This Is DesignIntelligence

The effective leader, the one who positively impacts other’s lives, will usually articulate their core beliefs through a positive lens rather than a negative one.  It’s an insight about what the leader is for rather than what they’re against.

Hubris is a term not often used in modern language. It means "the pride that comes before a fall".

Ken Sanders has led a long and distinguished career, holding leadership positions at several iconic firms, including ZGF and Gensler. Since retiring in 2018, Ken continues to support the industry by serving on various boards, by teaching at DesignIntelligence Learning, and most recently, authoring the book “Voices of Design Leadership”. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, he shares what...

Effective leaders stride into any given situation with their awareness antennae tuned in to read the room, observe the manner of each, and will adjust to communicate with and positively impact each for the common good.

Darryl Condon has been with hcma architecture out of Vancouver for over 20 years and currently serves as its Managing Principal. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, he talks about what drew him to architecture, the core motivator and purpose at hcma, and how to best to respond to the changing value proposition of the profession.

The responsibility of effective communication is a central attribute of leaders who care about their organizations, teams, and employees. It’s not always convenient . . . actually, it’s rarely convenient, but it’s essential.

Dilip Choudhuri is President and CEO of Walter P Moore, focusing on the strategic leadership of the firm, alignment of leaders across the firm, and mentoring key direct reports. His visionary leadership has transformed the firm into a digital-first, technology-enabled firm. On this edition of This is DesignIntelligence, he talks about the changes he’s seen in engineering sciences in the post pande...

Inch deep leadership is pervasive.  It may be a mile wide in every direction, but that’s not what makes for sustainably effective leadership. 

Kai-Uwe Bergmann is a partner at BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), heading the business development office which is active in over 40 countries. He also oversees BIG’s urban development projects and supports BIG Landscape. On this edition of This is DesignIntelligence, he talks about what inspired him to become an architect, why he believes every project he designs needs to provide something to the commu...

Do you love what you do?  Granted, not every day is a celebration in our work.  Sometimes the day is arduous, full of tripping hazards, and crazy conflicts that seem to spring-up from nowhere.

James Middling is the Global Built Environment Sector Leader for Mott MacDonald, with responsibility for Mott MacDonald’s global Built Environment sector strategy and the growth of services in target markets. This includes responsibility for global building practices that, when combined, contain over 2,900 professional staff. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, he talks about the price...

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Effective leaders possess a diverse toolbox of skills and abilities to support their leadership. You can't purchase these tools - you have to adopt them and make them a part of yourself.  They become natural extensions of the leader who masters their use in every situation requiring them.

Julia Gamolina is an Associate Principal and Business Development Director at Ennead Architects, a visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute, and Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Madame Architect, a digital magazine and media start-up that celebrates extraordinary women in architecture and advocates for greater equality in the profession. On this edition of This is DesignIntelligence, she shar...

When leading, every word matters and every expression is meaningful.

Don Davies is Co-founder of Davies-Crooks Associates, a mission driven consulting and adaptive re-use development practice focusing on lowering climate impacts on the planet. He is the past president of Magnusson Klemencic Associates and has worked on projects in 18 countries and more than 50 major metropolitan centers while being an industry champion for resilient and adaptive low carbon construc...

Why do you come to work? What keeps you showing up day after day?

Tyler Goss is an architect and innovator with a diverse career with companies like WeWork & Disney Imagineering and now as a VP and Global Digital Lead at AECOM. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, he shares his unique background and what he’s learned that informs his perspectives on the value proposition of design.

As leaders in the built environment industry, you set the course for inclusion and diversity.  You have to be confident enough in the humility of your leadership to defer to others, guiding the dialogue towards positively collective outcomes.

Marilyn Moedinger is the Founding Principal of Runcible Studios and has been an adjunct professor for over 10 years, teaching courses at Boston Architectural College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Northeastern University. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, she shares what she thinks is the biggest value that designers bring to projects, the importance of articulating the diffe...

At DesignIntelligence we hold that the most effective leadership leads together. That leadership across the firm, regardless of scope, makes up the leadership energy that drives a firm forward.

Adrian Parr, PhD is the dean of the College of Design at the University of Oregon and is an internationally recognized environmental, political, and cultural thinker and advocate, author, and filmmaker. The driving force behind her work is the question of how to overcome ecological and economic scarcity. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, she talks with Dave about the resilience and se...

We create the culture, the soil from which the firm draws its speaking, thinking, and behavior. So what culture do you desire to create at your firm?

Susanne Torriente is the Global Principal for City Resilience at Jacobs. She is an accomplished organizational strategist with 29 years of experience in local government and strategic planning with a keen focus on safety and sustainability. Manjeet Ranu is the National Planning Lead and a Senior Vice President at WSP USA. He has 25 years of experience in the public and private sector across multip...

Are you standing on the side of your leadership journey or are you staying in the middle?  Are you committed to being the leader your organization needs you to be?