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FROM THE FOUNDER
W e will not get into politics on these pages. All that accomplishes is to divide and alienate people, and we believe that most people have more in common than the media would have us believe. That said, regardless of whether you support or oppose the current administration, there is a lot of change and uncertainty in the air. These qualities will be essential for entrepreneurial leaders in the AEC business to have in the coming months and years ahead. Uncertain times will test leadership
Mark Zweig
It is times like these that will test your leadership capabilities. Here are some of the qualities I believe will be essential for entrepreneurial leaders in the AEC business (or any business, for that matter) to have in the coming months and years ahead: 1. Be relentlessly focused on the mission and vision. To keep everyone directed and motivated, the leaders have got to continuously live and promote the mission (why the business exists) and the vision (what the business is trying to become). Let me add that the mission should be something worthwhile and the vision one of growth. Missions to make a certain profit percentage and visions to stay the same size won’t cut it. 2. Project optimism. Leaders have to be optimistic. This does not, however, mean they should bury their heads in the sand and ignore reality. But it
does mean that even if things aren’t going well they project a belief that they can be turned around AND they have a plan for how to do so. Blind optimism is different from optimism combined with a plan for what needs to happen. 3. See problems as opportunities. We have all heard there is some Chinese philosophy around this one. And it makes sense. Everything that goes wrong presents an opportunity for improvement. Some things that go wrong even present opportunities to demonstrate to clients that your business is superior to anyone else’s because of how you handle those things! That could be how you win them over for life. 4. Delegate everything you can. The best leaders are the best delegators. That is how they multiply
See MARK ZWEIG, page 6
THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 24, 2025, ISSUE 1574
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