For clients looking at the long-view, I direct and sharpen that focus through visioning and strategic planning sessions and leadership retreats on firm size/type, brand, culture, firm structure, business development strategies centered around market sectors and client types with defined actions as outcomes.
By looking at my client’s brand holistically we make sure the brand message is getting to the intended audience and is instrumental to the business development approach that is right for you.
Thru the crucial lens of financial performance, I guide clients during the transition process related to growth, firm restructuring, succession planning / ownership transition and strategic expansion.
To complement a well-rounded approach and strategy, I make introductions to key players.
The “Principals’ MasterClass” [see events page] shows how A+D leaders can get on and stay on a trajectory to success. It starts with a winning mindset: Knowing your self is key to effective leadership - an A+D firm is often a reflection of its founders and leaders.
The "Big 4" approach involves deep-diving into the interrelated questions of WHY / HOW / WHAT / WHO.
WHY Through a personality test, your leader profile emerges—what motivates and drives you; and most tellingly, what sets you back.
HOW Your leader profile taken in tandem with the leadership team’s personal values results in your vision for your firm—its mission and its culture—and informs the business plan for forging ahead.
WHAT The business plan includes strategic planning goals like overall growth, market sector expansion, leadership transition, improving financial performance and establishing efficient operational processes.
WHO Firm leaders need staff and consultants to develop, implement and assess their business plan. Putting together the team that gets the work done, and keeping that team motivated, through empowerment, advancement and recognition particularly for staff, are key to success.
Design & Practice Leadership
What does it mean to lead an A+D practice today? And what does it take to be a firm leader? Who is part of the team leading the firm? What are the leadership team roles? What processes and tools do we need? What are the strategies around leadership transitions?
I work with leadership teams to curate approaches to these questions and to acquire leadership skills. The skills an A+D practice leader needs to master span from knowing who they are with its limits and opportunities to building and leading BRAND / FINANCE / OPERATIONS / DESIGN teams to stewarding firm culture and to staying on top of best practices.
Often overlooked in the visioning process is succession planning, including for firm founders, an exit strategy. Long-range planning for A+D firm leadership transformations include adding new leaders early on to expand, and evolve, the firm’s viewpoints, ahead of a firm leader’s retirement. In doing so, these new leaders will have the runway to put their skin in the game in a way that makes them fulfilled.
Communication is key to any and all of our interactions. My extensive skills in communication and negotiation avails my client’s efforts in establishing enjoyable and healthy work environments.
On a practical level, clients benefit from my ability to introduce and connect them with others.
Finances
Finance, metrics and performance influence an A+D practice’s wellbeing and its success, as well as the firm culture and its bottom line.
My client’s knowledge of their firm’s financial performance is key to any of their decision making. Thru the crucial lens of financial performance, I guide clients during the transition process related to growth, leadership transition, firm restructuring, succession planning / ownership transition and strategic expansion.
As an inside expert with extensive industry exposure, I provide essential guidance for best practices in financial and project performance, defining processes and setting performance benchmarks to establish a sound financial monitoring system.
I work with my clients to achieve and maintain fiscal health for their businesses—from basic best practices to advanced systems that can help measure, predict and manage their firm's performance. This includes top metrics an A+D leader needs to measure like key performance indicators [KPIs] including overhead and break-even rates, staff utilization rates, profitability, competitive hourly rates, backlog and fee forecasting among others.
On a practical level, clients benefit from my ability to introduce and connect them with others and lead initiatives in areas of financial performance; project management and performance.
Operations & Practice Management
What and who makes a successful A+D practice? Who does the work and how? What does collaboration really mean? Who oversees the teams and how? What does collaboration mean?
As an inside expert with extensive industry exposure, I provide essential guidance for best practices in staffing and hiring, human resources, accounting, IT and negotiations and communications of all kinds. I will build the right team – defining processes and setting performance benchmarks.
I work with my clients on design culture that energizes the business of design from best practices and tools for work and task planning, accurate job descriptions and hiring, leadership styles and team building, including training and mentorship to the way job responsibilities and deadlines are communicated, and how projects are executed in a hybrid work environment.
On a practical level, clients benefit from my ability to introduce and connect them with others and lead initiatives in areas of employee recruiting and retention; training and professional development.
Leadership Coaching
I understand the unique demands faced by leaders, and aspiring leaders, having experienced these myself.
Through a comprehensive approach that addresses all domains of life, I help clients find transformative paths by building their ability to generate success and to navigate challenges and conflicts, so they can create impactful change in their lives and for the companies they lead.
Paths to success, whether personal or professional, are specific to each individual; although very often the common starting points are getting into the mindset for it, creating a solid plan and having a strong commitment to implementing the plan with focus, and flexibility.
Staying fit is an ongoing goal, and a long-haul effort that focuses on all aspects—physical, mental, emotional, and creative - to the extent that I integrate mental and financial fitness in my work with clients.
The Path to Success begins with a winning mindset.
“My firm developed a holistic BD and practice management strategy which benefited from Elisabeth's expertise, curation and AEC industry connections”
– Dong Kim, Dialog [previously Byrens Kim Design Works]
