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Tom Horwitz, senior vp and partner with FRCH Design Worldwide, kicks off his monthly blog series with tips for managing and mentoring your firm’s up and comers..
By Tom Horwitz
Like many in my peer group of design firm principals, by the halfway point (of a 30-plus year career), I was a manager of a large group of people and an emerging leader within the firm. If your career path was anything like mine, you got to that point by working like a dog, learning from your mistakes (by not repeating them) and by figuring out how both your co-workers and your clients think, act, and respond in a wide range of situations. Mentors may have helped you along the way, but you probably had to drive yourself to figure out how to get where you wanted to go.
And since studio and department heads are generally not born but made, you probably did a lot of things right. Whether you had great instincts, were a fast learner, made your own luck through hard work, had great role models or all of the above – you eventually worked out effective strategies. That’s not to say it was easy or painless or quick. It probably wasn’t either of those things.
Nobody gave you a step-by-step roadmap for the evolution of your career, anymore than anyone gave you a handbook for rearing children. So, was there an easier way to get to the senior management level? What would you share with the young managers and leaders who are just starting? Could they benefit from what you’ve learned along the way?
I’ve also asked myself why that next generation of leaders, especially the “star performers’ you spotted within their first five years, frequently stumble through some of the simplest situations. Why didn’t they perform as expected in that big presentation? At that important meeting? Or, afterwards at that fancy client dinner? It took me a couple of years to find the answer. I realized I hadn’t told them what I expected of them. I assumed they knew.
With that in mind, I think it’s time to share more. It’s time to share what’s not always obvious or intuitive. It’s time to re-state the obvious, review the basics, fold in the insights and discuss the nuances and grey areas – before they ask and before they stumble.
So much of what is written in the design industry focuses on the stars, the ones who are already there, and what they’re doing now. We’re overdue for a dialog with recent graduates and especially the younger professionals who are clearly committed to a career in this industry.
To that end, this series will focus on raising those topics, and hearing what they have to say about it as well. Check in each month for more on topics such as:
*Good habits: A list of good habits that work in the design services environment, and will help you succeed as a designer, design manager or design leader.
*Leadership and management: A review of the six qualities of a seasoned leader and the suggested skills needed by anyone who manages, leads and inspires others in the architectural design business.
*Your career path: A review of commonly asked questions (like how to get ahead), basic guidelines, suggested good habits and advice regarding “how it works here”, knowing that many firms how very similar dynamics.
*All things client-related: For younger professionals, we’ll discuss all aspects of client interactions. We’ll review client acquisition, relationship building and foundation accounts. We’ll also review the less formal aspects of client meals, entertainment, meeting, travel and other encounters – what is expected from you, and what you can expect from others.
*Presentations 101: Going to a big presentation? We’ll discuss: pre-meeting rituals, what happens during the presentation, other tips and final thoughts.
Tom Horwitz has been the Market Leader for FRCH Design Worldwide’s Hospitality Studio since its inception in 2000. A member of the firm since 1993, Tom serves as a principal and senior vp. With a background in hospitality, restaurants and retail, he oversees the studio's senior leadership team and provides the overall strategic direction for the group. www.frch.com
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