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One of the greatest advantages of leading our profession is that
you are constantly gaining valuable knowledge and experience. By
interacting with others and sharing information, you continue to
learn new things and grow as a person and as a professional. As an
added benefit, your presentation and speaking skills will improve
substantially.
Becoming a respected leader in the design profession doesn’t
happen overnight. It takes a lot of hard work, commitment, and
determination. I recommend that you focus on a specific area of the
design profession where you have passion. That way, your inner
leader will emerge a lot easier. Yes- you, too, can rise up and
become a forceful leader in the profession!
Of course, a strong foundation upon which to build is useful also.
Attending an excellent design school, having meaningful work
experience, and gaining valuable tutelage from mentors who really
care are the critical building blocks of this foundation. I was
fortunate to have had all three. In general, becoming an effective
leader in the profession happens in 3 phases.
Phase I: School Years
Your journey towards effective leadership begins during your
formative school years. Some of you knew you wanted to be
architects in high school, and aimed for well-regarded institutions
of higher learning. Your leadership prowess may have begun during
this time as a student body officer, yearbook editor, or sports
team captain. Once in college, it took a lot just to get organized,
whether you were commuting or living on campus. Many of you had to
work while attending classes and completing grueling coursework and
studio projects. Nevertheless, some of you may have been involved
in campus organizations like the local American Institute of
Architecture Students (AIAS) chapter, and began to bring your
burgeoning leadership skills closer to the professional
arena.
Phase II: Early Career
After graduating from college and joining the workforce, it is time
to pay some dues and gain valuable experience. Yes, it seems like
there’s barely enough time to eat and sleep! You’re
working long hours, studying for and taking those licensing exams,
and for some of you, even starting your families. It seems
difficult, but during this time you need to plant your leadership
seeds by getting involved in your local AIA chapter and/or other
professional organizations. You may start out as a member at large,
not necessarily serving on boards or committees. A good place to
start is the AIA Young Architects Forum Advisory Committee, where
you will interact with your peers nationwide. These are critical
exploratory years, where you will begin developing your network and
getting to know people outside the office at a professional level.
Whatever you do, you need to find time to “just do
it!”
Phase III: Established Professional
You’ve paid your dues, and now have begun to hit your stride!
Your credentials are strong. You probably are a senior level
project manager, designer, or perhaps a principal. You may even
have started your own office. Your family may be well underway.
You’re flying high, and now you can really begin to make a
difference! You may be on the board of your local AIA chapter, or
actively engaged with AIA National-level committees. Or, you may
have accepted leadership roles in philanthropic and charitable
causes.
Finding the Time to Lead
No doubt, the critical challenge that we all face throughout our
careers is: How do I juggle my professional leadership
responsibilities with my ever-increasing workload and family
obligations? There really isn’t a magic formula for
discovering that perfect time management strategy. Simply put, you
must accept the fact that leadership activities will take time.
Committee meetings, workshops, lectures, events, and conventions
will take up your evenings and even your weekends. But if you think
of it as part of your being, as an aspect of your existence, then
it becomes more than simply an “extracurricular” activity
that you must squeeze in. Becoming an effective leader in the
profession is really a state-of-mind. Treat it like brushing your
teeth!
Leading with Passion
If you’re involved in something that feeds your passion, your
leadership activities will become something that you HAVE to do
– not in terms of obligation, but rather in terms of personal
desire. Think of the marathon runner who is passionate about
fitness and absolutely MUST find time to run 5 miles every day.
Become a leader in an arena of strong personal interest to you,
whether it be design, sustainability, documentation, codes, or
practice issues. Or, become a leader in the charitable cause that
means something to you personally. Even if it’s not related to
design and construction, you will be admired by fellow volunteers
as a leader who also is a design professional.
Effective Leadership
You have acknowledged the critical importance that leadership has
to your career and to the profession, and have found the arena that
stirs your passion. Now you need to become an effective leader
– someone who can get things done. To do that, you must
motivate your team of volunteers, all of whom have the same time
constraints as you. Here are some general guidelines to help you
lead effectively and achieve concrete results:
- Take on only what you can handle. If you think you might be
overwhelmed by the responsibilities of the leadership position that
you’re offered, volunteer for a smaller role.
- Recruit well-organized multi-taskers who you know are able to
juggle family and work obligations in addition to those of your
committee or organization.
- Convince your team that volunteering is a privilege, not a
right , and that performance expectations are high. Ask them to be
upfront and forthright about their abilities to devote the
necessary time and energy to your committee.
- Make clear-cut assignments, check-in frequently, and hold your
team members accountable. If someone is having problems following
through, have a discussion with that person and reiterate your
performance expectations. Make adjustments to assignments if
necessary. If lack of follow-through continues, ask him or her to
leave your committee.
- In meetings, conduct focused discussions that result in
tangible, attainable action items. Avoid lofty ideas that may seem
desirable but be impractical to execute.
As a leader, you provide a valuable service to the profession.
You help to keep it vital by promoting interaction and the exchange
of ideas. Equally important, you serve as a valuable example and
mentor to young colleagues, providing them the critical building
blocks necessary to their own leadership development.
Remember, you were mentored and given opportunities. Now it’s
time to give something back!
Andrea Cohen Gehring, FAIA, LEED® AP is the Design Partner
at WWCOT, a 160-person, full-service architectural firm with
offices in Santa Monica, Riverside, Palm Springs, and Modesto,
California, and Shanghai, China. She served as the 2005 Chair of
the AIA/National Practice Management Knowledge Community Advisory
Group. Currently, Andrea serves as a Regent of the California
Architectural Foundation and represents the School of Architecture
as a member of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors. She
also has served on the AIA/Los Angeles Chapter Board of
Directors.
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