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ON THE MOVE MEYER PROMOTED TO PRINCIPAL Ron Meyer, AIA, has been named a principal with O’Connell Robertson in recognition of his design expertise and leadership abilities applied to the pursuit of the firm’s vision, mission, and goals. Meyer serves as the project delivery leader for O’Connell Robertson, a role requiring strategic planning to implement the firm’s architectural goals; technical leadership guiding the best documentation practices; and resource management to support overall project scheduling and staffing assignments. “Ron’s technical expertise, deep understanding of the design process and integration of building information management, and ability to direct large complex projects brings a forward- thinking presence to our project delivery process,” said Kim Cochran, chief operating officer. Meyer brings more than 25 years of experience in architectural practice, working directly with clients, consultants, and construction teams

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to facilitate an efficient and responsive process through each phase of project development. Meyer has extensive experience in the design of healthcare facilities in addition to experience with education, commercial, and sports projects. A graduate of Texas A&M University with a master’s degree in architecture, Meyer is a registered architect and is NCARB certified. “Ron’s leadership in this core business aspect supports O’Connell Robertson’s mission to provide professional services of unsurpassed quality as we continue to design environments that positively impact all who experience and interact with our work,” said Amy Jones, president. O’Connell Robertson is an integrated architecture and engineering design firm, established in Austin, Texas in 1950, whose mission-driven approach creates healthcare and education environments that enrich the lives of the people they were designed to serve.

MARK ZWEIG, from page 1

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the morale of the other people. Get ‘em out of there ASAP. But be smart about it. Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face. Don’t make yourself look like you aren’t sensitive either, by rushing someone who is very popular with the people in your firm out the door TOO soon without a proper send-off. ❚ ❚ Take control of the communications, both inside and outside of the firm . Don’t let the person who is leaving send out just anything they want to clients of the firm. You need to decide what message is going out, not the person who quit! I have seen letters going out from the company the person is leaving, telling clients all about the employee’s new company and role. This is ridiculous in most every case, be- cause it can only harm the firm the person is leaving behind. Ditto for the inside emails from those leaving. I once had a guy quit who sent out an email to everyone as his last act – he was advertis- ing his cool new job to all of our employees. It made me mad, and I sent a follow-up to all staff that made me look like an ogre. With the person involved, we should have an- ticipated this guy’s last act and pulled the plug on his email account sooner! ❚ ❚ Get on with finding their replacement immediately! Time is of the essence. The sooner you can get someone else into the job of the person who quit, the better off you will appear (and actually BE !). It makes them look like they were easy to replace. And if you promoted someone from within, all the better. This could turn a negative event into a positive one (isn’t there some ancient Chinese proverb for that?) if you pick the right person. It shows everyone you promote from within. It gives that person a new and bet- ter job. And, it says to clients and others outside the firm that it’s business as usual in your company. ❚ ❚ Expect it. Have a succession plan in place. Know who will go where or how you will restructure if and when it happens. Anticipate these events. It’s always surprising how many firms are caught completely off guard when that key guy or girl quits. If the writ- ing on the wall is crystal clear (i.e., you hear firsthand that the person is actively inter- viewing), you may be best served to end the relationship on your terms, not theirs. Don’t be hasty with these kinds of decisions, but remember that, in this and all other matters, your role as an owner is to protect the interests of the organization as a whole. If you approach your decision-making from this point of view, you will usually do the right thing. MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.

1200 North College Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72703 Mark Zweig | Publisher mzweig@zweiggroup.com Richard Massey | Managing Editor rmassey@zweiggroup.com Christina Zweig | Contributing Editor christinaz@zweiggroup.com Sara Parkman | Editor and Designer sparkman@zweiggroup.com Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent landreassen@zweiggroup.com

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Email: info@zweiggroup.com Online: thezweigletter.com Twitter: twitter.com/zweigletter Facebook: facebook.com/thezweigletter Published continuously since 1992 by Zweig Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. ISSN 1068-1310. Issued weekly (48 issues/year) $250 for one-year print subscription; free electronic subscription at thezweigletter.com/subscribe Article reprints: For high-quality reprints, including Eprints and NXTprints, please contact The YGS Group at 717-399- 1900, ext. 139, or email TheZweigLetter@ TheYGSGroup.com. © Copyright 2018, Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

THE ZWEIG LETTER July 9, 2018, ISSUE 1255

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