background to add services. Consulting projects have included assist- ing with organizational restructures, streamlining conservation mis- sions, and establishing a collaborative input process for endangered species recovery projects with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department and the Smithsonian Museum. Of course, creating ECHO was not simple or stress-free. While the effort was championed by Senior Zoo Designer Craig Rhodes and a handful of senior directors with a vision, GLMV interviewed Clifford eight times before moving forward. In its first two years, the tension of overhead expense and the pressure to show ROI by winning work was real, even as they took the long view.
“That has now flipped,” says Clifford. “Now we think every studio should be doing this. Of course, you can't just copy a model. It needs to be context-specific to that market.” GLMV is now experimenting with ways to apply what they’ve learned to their other market sectors, including K-12, Healthcare, and a new Aviation Market program called Elevate . Takeaways If you’ve been thinking about new ways to position your firm as a market leader, consider this: Resources are required. GLMV’s success illustrates the power of go- ing all-in with your strategy. Too many firms assign a thought leader- ship effort to someone who is expected to lead and execute while also delivering a heavy workload of client work. “Find someone who can fully own it and then fully resource them,” says Clifford. There is no overnight success. GLMV did not see results immediately. While they had some early wins, the real impact came between years three and four. By year five, there was some job creep, as Clifford’s role leaned into business development. Recently, the leadership team decided to refocus his role around ECHO. While it would be easy to deploy someone who enjoys BD in chasing sales, GLMV’s leadership is taking the strategic approach by continuing to invest in and build on what works. Perfect is the enemy of good. Taking the long view has freed those involved in ECHO to focus their energy in areas that have the most impact— consistently listening to and delivering what their market values— and not sweating every detail or trying to be and do every- thing. They continue to listen to their prospective clients and evolve, including currently developing design research on animal welfare. You don’t need to provide all the answers. In the AEC industry, our professionals are trained problem solvers. But too much of a focus on offering solutions can sometimes prevent firms from moving ahead with thought leadership efforts that resonate with their market. Solving your market’s problems does not always mean providing them with all the answers. Sometimes, it is all about asking the right questions, understanding their business, and curating the conversation. What is your firm doing to stretch into new areas of thought leader- ship? Let’s talk at rich@friedmanpartners.com or (508) 276-1101.
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csengineermag.com february 2020
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