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UPCOMING SEMINARS

BILL MURPHEY, from page 3

I’ve had some senior leaders tell me they’re afraid to grow their company because they’re concerned it will lose its identity and stray too far from the founder’s original design. While it’s true that a 30-person firm that grows into a 300-person company will lose some of its initial character, there are plenty of reasons for embracing growth. Large firms have more resources for servicing larger clients and more ambitious projects. That translates into opportunities for recruiting talent, gaining expertise, and positive branding. Large firms will likely spin off professionals who would like to start their own firms. Celebrate the fact that your firm provided them with the experience they’ll need to be successful. Large firms, if run correctly, tend to have deeper pockets and can offer their employees greater benefits. It is in this way that you can do more for the people who worked to make the firm the success that it is. “Having led both large and small companies, I can’t say I prefer one over the other. They each have their positives and negatives, and if correctly led, a company can retain its original values and stay connected at any size.” My point here is to not fear growth. Growth is healthy. Having led both large and small companies, I can’t say I prefer one over the other. They each have their positives and negatives, and if correctly led, a company can retain its original values and stay connected at any size. BILL MURPHEY is Zweig Group’s director of education. Contact him at bmurphey@ zweiggroup.com.

remember that Susan in civil engineering is engaged, but you didn’t realize her wedding was two months ago. You may not even recognize one of your employees if you walked by them at the local supermarket. “There’s a significant difference between leading a 30-person firm compared to leading a 300-person firm. I’ve led both sizes and learned that what works in one does not work for the other.” This isn’t to say that one size is better than another. It’s simply to point out that leading different sized companies requires different techniques. When I led a 15-person organization, we were an amazing team as everyone was connected with every project. We played off each others’ strengths and accomplished some impressive feats. Yet, despite our cohesiveness, we may have become tired of each other, as we had petty bickering like I’d never seen before. When I led a 400-person business, it took me about three months to learn the names of those just two levels below me and another six months to learn the names of my employees one level below that. The further down the chain, the less I knew about my employees. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to get to know everyone, but my interaction with people several layers below me was intermittent. It took a concerted effort to get to know everyone even at a basic level. I’d run into people at the grocery store who worked for me and they’d greet me. Sometimes I would recognize them, but wouldn’t know their name. Other times, it was as if I’d never seen them before. I hated that feeling of not knowing everyone on my team.

GROWING A PROFITABLE AND ENTREPRENEURIAL AEC FIRM This seminar will help you renovate every area of your business so your firm can grow in a purposeful manner. You need this seminar if you want to start thinking differently and leading with intention toward growth. This seminar will create entrepreneurial leaders who seek to grow their firm exponentially by capturing market share, winning contracts that will grow their business, and by infusing the entrepreneurial mindset throughout their firm. date: March 29-30 location: Boston more info: bit.ly/2jBaSTE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR NON-FINANCIAL MANAGERS This is a one-day seminar that was specifically developed to help design and technical professionals become more comfortable dealing with financial management and accounting. This course helps attendees become better stewards of the company’s resources and to better understand how to leverage resources and maximize profit. date: April 19 location: Washington, D.C. more info: bit.ly/2jj0FtY LEADERSHIP SKILLS FOR AEC PROFESSIONALS This two-day seminar was developed to provide design and technical professionals with the skills to become more competent leaders. This course helps attendees develop and reaffirm the leadership skills, strategies, and techniques that will help them grow personally and professionally. date: April 25-26 location: Washington, D.C. more info: bit.ly/2kx6Snj WHY CHOOSE ZWEIG GROUP EDUCATION? The content of Zweig Group’s seminars is focused on the challenges you face, and the faculty are industry experts with first-hand A/E experience. We cut straight to the bottom line to give attendees just what they need to know about the topic at hand. All Zweig Group training programs can be presented as an in-house program. We’ll customize the program to what’s important to you and will infuse it with our extensive industry data. To sign up for a seminar or for more information, visit zweiggroup.com/seminars/ or call 800.466.6275.

THE ZWEIG LETTER February 27, 2017, ISSUE 1189

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