The Business of Design

Category: Mentoring

  • When No Mentor Exists

    There will be times where no mentor exists for what you need. You will need to break your problems down into component pieces, and seek to assemble the answers and tools you need to come to a solution.

  • Freedom of Time

    Life requires balance, and much of balance can be viewed as how we value our time and how we spend it. How we choose to expend effort in our lives (i.e. work) has a spectrum between expended effort that is love with no cash, and effort that is cash with no love. The goal is…

  • The Power of “Tell Me More”

    Within establishing expectations, and communication in general, we need to have the tools to listen effectively. The most basic tool is simple: tell me more.

  • Coaching, Mentoring and Metaphor

    It is essential that we find the ways to achieve mutual understanding with those around us. There are short-cuts to a more full understanding, but every shortcut comes with accompanying risks. We minimize risks with doing our research, and with establishing a framework for dialogue and iterative refinement. In short, we need to learn how…

  • How to Educate the Perfect Design Student

    ArchDaily had posted another question: What do you wish you had learned in Design School? [And since I had first drafted this, they posted their article based on the comments they received: What Should Architecture Schools Teach Us? ArchDaily Readers Respond] Accredited design programs really are in a tough spot when it comes to preparing professionals. They…

  • Engineers Are Good With Numbers Until…

    Conversation #2 of my 100 Conversations had a structural engineer state that a focus of his ponderings related to “Engineers are good with numbers until you put a dollar sign in front of them.” This certainly doesn’t only apply to engineers. The reality is that most people who are closer to the beginning of their careers are focusing…

  • Know What Not To Do: Part 3

    We can’t know everything. When we actively manage our ‘knowledge deficits’, we invite others in to help us and spur our own initiative.

  • Know What NOT to Do: Part 2

    In our management of unknowns and our ‘knowledge gap’, we need to understand what is within our control and what is not. That allows us to invite help.

  • Know What NOT to Do: Part 1

    Within our work, unknowns often result in uncertainty to scope, schedule or budget. Unless controlled properly, they will result in a reduction to project profitability.

  • Managed Expectations = Success

    Essential to project management is establishing clear expectations, recognizing that expectations will need to change, and having a system in place to actively manage them.