Context & Clarity for Small Firm Architects

When it comes to working in the profession of architecture, what can leaders do to adjust to the changing times in our profession and the changing face and needs of our workforce? What's the responsibility of the employee, especially emerging professionals? The different facets of JEDI in play when it comes to working in architecture certainly include race, gender, and orientation, but also genera...

When it comes to JEDI and hiring, I think the natural reaction is to think about race, maybe gender, or orientation, but I also want us to consider generational gaps and I don’t say that to diminish any of the other factors I mentioned. We certainly need to keep all of these in mind and I want to make sure that we talk about generational bias because this is a divide that I see bubbling up over an...

Are you designing your career? That's the question we'll start with Thursday on Context & Clarity LIVE. Jeff Echols and Katharine White MacPhail will welcome creative agent of change, design thinker, facilitator, and founder of Build Yourself, Mia Scharphie to Context & Clarity. Join the conversation this week as we explore the idea of designing your career. Have you ever thought about des...

As a middle-aged white guy, I’m as uncomfortable with these topics and conversations as anyone else, and that’s the point. We’ll never grow, we’ll never learn, we’ll never get better or progress if we don’t get uncomfortable and if we aren’t open to other’s ideas and experiences, so this week we’re going to explore Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion from several points of view. What does JEDI really...

A couple of weeks ago, we tested out a new feature for Context & Clarity and it was so well received that we’ve decided to work it in as a regular event every couple of Fridays. I said back then that I feel like I’ve gotten to know a number of people over the past 15 months that I’d call friends and that I could count on, even though for some of you, I’ve never seen your face, and for most of...

Have you ever thought about designing your career? You probably spend a lot of time designing other people's futures... at least how they're built. If you haven't and if you don't have a plan, like we talked about yesterday, the question becomes, are you holding yourself back from the career or the life that you want?  Mentioned in this episode: EntreArchitect To Build is Human

Over the course of the past few weeks, we've talked about where you came from and where you want to go, but we haven't talked about how you're going to get there, so let’s talk about going from your origin story to where you want to be and your plan to get there. Have you ever thought about designing a strategy to achieve the career goals that you have? You’ve probably done something similar for a...

I wonder if there are things that you can do, ways that you can apply you knowledge and skill in the realm of your client’s business, even if you wouldn’t necessarily consider it “architecture,” that can expand or pivot your services to make your client’s business better? That's a pretty practical approach. I think there are ways to help your clients that don’t involve drawing lines on paper that...

What's the first rule of the Building Science Fight Club? That's the question we'll start with today on Context & Clarity LIVE. Many of you have requested and applauded the fact that we'll have her on and today,  Katharine White MacPhail  and I will welcome Building Scientist, educator, and host of the Building Science Fight Club, Christine Williamson to Context & Clarity. Join t...

Were you a non-traditional student in college? Did you start out on a different path? Did you follow an alternative path after college and go in a different direction? There are plenty of examples out there. Even a decent percentage of your graduating class is probably doing something other than working in a traditional architecture role right now. Another version of this that we shouldn't overloo...

What’s your niche? Do you have one or do you call yourself a generalist? I’m really interested in finding out if you have a niched specialty. If you’re a residential architect, do you specialize in a certain style or a certain location or geography? If you work on hospitality projects, do you specialize in certain types of restaurants? I know in the medical world, there are lots of specialties, ev...

Like all sciences, we're continually learning about building science. It is, by definition very technical, and with the cost of building materials skyrocketing, the need to understand and evolve the science rapidly is more important than ever. That all sounds pretty overwhelming to me, so how do we keep up? How do we make understanding building science fun? Mentioned in this episode: EntreArchitec...

The cost of some building materials has risen more than 170% over the past year. Changes like that obviously impact construction costs. Some firms are seeing projects put on hold to 'wait it out,' while others have clients canceling projects because suddenly they can only afford a portion of what they'd hoped for. This is our current reality, so how will this explosion of costs effect your practic...

I don't really think 'would you respond' is the right question. When it comes to competing for work, you need to have a strategy and system in place that allows you to be efficient with your time, effort, and resources. Believe it or not, there's a fundamental list of questions in a Go/No-Go process that's a reliable predictor of your success rate when you compete for projects. Mentioned in this e...

Tell me about yourself... That's the question we'll start with Today on Context & Clarity LIVE. Jeff Echols and Katharine White MacPhail will Michele Grace Hottel, Jay Caroli, and James Polk, three members of the Context & Clarity community. This week we get a rare opportunity to 'meet' three members of what has truly become the Context & Clarity community. If all goes well, these comm...

For an architect, licensure is the heart of the profession, different licensing requirements from state to state or country to country can be confusing, expensive, and time consuming. What if there was a national license in the United States? Or an international license that allowed you to practice without borders? How would it benefit your practice? Mentioned in this episode: EntreArchitect To Bu...

We're back to our mini-series on the digital and social media platforms that architects could use and this week we'll take a little different angle. Podcasting may not fit neatly into the digital or social media box. It is definitely digital, but it really falls into a content category more than a digital or social platform, but I wanted to talk about podcasts, because almost all of our Context &a...

I've got Jury Duty this week, so that's a good excuse for us to accelerate our planning for what we hope will become a regular Context & Clarity feature. We’ve invited a few members from our live audience to join us on-screen and introduce themselves. It’s a rare opportunity because most of the time, the audience just sees me or me and Katharine if it’s Thursday, and we’re getting to know each...

Do you choose your work or does your work choose you? I think that's an interesting question because it could take the conversation in a couple of different directions. Should we talk about the pragmatic? Are you attracting the work you want or are you settling for what comes in the door? OR... Should we talk about the philosophical? What role does fate, serendipity, whatever you want to call it,...

What story do architects need to tell in order to reinforce their value in the business of the built environment? That's the question we'll start with today on Context & Clarity LIVE. Katharine White MacPhail and I will welcome re-purposed architect, author, and podcaster, Patrick MacLeamy to Context & Clarity. Join the conversation as we tap into Patrick's 50 years of experience lear...

Where are you going? Maybe the question I should have asked is, "Are you going in the same direction today that you thought you would have when you got out of school?" You may have heard me say that I've ended up where I am today at no fault of my own. I'm not at all where I thought I'd be, but I think I'll keep going in this direction. What about you? Mentioned in this episode: EntreArchitect To...

Let's talk about the latest social craze... Clubhouse. There’s less than a 50/50 chance that you’re on the Clubhouse App because at the time of this recording Clubhouse is still only available to iPhone users. What is Clubhouse? The developers, call Clubhouse “drop-in audio” and it’s definitely an audio-based social media app. Imagine walking through a popular club and being able to step into room...

What do architects need to do in order to re-establish themselves as leaders in the business of the built environment? The first step may be to lead with a dream and a purpose and inspire clients to imagine the value of the built environment. Whatever the answer is, it doesn't include the same thing we've been doing for the past 40 or 50 years. Mentioned in this episode: EntreArchitect To Build is...

Sometimes we get jealous of the success we see around us. Have you ever asked something like, 'why does that person get paid that much when we have to know more and take on much more responsibility than they do?' I think the healthier choice is to say, I see what’s going on over there. I want to know how they’re doing that or how they’re getting that and figure out how to use it in my business. A...

Let's talk about membership in professional organizations and associations. We could frame the conversation in terms of the value of your membership, but I'd rather flip it around and ask what value is the profession getting from your membership in the association? There are two good reasons to flip it around like that. First, is that if we look at it in terms of what am I getting out of my member...