TZL 1235

9

O P I N I O N

The reward of change

Clients have evolved, and if you want stay connected with them, you have to learn who they are, what they want, and where you fit.

C hange – a simple yet loaded word, particularly these days. Unless you spent the last year under a rock, you must have noticed that things are rather in flux – make that very in flux. With all the change happening, there is great temptation to escape the discomfort it causes by running for cover. It’s a normal reaction. However, the cost is an opportunity to lead in a different direction.

Julie Benezet GUEST SPEAKER

world of the intense details and nuancing needed for successful projects. Nevertheless, without those unappreciative ratepayers, there is no risks to learn who they are, what they want, and where you fit.” “To win over an unconvinced audience, you have to move into the discomfort zone, taking behavioral

Avoiding a trip down the jagged corridor of our political environment, let us look at change in the A/E industry. The fundamentals of designing, permitting, and constructing a building do not change. There are only so many ways to apply the laws of physics to create a physical structure that rises out of the ground, remains in place, and looks good. So, what has changed? Clients. A/E industry executives lament how in the “good old days,” clients valued and willingly paid for professional guidance. Now they want expeditious results, technological solutions, and commodity pricing. That is a tough reality for the dedicated A/E design community, one that inhabits the

income stream. So, what to do?

To win over an unconvinced audience, you have to move into the discomfort zone, taking behavioral

See JULIE BENEZET, page 10

THE ZWEIG LETTER February 12, 2018, ISSUE 1235

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