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O P I N I O N
Staying up at night
If you lead an AEC firm, you have a lot of tough questions to ask yourself, and the answers aren’t always pretty. But ask and answer you must.
I n a romanticized view of the business world, firm leaders are never lacking in confidence and always make the correct decisions the very first time. However, being imperfect, having self-doubts and second guessing our decisions are just part of everyday business operations. To think we are somehow endowed with super human organizational and leadership skills is simply not realistic.
Stephen Lucy
their position at the top when it is obvious to every- one that their time to step aside or delegate some of their responsibilities has come. We don’t get par- ticipation trophies in business, so if there is a better player on your roster you need to put them in the game. 2)Am I tough enough? The proverbial buck stops at the top which means that many times leaders are “Too often those in leadership are overwhelmed by the day-to-day and forget to question or further evaluate themselves and their decisions.”
If we agree that we are human, we also must agree that there are times we cannot sleep at night because we are tormented by those lingering questions about the validity of our actions. Instead of being a weakness, this self-evaluation can produce benefits to the firm as it can form the basis for change. So, what questions should you be asking yourself to be a better leader? 1)Am I the right person? This is the most important question you can ever ask, but it is also the hardest as it requires you to question your own abilities. No one likes to admit their shortcomings, but failing to properly assess your strengths and weaknesses and then act to adjust your approach to counter those weaknesses will only impair your firm’s potential. Too many times I have seen a firm leader maintain
See STEPHEN LUCY, page 12
THE ZWEIG LETTER June 25, 2018, ISSUE 1254
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