Back
Effective leadership is crucial to advancing one’s career, something that no one knows that better than those who have experienced it firsthand – like Larson Design Group (LDG) President & CEO David Martin, PE. Dave shared some advice on the topic at a recent virtual meeting of Leadership Lycoming, a specialized training program operated by the Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce designed to develop and motivate effective leaders in their communities.
Know, Go, Show
Dave shared that he’s often looked at his career in three stages, each of which relate to beneficial actions to take in furthering one’s professional goals – a blueprint he referred to as “Know, Go, Show.”
To “Know” is important early in your career, Dave said, because it’s the time to do everything you can to learn as much as you can about your business and your path. “Really learn your craft, look for educational opportunities and ways to volunteer in your field or your community,” he said. “Soak up all the knowledge you can.”
By contrast, the “Go” stage is all about action, Dave said. “Take all that knowledge you’ve collected and do things with it,” he said. “This is the time to really grow in your career and start positioning yourself to accomplish the professional goals you’ve set for yourself.”
In this stage it’s important to find a coach or a mentor who can help you reach important milestones and continue to learn, Dave noted, “Because even the best still have room to grow. Even Tom Brady has a coach.”
Finally, the “Show” stage of one’s career is largely what it sounds like: to show others how to be successful. This is when you‘ve likely achieved significant successes in your own career, which is the best time to share that knowledge with others. “It’s a perfect time to act as a mentor for others, but also to think about vision, strategy, culture and more – things that will benefit your company or industry in the long-term,” Dave said.
The importance of authenticity (and making mistakes)
“Be yourself” might sound like a cliché, but Dave said there’s a lot of benefit in remembering that simple advice. “Just because you see someone with a different personality type having success in your field doesn’t mean you have to change who you are,” he said. “Two people can be going in the same direction but each have a different way of getting there, which is good – they can learn from each other.”
Dave also shared that while people – and companies – don’t want to be the cautionary tale, mistakes are always going to happen. However, “that’s okay, because it means you’re learning,” he said. “Bad examples have to exist for everyone to learn what not to do. That sounds harsh, but it’s beneficial in a lot of ways.”
Know what you don’t know
The COVID-19 pandemic affected every industry dramatically, including AEC, and Dave said that LDG leadership did everything they could to meet challenges head-on – but there was such an abundance of uncertainty that, at times, the best thing to do was to acknowledge “what we didn’t know, as well as what we did.”
“An important aspect of leadership is also not having the answers to everything, and we were up front with our employees about that,” he said. “We told people ‘I don’t know, but let’s find out together,’ which is how we approached a lot of 2020. We tried to act as a steady hand, which is crucial when you’re in a position of leadership.”
“Nothing is ever as good or as bad as it seems,” Dave added. “If your team is getting ahead of themselves on their newest project because they think it’s going to be the next Eiffel Tower, temper expectations. On the other hand, if your office building is on fire, be the one calmly leading people out to safety.”
Founded in 1986, Larson Design Group is a national, award‐winning, 100 percent employee-owned architecture, engineering and consulting firm with 12 offices in five states and a vision to elevate client relationships, enrich the careers and lives of its employee-owners, and enhance the communities in which it operates. For more information, visit www.larsondesigngroup.com.
The health and safety of our team members and clients is our top priority. Click here to read about LDG’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.