UlTImATE SUccESS GUIdEBefore he closed, I gathered my things and made my way ahead, the
goal being to walk to his next location. After a casual interception, I teed
up a very short and general statement that allowed him to speak towards
something that was of interest to him at that very moment.
He stopped, waved his hand across the open office and told me to ob-
serve every person working at their desk. We stood quietly for about 30
seconds and watched. The majority of the 50+ junior architects wore
headphones and appeared laser-focused at their desktop frantically
working designing components of the building. It was clear they were
focused on one thing and one thing only.
After the brief moment of silence, he casually said “I wish I could get
them to turn the corner.” Most would immediately follow up this state-
ment with a direct question; yet again I waited and listened. “They focus
on accomplishing one task yet often forget about what that task chang-
es,” he said. After a quick pause he continued, “They need to learn to
turn the corner and see what is on the other side.”
In layman’s terms he was describing the multi-faceted nature of archi-
tecture and the need to observe all the angles of any decision. For in-
stance, if a building roof structure is modified, it may change the load
design which will change the steel components, concrete design and all
connections. It also may change the esthetic components such as glass,
finish metal, finish concrete, etc.
This brief interaction forever changed my approach to making any deci-
sion. This experience taught me to take a three dimensional approach
to addressing nearly everything. Turn the corner – expose untapped op-
portunities by finding creative angles that ensure you are not leaving
opportunity on the table.
tIMe, vAlUe AnD MoneY...Time: Your greatest asset
Value: How is your time measured and how much is it worth?
Money: How much does your time produce over an hour, a day, a week
or a month?