AEC-ops Blog

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Article

The Poaching Problem

Somewhere along the line, the term “poaching” became interchangeable with “recruiting” in the business landscape. This mischaracterization of the recruiting process has always bothered me. Poaching, in its intended context, is “the illegal killing or capturing of wild animals.” The implications of using this term to describe recruiting are extremely problematic. First,

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EOS

Elevating Email Communication: The Power of Acknowledgment

In the fast-paced landscape of professional communication dominated by emails, there’s a simple yet often underestimated practice that has the potential to transform your interactions: acknowledging receipt. In this blog post, we’ll explore the impact of this small but significant step towards First Class Communication. The Silence Dilemma Think about

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Knowledge

Tackling the Top Challenges for Small AEC Firms with BOSS

During my recent attendance at the CEO roundtable for small firms at the ACEC National Conference in Austin, Texas, CEOs shared their top challenges:  Firm Growth Ownership Transition and Succession Planning Workforce Shortage While topics like AI, DEI, and workforce shortages dominate the industry narrative, these rankings are quite fitting

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AEC

Improving Business Operations and Leadership by Design

I had a great conversation with Peter Atherton of Actions Prove in Episode 102 of The AEC Leadership Today podcast. We covered a lot of ground, from implementing Quality systems like TQM and ISO 9001 to Strategic Planning and everything in between. Perhaps the centerpiece of the conversation regarded business

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AEC

Three Tips for Timely Meetings

Struggling to get meetings to start on time? Are your teams frantically running from one meeting to the next, even virtually? You are not alone! When I became CEO of full-service design and construction management firm, our meeting culture was such that people would start showing up at the top

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Knowledge

Perfectionism & Leadership

Perfectionism can be seen as both a positive and a negative quality, depending on the context and its impact on an individual’s life. On the positive side, perfectionism can drive individuals to strive for excellence and high standards in their work, relationships, or personal endeavors. It can lead to meticulous

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Knowledge

Why your AEC Firm needs a PMO

WHY YOUR AEC FIRM NEEDS A PMO PMO stands for Project Management Office. A PMO is a centralized department within an organization that is responsible for the standardized management of projects and project portfolios. The role of a PMO can vary greatly depending on the organization, but generally it provides

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Five Things to Know Before Becoming CEO

  “Congratulations! You’re out of the club.” Are you in line to be the next CEO of your AEC firm? Here are five things you should know before accepting the responsibility. #1 Congratulations! You are out of the club.  Those were the words of my long-time friend and colleague the day it was announced

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Can EOS work for AEC?

You probably already know what AEC stands for, but you might be wondering what that has to do with EOS. What does EOS even mean? EOS stands for “Entrepreneurial Operating System” and is defined in the book “Traction: Get a grip on your Business” by Gino Wickman. In a nutshell, EOS

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