Susan Young's
Amplify Blog
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How to Uplevel Servant Leadership in A/E/C
Let's back up the bus on servant leadership in A/E/C.
Being of service and positively impacting communities is a noble pursuit.
The buzz around this phrase, though, weakens the intent.
Servant leadership isn't exclusive to your broader community.
It also applies to internal teams within A/E/C firms.
Are leaders genuinely addressing the real challenges and deeper problems your staff may not openly share?
Servant leadership starts at home.
It may include coaching or training for YOU to improve your communication skills and lead by example.
Internal servant leadership can be sharing your wisdom, screw-ups, and experiences with your team.
It may involve implementing programs that help staff prioritize and reduce burnout.
The productivity piece gets woven in; don't worry :)
Exceptional servant leadership can only happen
when firms have a solid internal foundation.
Once that's in place, go into the community and make a freakin' impact!
Improving Productivity and Communication in Meetings
Understanding brain science gives you a competitive advantage in internal meetings and shortlisted interviews.
A/E/C pros are left-brain analytical thinkers who thrive on processes.
Incorporating right-brain emotional thinking can enhance engagement and simplify tasks.
In a new workshop I delivered for the Society for Marketing Professional Services, SMPS, we covered Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP).
Seasoned leaders discovered how this business and communications methodology can save time and valuable resources.
Also, implementing these strategies can help reduce frustration levels within internal teams.
Unnecessary and unorganized meetings are among the top complaints in our group coaching and training.
Here are five crucial takeaways for improving meetings and communication:
- Share the agenda in advance.
- Follow your allotted schedule and respect other people's time. A 30-minute meeting that spirals into 90 minutes can be infuriating.
- Invite...
Developing Employees Requires Engaging Them
Almost everyone in A/E/C is on a leadership and succession planning kick.
Employee acquisition and retention in our ongoing labor shortage poses unique challenges.
Interestingly, the challenges all circle back to communication.
YOUR communication.
We're often quick to pass the buck to our post-COVID world.
Or to Gen Z and their phone addictions.
Or to TikTok influencers and goofball memes.
Look, no one is to "blame" for the industry's struggles with interpersonal communication.
It's time to take ownership of our collective responsibility so we can all do better.
Like a drone, business and personal growth requires us to see the big picture.
This framework will get you started:
- Exploring: Thousands of years ago, curious cave dwellers went on daily quests to find food. The word "quest" is the root of questions.
Are you asking yourself the right questions to uncover the root of what your team really needs?
Are conversations and meetings nourishing and...
Ghosting People Isn't a Form of Communication
Communication Tip:
Ghosting professional people isn't cool.
Especially those you know.
Don't read into this.
I don't have an axe to grind or a person in mind.
But I have been ghosted occasionally.
Sure, we're all busy.
Still, you DO have a split second for a quick acknowledgment or emoji.
And it takes 12 seconds to type: "I'm in the midst of a big project and deadline. Thanks for reaching out."
Common sense and courtesy go a long way.
Re-Engineering Your Communication to Win Bid Packages
Processes and procedures.
A/E/C firms have long been hot on operations.
What happens, though, when senior leaders teach new hires inefficient methods?
The cost of doing business like this is mind-boggling.
Productivity, morale, lost bids, and the labor shortage, to name a few.
Senior management must know how to train and onboard new hires in new ways.
Are you showing people how you scramble to prepare for a short-listed meeting the day before?
Do you confide that you don't know who will be in the room?
Does your team know when to speak and what to share?
Are they sharp and paying close attention to each other and the decision-makers?
I spoke recently at my local SMPS chapter on this topic.
The business development leaders unanimously agree:
They need (and want) to learn new communication and selling strategies, such as:
- Storytelling
- Reading the room
- Body language
- Vocal pacing so that your words *land* with...
Tired of Low Productivity and Miscommunication? Do This.
Work with a sense of urgency.
High achievers do it all the time.
What about having a sense of urgency to improve communication skills?
Not technology tools. I'm talking about interpersonal relationships.
There's been a flurry of posts and infographics about communication in today's workplace.
The suggestions include:
- Don't complain
- Be assertive and empathetic
- Be a team player
These recommendations are covered in cobwebs and dust.
Hello, 2023.
Too many industries work with a sense of urgency around technology and equipment.
But problems arise when human communication is not a priority.
Most employees don't know the new brain science and psychology behind our communication.
Yes, there are legit concerns about people skills.
First, though, we must have high levels of self-awareness.
Internal communication and narratives have to shift. As you clear out limiting beliefs, interacting with others is much...
Why I Stopped Making New Year's Resolutions โand You Should, Too
Listen closely.
You can practically hear the clock ticking.
As New Year’s Eve approaches, the world is keenly aware of hours, minutes, and seconds.
Look, I love a party, but making resolutions irks me, and here's why.
Have you resolved to quit binge-watching Netflix and volunteer as a mentor in your community? Or finally launch your podcast? Or worse…join the gym? (gassssp!)
Let's get real.
You don’t need a split second on Dec. 31st when the ball drops in Times Square to get on track. You have the power right now to do better.
It's not a resolution; it's a decision.
You can simply DECIDE—like I have done for many years—to stop waiting for the countdown, champagne, and party hats. It's called stalling and giving away your power.
I used to put soooo much pressure on...
You Guys! I Just Got Promoted!
I am busting at the seams with excitement and pride.
I am now the CEO of my 21-year-old communications company.
On Monday, I woke up as the founder of Get in Front Communications.
By 11 AM, I stopped everything and decided to give myself a long-overdue promotion to CEO.
It took years of me doing the same freakin’ thing…over and over…and expecting different results. (I know…it’s called madness.)
And as the hamster wheel began spinning on Monday, I made a decision. I DECIDED that this is not how a successful CEO operates day-to-day.
I’m getting real here so hold onto your hats.
And please, no judgment. “We teach what we need to learn,” said Jane Fonda.
You see, I’ve spent the past few months searching for the “right” Virtual Assistant.
That's fine, but not at the same time as a...
The Most Important Second
“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.”—Spanish Proverb
Much has been written about time and procrastination.
We often don’t realize how precious time is until faced with a crisis, usually related to our health or mortality.
Clearly, 2020 has been a cruel teacher.
Still, long before the pandemic, most people spent obscene amounts of time watching mindless reality shows and complaining about something..anything.
We dwell on our past mistakes.
We worry about future problems that likely will never come to pass.
We read books on time management and productivity.
We fool ourselves.
And here we are on the brink of 2021 keenly aware of our precious time.
Social media is packed with posts and stories assessing the past 12 months.
Pundits are...
