He Threw What?

No one should tolerate bad behavior in their firm. And no owner should feel so helpless as to put up with it.

I received a call from a client, telling me an employee had thrown a desk lamp on the floor in the design studio! “Why?” I asked, although I already knew the answer would get us nowhere. I was told they were mad at someone else because they didn’t catch all of the redlines on the drawings before the final drawing set was sent to the client.

The cavalier tone in which this information was conveyed suggested that this was but one of many times the employee had exhibited poor and yes, abusive, behavior. I asked the next question to get us on track: “And you put up with it ... Why?”

“He’s a really good designer, and I don’t want to go back into the studio and manage work again.” My client, a respected leader in the architecture industry, was being held hostage in their own firm by a temper tantrum bully. Taking a deep breath, I responded, “The last time I looked, it was your name on the door. You are responsible for drawings that you produce and the service that you deliver, but, you are also responsible for the development of staff, the cultivation of a culture and the provision of a work environment that inspires design to flourish! This isn’t the play yard!”

“What should we do?” they responded. In years past, this behavior had never been discussed or documented. The fear was too great that if they began to document performance, they’d actually have to act on it, which might even include termination and the president/CEO going back to working on the floor. In fact, all that came to pass after months of discussions with the employee, and that day that went down in infamy! As furniture was broken and expletives were uttered in the studio, my client never wavered. A better designer could be found, and the best day with this designer was still not equal to the worst day they had in running the studio themselves.

If your name is on the door or you are responsible, financial or otherwise, for the performance of your firm’s work, you also have a responsibility to yourself and others to define what is expected and what is unacceptable. You are not a hostage in your own business. You must define the culture, the behavior and the expectations of your staff and your firm.

After working through this experience, my client found a better designer who motivated and mentored staff, inspired great design and cost $15K/year less. Guess what? You can, too!

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.