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Company leaders gather with Chris Schultz, CEO, at the Raba Kistner corporate office in San Antonio, Texas, wearing pink to raise awareness for breast cancer prevention.
there was one individual that I would credit as being the most influential, it would be the other half of our company name, Dick Kistner. He’s the person I reported to the longest in my various roles with the company. He was the epitome of servant leadership, and instilled in me to always do the right thing no matter what the consequences. He was a servant leader when servant leaders weren’t cool. One of the great things he used to say: “It’s nice to be important, but it’s far more important to be nice.” TZL: They say failure is a great teacher. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve had to learn the hard way? CS: Early in my management career, I didn’t have enough faith in the people who worked and reported directly to me; they were incredible people. Likely out of my own arrogance, I thought I could often do it better and failed to delegate tasks that I should have. This meant I was limiting not only their growth, but also my own. This became very apparent to me when I went through a program that included a 360-degree review, and the common theme on input from my direct reports was my lack of delegation skills. The good news is I listened. TZL: In one word or phrase, what do you describe as your number one job responsibility? CS: Provide an environment for everybody to have the opportunity to succeed.
OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED , from page 7
clients. We also more recently acquired Rice & Gardner, a project management firm with an incredible reputation working predominately in the K-12 space that aligns well with our Project Control division and the success they have in the higher education market. We’ve never felt more confident about this being a one plus one equals something greater than two scenario. TZL: Who are you admiring right now in the AEC industry? Where do you see thought leadership and excellence? CS: Right now, I’m admiring our industry as a whole for how we reacted during the pandemic to take care of our clients, our employees, and our families. I think our industry was better positioned than most because we solve problems. Our backgrounds and experience naturally allowed us to adapt and develop solutions quicker than those in other industries. That said, the firms that I’m admiring most are those that are much further down the road on the DE&I journey than our own. The firms that jumped out ahead of the curve are to be admired. TZL: Have you had a particular mentor who has guided you – in school, in your career, or in general? Who were they and how did they help? CS: I’ve had the good fortune of having several great mentors in my career, and Carl and Gary Raba top the list. However, if
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THE ZWEIG LETTER DECEMBER 13, 2021, ISSUE 1420
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