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passion and reason for going where I was headed, I believe I would have been far better off. There was no role to mimic or follow in my discipline. I had, and still have, the privilege, trust, and daunting task of making it up as I go. I am discovering and shaping what my new role looks like every day. A bit of pre-planning could have brought some clarity, but it’s hard work to shift from a doer to a business development-focused leader. The goals are less concrete. I struggle with where I go next some days. I am in the middle of the unknown. Daily wins look different now. The measured success of a great business development meeting just doesn’t feel the same as a successful project presentation. I miss the direct and real-time client feedback that assures me we did a good job or we’re at least going in the right direction. There are spots of light in the forest and I’m grateful it hasn’t been easy. Retirement is a long way away and I’m not good at being bored. If you’re a new principal, don’t be afraid to reach out to your peer partners for help and advice. They’ve been where you are, and they want to see you and your firm succeed. For any principal reading this, new or tenured, I’d be open to hearing your experience or advice. This has been a learning process, and I’m still learning. Jayna Duke is a principal and director of interior design at O’Connell Robertson. Contact her at jduke@oconnellrobertson. com.
JAYNA DUKE , from page 7
I couldn’t conceive of losing that passion, but his moment of pure sincerity made me take note. I thought back to my mentor’s wise words in the car with the young employee. I never wanted to be partner, but it was clear to me then that my position had come from nothing more than passion for my work. I had such a clear vision of how interior design makes an incredible impact on our projects and I wanted to inject that into more projects across our firm. I did whatever it took to make that happen. As a byproduct of that, I became valuable to the firm and seized opportunities to create and expand a group of like-minded designers who share the same passion. As a result, I now get to lead an entire firm that shares the passion of designing projects that make a difference. Looking back, I realize I lost that focus on my passion. I took my eye off the ball. I wish I had kept asking myself why I wanted to be a principal. If I had, I think I would have been more focused on building that new role. Instead I unknowingly began to create this narrative that making partner would solve all the other hurdles and issues I was facing. I thought if I became a principal, interior design and, by extension, I would be treated with instant dignity and respect. Of course, making partner did not change the cultural landscape of our industry, and people are still complex beings who require consistent leadership to garner respect. If I had stayed focused on my
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THE ZWEIG LETTER MARCH 11, 2024, ISSUE 1528
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