from firm leadership to junior designers and administrative staff – is included on our website. But as the pandemic hit

and all employees began to work from home, that collaborative culture was tested and we had to reevaluate how to maintain that culture across a firm of 150 employees scattered across New York City and the world. Critical to the success of remote working is an innate trust in your people. Through a confidence already established as a result of our heavy investment in firm culture, we have been able to further empower our employees to work together to design their individual and team workplans and identify the tasks that needed to be accomplished. While senior leadership provides guidance, mentoring, and counseling, it is oftentimes the grassroots efforts that really propel projects forward. Impressively, we have been able to not only complete work on schedule and with high quality, but we have won new work through developing creative design proposals and virtual interviews.

Guy Geier

See GUY GEIER, page 4

THE ZWEIG LETTER NOVEMBER 16, 2020, ISSUE 1368

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