AEC Groundbreaking Growth
Have you ever attended a conference and been so excited to apply new ideas and insights learned; only to lose sight of them once you’re back to reality? We have. So, we created a podcast that generates that same enthusiasm and inspiration, but on a consistent and convenient basis. We’ll be giving you things to think about and apply to your company that drive growth and profitability. Together we’ll be creating momentum for success. Please join us, even grab a cup of coffee, and get ready for some groundbreaking growth.
AEC Groundbreaking Growth
Ep. 11: Sneak Peek: The Power of a Holistic AEC Business View
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In the 21st century, AEC emerging leaders strive for success by embracing a holistic business view. In this episode, hosts Jen Knox and Emily Lawrence share real-life experiences and provide a preview of our next episode featuring SN’s Director of Business Development, Kevin Hebblethwaite. Learn how a comprehensive perspective, spanning business strategy, finance, HR, and more, can elevate your career in architecture, engineering, and construction, and discover the keys to excelling through cross-functional collaboration and trust in the dynamic world of AEC.
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Emily Lawrence: Welcome to the AEC Groundbreaking Growth Podcast.
Jen Knox: Hosted by Stambaugh Ness.
[Opening Credits]
Emily Lawrence: Hey, everyone. Welcome to Groundbreaking Growth. Jen and Emily here, and we wanted to catch everyone up; in case you missed it, for Groundbreaking Growth, we're doing a bit of a new format where Jen and I will be hopping on two weeks prior to our next episode to discuss the trends that she and I are seeing. That, in turn, will lead us to our next full episode, where we'll have our technical and amazing guest for a full episode, and this will set that episode up.
Jen Knox: Yeah, I'm excited about the change. Hopefully, you'll see a few more external guests on the podcast, which I think will be great, leveraging those stories internal to the industry, allowing companies to share their perspectives, leaders to share their stories, and how they've grown. Hopefully, that resonates with other emerging leaders in AEC.
Emily Lawrence: Absolutely. We recently had Aly Wade on; she is our Talent Acquisition Manager at Stambaugh Ness. We talked about talent acquisition strategy and what potential employees look for from future employers. One of those things that Jen and I have been seeing a lot with clients and hearing as a major point is that they're looking for learning and development, and career growth opportunities at their employers.
Jen Knox: Yeah, career growth is so crucial, especially when we're talking about transitioning from a technical leader and a technical expert into maybe your mid-career where you're looking to gain some perspective from a people management standpoint, business management, etc.
I'm excited for our next guest in our next episode. We'll have Kevin Hebblethwaite, the Director of Business Development at Stambaugh Ness. Kevin spent a ton of time in the AEC industry. Before that, he was in IT, so he has a technical background, but he's now leveraged his sales, marketing, and BD skills and brings an interesting perspective on how understanding every facet of the business is important as an emerging leader. It'll be a great conversation.
Emily Lawrence: Yes. And Kevin is just a fun guy to talk to as well. We're excited about his episode and discussing that holistic view as you start your career.
For me, building a holistic business view and actively seeking exposure to different areas of the business has been key in my development. Throughout my career and journey as a marketing professional, in AEC specifically, I tried to consciously engage with technical professionals throughout any firm or company I'm at to gain those perspectives and insights that I might not have otherwise had I just stayed head down in marketing.
Jen Knox: And it's one of those things that you don't know what you don't know until you get into it.
Going through engineering school, I was like, I don't need business. I don't need finance. I don't need those things. But then you're in practice, and no matter what you're doing in the world, if someone's paying you to do it, you're part of a business. Finance matters. As I go back as an
alumni and speak to the young engineers, I tell them that it is so beneficial if you can minor in business.
The second most important thing besides developing your emotional intelligence as an emerging leader is building that holistic business view. Getting exposure to business strategy, how work is sold, how it's executed, and all those other crucial support functions it takes to run a healthy AEC firm. HR, people management, finance, and business strategy are all key to your growth as an emerging leader, especially if you want to get into the business side and not just stay that technical.
Emily Lawrence: Right. As a young professional and just starting my career, this was the case for me and some of my peers with whom I've had conversations. When you're beginning, sometimes you don't have the confidence to raise your hand for a project outside of your designated area of the business, and you have to do it. Raise your hand and jump in because you offer a unique perspective, whether it's your background, schooling, or the business area from which you bring perspectives.
Jen Knox: That's it's so true. In AEC, we're uniquely positioned because so much of the industry is small to midsize companies. Yeah, we have big players, AECOMs, etc. But if you're in a small to midsize firm, people will be thankful for the help if you raise your hands. It's like bootstrapping the business and figuring it out as you go. There are a ton of opportunities to get involved beyond the technical side, and I encourage young folks to do that.
Emily Lawrence: Yeah. Any company committed to professional development for their young employees should give them the platform to raise their hands and engage with other projects outside their designated area.
Jen Knox: That engagement often means you're building trust cross-functionally. Emily, if you're my marketing counterpart, we must build that trust to deliver great proposals and products for the client. So, the more cross-functional collaboration you can get, the better trust you build and the better product you can put out for your client. It makes good business sense to encourage young employees to collaborate cross-functionally.
Emily Lawrence: Yeah, my professional development as a young employee and then as an emerging leader, as I am now, is only accelerated every time I do some cross-collaboration because I can draw on those experiences throughout my career as I move.
Jen Knox: Yeah. And Kevin has such cool insight to offer there because he has raised his hand to some unique and different challenges throughout his career. So that'll be a great conversation, and I'm looking forward to it.
Emily Lawrence: He embraces that holistic view, so we're excited to have Kevin on. Please join us two weeks from now when we have him on. We hope you enjoy it!
