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ON THE MOVE WARE MALCOMB ANNOUNCES WENDY CRENSHAW HAS JOINED IRVINE OFFICE AS DIRECTOR, INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN Ware Malcomb , an award-winning international design firm, announced Wendy Crenshaw has joined the firm as director, interior architecture and design in the Irvine, California-based headquarters office. Crenshaw brings more than 30 years of industry experience in interior architecture and design to the Ware Malcomb team, including designing more than 1 million square feet of commercial office space in her career. Crenshaw has worked on a wide variety of project types, including corporate headquarters, education, commercial office, retail/hospitality, public and science and technology projects. She is also well versed
in all major product specifications including material finishes, lighting design, and furniture. “Wendy is a dynamic leader with a wealth of knowledge, a highly collaborative approach and strong communication skills – all of which will be a tremendous asset to our team,” said Mary Cheval, director of interior architecture and design at Ware Malcomb’s Irvine office. “Her excellent client management skills and proactive project management acumen have already earned her the respect of clients and peers alike. We look forward to her continued contributions in mentoring staff, overseeing projects, and expanding business development opportunities at Ware Malcomb.” Crenshaw holds a bachelor’s degree in interior design from Auburn University and completed
graduate course work at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She is also certified with LEED BD+C, WELL AP, California Council for Interior Design, and National Council for Interior Design Qualification. Established in 1972, Ware Malcomb is an international design firm providing planning, architecture, interior design, branding, civil engineering, and building measurement services to commercial real estate and corporate clients. With office locations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Panama, the firm specializes in the design of commercial office, corporate, industrial, science and technology, healthcare, retail, auto, public/educational facilities, and renovation projects. Ware Malcomb is recognized as a Hot Firm and Best Firm To Work For by Zweig Group.
MITCHELL SHOPE, from page 3
criticism while in the moment of a meeting or presentation. Nothing is more draining or flustering than having a superior critique your management abilities in front of your reports – it will negate any chance of respectful dialogue or high-utility feedback. Make notes, wait, and approach the individual well after their adrenaline levels have subsided. 7)Request and develop perspective. Ask ample questions about your observations of the situation. Asking simple things like “how did you feel that meeting went?” or “what would you have handled differently if you could revisit your approach?” can help build your knowledge and perspective of the situation. Particularly important when providing feedback to superiors, allow the individual to self-evaluate before providing your feedback. Finish this dialogue by “feeding forward” as opposed to “feeding back” by focusing on what the individual can do differently from this point moving forward instead of lambasting what happened in the past. 8)Take blame, but do not victimize yourself. While leaders should acknowledge and claim responsibility for their followers’ actions, do not over-emphasize your failure to the point that it shifts the tone and purpose of the feedback onto you. Providing examples of how the situation could have been handled more appropriately, then subsequently providing a framework for achieving the desired change is an effective practice that keeps the emphasis on the development of the employee while also contributing the necessary framework and support as a leader. 9)Ensure future steps are clear. Likely the most important point of all, outlining the positive steps to be taken forward is the most crucial part of any feedback delivery. If criticism is not consistently backed by forward-focusing support and development, it stunts the effectiveness and likelihood of long-term improvement. Embracing these methods will not only improve your ability to provide feedback to your peers but also strengthen and establish ongoing trust. Every individual strives to develop themselves and be an asset to their employer, so build a baseline of openness and respect to capitalize on the most your staff has to offer! MITCHELL SHOPE is a project engineer with JQ Engineering in Dallas, Texas. He holds a master of engineering degree from MIT in structural engineering. Contact him at mshope@jqeng.com.
praise. If you’re here to provide negative feedback, then provide negative feedback. Recent metadata from Leadership IQ shows that undermining your message with positivity miscues the recipient into hearing only the compliments. In the words of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” 4)But no “brutal honesty” either. Despite the trendy uptake in the “take your medicine and get over it” approach from companies such as Netflix, research unequivocally shows that these heavy-handed approaches to feedback have resulted in long-term diminished employee performance, reduced trust and accountability, and increased conflict in the workplace. While effective in the short-term, the shockingly high turnover rate and low employee satisfaction levels at Netflix demonstrate the drawbacks of this system. Bluntness and directness are enabled only by a lengthy establishment of trust and symbiotic benevolence on both sides of the table. “Embracing these methods will not only improve your ability to provide feedback to your peers but also strengthen and establish ongoing trust. Every individual strives to develop themselves and be an asset to their employer, so build a baseline of openness and respect to capitalize on the most your staff has to offer!” 5)Focus on behaviors, not personality traits. Defensiveness is ignited by perceived attacks on personality, so be explicit with the behavior rather than making inferences about personality. For example, if giving feedback to a project manager, phrase your feedback as “I noticed in the meeting this morning that you were hesitant to hold your direct reports accountable for their work” instead of “I think you are being too shy and reserved; you should be more confident.” 6)No in-game feedback. While tempting, refrain from giving
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THE ZWEIG LETTER February 10, 2020, ISSUE 1331
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