Articles

On this page are some of my favorite articles and white papers that I've found that are relevant to the A/E business. Check back here periodically as I will be updating this list. And don’t forget to search my blog for other insights.


Leadership




Leading Organizational Change
Cultural Change That Sticks
Accelerate!
Innovation’s Nine Critical Success Factors
7 Elements of a Compelling Leadership Vision for Change


Developing New Leaders
The #1 Reason Leadership Development Fails
Prepare Your Future Leaders Now
Do Extroverts Really Make Better Leaders?
Potential for What? Selecting New Leaders
Making the Leap from Project Manager to Principal


Strategy

Strategic Perspectives
What Is Strategy?
Responding to Fee Pressure
Take a Leap in Market Standing
Don’t Worry About the Competition: Let Them Worry About You


Leading the Planning Process
Beware the Limits of SWOT Analysis
The Five Failures of Strategic Planning (and How to Avoid Them!)
5 Essential Steps to Successful Strategy Implementation


A/E/C Industry Trends
Where to Invest Your Firm's Assets Today and Tomorrow
31 Trends Impacting the AEC Industry You Should Be Following
A Majority of Architectural Firms Are Considering Mergers & Acquisitions
It Takes a Lot of Patience to Grow by Acquisition
Looking to Go Global? Here's How


Business Development

Branding and Positioning
Seven Indicators of a Positioning Problem
How Buyers Evaluate Professional Services
5 Examples of Well-Positioned A/E Firms
How to Position Your A/E Firm for Success
Profits Under Siege
Distinction or Extinction


Marketing
Back to Basics: What Is Marketing?
Inbound Marketing for Professional Services Firms
7 Facts You Should Know About Lead Generation
Professional Services Lead Generation: 7 Steps to Success
AEC Social Media: Myth vs. Reality
The Growing Marketing Divide in the A/E Industry
7 Referral Marketing Ideas for Professional Service Firms


Sales and Account Management
6 Business Development Tips for Professional Services
Three Painful Truths for Business Developers
12 Common BD Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make
8 Tips for Selling with Social Media
What Is Key Account Management?


The Sales Organization
The Age-Old Question: Who Should Be Involved in BD?
How to Measure the Effectiveness of Full-Time Salespeople
Full-Time Salespeople: Caveat Emptor!


Proposals
Improve Your Hit Rate with a Better Go/No Go Process
11 Ways to Tell Your Story in a Proposal
The Secret to Solving 14 Proposal Problems
Proposal Editing Checklist: 7 Steps to More Persuasive Document


Presentations and Shortlist Interviews
How to Present to Senior Executives
Do Your Slides Pass the Glance Test?
The Key to Killer Shortlist Presentations


Client Service

Understanding Clients
Better Client Insights Begin With Why
What Clients Value


Delivering Exceptional Service
7 Ways to Retain Your Best Clients
8 Reasons Why You Lose Clients (+ Part 2)
Do You Offer a Truly Unique Client Experience?


Building Business Relationships
10 Tactics You Can Use to Strengthen Client Relationships
The Top 10 Ways to Screw Up a Client Relationship
Building Business Relationships: It's Not Stalking If You Do It Right
Is the Trusted Advisor Still Trusted?
How to Build Peer Relationships with Your Clients
How to Build Better Business Relationships


Project Delivery

Project Management
Zweig: Practical PM Improvement
6 Project Management Practices of the Most Successful A/E Firms
10 Necessary Skills to Resolve Project Conflict
6 Tips for Managing Stealth [Project] Change
Money Management Rules for Every PM
6 Common PM Practices of the Most Successful AEC Firms


Improving Project Quality
Why Quality Programs Fail—And What to Do About It
The Recession's Impact on A/E Claims
That Elusive QA/QC Plan


Contract Negotiations
Ten Culture Traps That Steal Your Profits
Understanding Value Pricing for A/E Firms

Prepare Your Contracts for Dysfunctional Projects

Human Resources

Work Environment and Employee Retention
Creating Organizational Wellness
5 Characteristics of an 'Employer of Choice'
7 Ways to Increase Employee Satisfaction Without a Raise
Time to Scrap Performance Appraisals?
The Dos and Don'ts of Conducting an Employee Survey


Recruiting and Hiring
What Job Candidates Really Want: Meaningful Work
Engineering Compensation Trends You Need to Know
How to Interview and Assess Candidates Effectively
Using Your A/E Firm Website to Attract Top Talent
4 Online Recruiting Tips for the AEC Industry


Professional Development
Why Soft Skills Training Is So Hard and 6 Practical Tips
Why (Most) Training Is Useless

Why Workplace Coaching and Why Now?

Personal Productivity