Never Stop Learning!

There are many challenges associated with developing and managing a small firm: staffing, getting work, doing good work, getting paid. A major challenge, but a necessary goal while managing all the rest, is to keep learning.

One of my clients recently admitted he hadn’t remained current on his continuing education. Moreover, the education he had received was on design, code compliance and accessibility. As a firm owner, principal and partner, your continuing education must not only cover topics that drive your professional career (i.e., design), it must also address the ever evolving and challenging aspects of practice management.

Practice management, today, is far more complex. As a service-based industry, we sell intellectual capital: ideas and solutions for real world problems. That said, the “personnel” issues of the 1980s have become the human resources, benefits, compensation, state regulation, federal regulation, performance, and other requirements of the 2010s. The former “computer” department has morphed into complex data and information management, as well as hardware, software, intellectual property rights and phone, electronic and internet communications. These are just two examples! The increasing complexity of management systems and the speed at which they operate affect all aspects of practice management, including business development, finance, and operations.

Let’s face it, very few of us enjoy practice management. But it is the business of architecture and engineering that allows us to continue to practice every day. Well-managed firms achieve their business objectives, attract and retain employees and provide opportunities for the continued exchange of ideas. The AIA Practice Management Knowledge Community is one of many sources that provide free or low cost continuing education on these topics. If you have resources to recommend, post your comments and thoughts!

Karen Compton, CPSM. Karen Compton is principal of A3K Consulting (Glendale, CA), a business development and strategic planning firm specializing in the architecture, engineering and construction industries. Ms. Compton is also the founder of Industry Speaks™, a web-based business-to-business portal that connects AEC firms with experienced consultants, provides peer reviews of consultants, reports on key industry trends, and publishes expert reviews of professional courses and books. Contact her at kcompton@a3kconsulting.com.