Contract - October 2014 - 34

PHOTO COURTESY RICHARD POLLACK

COLUMNIST

Nurturing Staff to Enrich a Healthy Firm

by Richard N. Pollack, FAIA, FIIDA

Sound financial and business development strategies and tactics are
necessary to help a firm run more efficiently, effectively, and profitably.
But the other critical factor driving the success of a firm is its people
and their needs. Helping your employees be the best that they can
be is critical.
Most designers and architects complete a rigorous educational
process and enter the workforce with the fervor of design in their
hearts and minds. So how is that energy and excitement maintained
in the workplace? In fact, the first roles and tasks given in a firm are
often not what a recent graduate anticipates, and all the zeal of
sketching fabulous design options is moderated by learning how
to detail and draft. That is one part of our growth as designers.
But beyond the need to understand how to produce construction
documents and work with contractors, it is important to keep
learning and growing as a professional. And today's design firm
has a responsibility to provide staff with tools to grow. Those
educational possibilities should be based on components that
will increase employees' professional capabilities and will also
be valuable to the organization.
Educational opportunities in the off ice include the typical
lunch-and-learn presentations often given by vendors, but firm
leaders should think outside the box. Consider inviting a millworking
firm to come in and show how design drawings are converted into
shop drawings. They could present samples of how millwork is
constructed-which may not mirror the design drawings-and
integrated into the rest of the construction.
In another example, a studio focused on hospitality might
organize field trips to local hotels and restaurants to tour the
back-of-house area, with the client pointing out the elements that
make the facility function well and how it can be improved. Often,
younger staff does not get to visit a project during construction,
or even when completed, and it is extremely beneficial to learn
how the detail they had created and drawn fits into the larger
construct and whether it was successful or not.
Principals should rightly be concerned about not losing too
many billable hours to staff education, but the bottom line is that
more educated and committed staff will bring significant returns
in effectiveness and eff iciency. One of my current clients took their
entire 18-person off ice from San Francisco to Los Angeles for the

34

day to visit the Getty Center. The trip was expensive, but offered
an amazing return on investment by energizing staff. An additional
payoff : The firm received calls from designers in other firms looking
for a job after they heard about the event.
Professional development opportunities are not restricted
to group activities during work hours. Encourage staff to join
professional associations such as IIDA, ASID, and AIA to take
advantage of their continuing education programs. The firm's
conditions for funding those memberships should obligate staff
to be active in the associations by serving on a committee and
potentially the board. The employee should then inform colleagues
about the organization through an internal lunch-and-learn or a
write-up, or both. The detailed criteria for reimbursement should
be codified in the staff manual. Another possible employee incentive
is the reimbursement-both in dollars and time-for taking and
passing licensing and certification exams for NCIDQ, ARE, and LEED.
Another major component of staff development is mentoring-
an activity that's often talked about but few organizations actually
implement in a formal process. My former design firm had created
a mentoring program that specifically identified an associate, senior
associate, or principal as a mentor for each staff person. The mentor
was outside of the employee's performance evaluation track, and was
not intended to be someone working daily with the mentee. The
mentoring program was not intended to add another input channel
regarding how to design or document projects. Instead, it focused on
allowing the staff person to more broadly realize their potential and
develop skills such as verbal and written communication.
The goal of these programs is to develop a nurturing and
learning culture, to create a more knowledgeable staff that is
committed to a long-term relationship with the organization,
and to help the firm grow.
Richard N. Pollack, FAIA, FIIDA, writes a regular column for
Contract on business practices in design and professional
development. Pollack is the CEO of San Francisco-based Pollack
Consulting, which supports firm growth and success through
improved business development, winning presentation techniques,
recruitment of top talent, business coaching, and ownership
transition implementation. His website is richardnpollack.com.

contractdesign.com

OCTOBER 2014
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Contract - October 2014

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