The Problem: Being Heard But Not Heeded

At a recent gathering of A|E accounting personnel, they were heard voicing the issues that often surprised management at year-end. More importantly, they weren’t taking action on the facts being delivered to them. For example, why didn’t they stop working with the client who is not profitable and doesn’t pay on time? Why don’t they realize that man cannot live on bread alone, architects can’t live just on K-12 schools or multi-family housing, and engineers can’t just chase municipal water projects?

My observation from my years as a consultant, hearing this complaint from many, many clients, and as a Controller in industry, listening to my staff complain, was that they had not built up their credibility within leadership enough. They had not presented solutions along with the facts, analysis, and trends.

The Hidden Challenge: Overlooking Your Secret Strengths

This credibility gap is often compounded by a deeper issue that operations professionals face. As Harry McCracken, global technology editor at Fast Company, explains in his article “Why you’re overlooking your secret career strengths (and how to start recognizing them):“ “When a talent comes naturally, without deliberate effort, we often don’t recognize it as a strength.”

He uses Katherine, a talented up-and-coming leader at a high-growth technology company, as his example. Still, it could be anyone in operations in the A&E industry who recognizes their value and strengths but considers themselves unheard.

“Like many leaders, Katherine was aware of the skills that were closely tied to her job description, but didn’t have the full picture of the value she was bringing to the organization.”

“When a talent comes naturally, without deliberate effort, we often don’t recognize it as a strength. Skills like critical thinking, problem solving, or strategic insight can feel so effortless that we don’t notice them in ourselves. Or sometimes, we assume others are equally adept at the same skills, and dismiss their value.”

This scenario is what I see happen time and time again. We are operations people; we just get it, but because we do, we often forget that the technical guys don’t have the same skill set. Our biggest challenge is to have an impact. We must have credibility and deliver the message in terms that resonate with them. They are not adept at the same skills. Why do MBA candidates spend so much time creating PowerPoint decks? They know they must tell a story and communicate their advice on the client’s terms.

The Foundation: Building Credibility

As John Maxwell says in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, you must first become self-aware. Harry McCracken further explains, “Uncovering the true essence of your unique contribution can be an illuminating process that strengthens your personal brand and boosts your leadership effectiveness.”

How do you build credibility in our world?

You know your stuff. If a junior architect complains that the time system isn’t correct, and they didn’t spend all that time on the project, can you literally trace the project report back to their timesheet? If someone asks how the project multiplier is calculated, can you quote the formula verbatim? If someone asks why client or project diversity is important—you know why and you’ve done the research—can you communicate it?

You study, and you obtain an industry- and position-specific credential. Suppose you missed the opportunity to obtain the education required for an MBA or the experience needed for a CPA or CMA. In that case, several credentials are valuable in our industry: CDFO, CDT, LEED AP, CPSM, SHRM-CP, and the new CDFO-FM. These are generally a combination of education, experience, and examination. They take time, but they’re worth it. You’re worth it.

You join, are active in, and take on a leadership role of an A|E industry organization—and let management know. SDA comes to mind—obviously—but also make sure you’re in consideration for your local Chamber of Commerce’s leadership training or ACEC’s Leadership series, to name two. ACEC offers associate memberships, too.

Make sure you don’t overlook your secret career strengths. Recognize and articulate the natural talents that you might take for granted but that add tremendous value to your organization.

Learn a new vocabulary. So rather than:

• “Here are the Ajera Reports.” → “Here is the financial data and analysis I’ve prepared so we can review project performance.”
• “Here’s the benefits package.” → “Here is the newly designed benefits structure I’ve put together for us to discuss.”
• “Here’s the salary plan.” → “Here is the research and incentive compensation plan I’ve structured for us to evaluate.”

Liz Harris, FSDA, at Kevin Harris Architects, explains it like this: “The work is identical—but now the expertise behind it is visible. And that matters because when administrators name their analysis rather than the paperwork, others start to see the role differently. And just as importantly, so do they.”

The Payoff: What Becomes Possible

Once you are aware of your intrinsic strengths, hone your skills, build your credibility, and recognize the value that operations information can deliver to the overall health of the firm, here’s what becomes possible:

You will have greater influence on the outcomes. “Owning and leveraging your key strengths can increase your confidence, clarity, and credibility, making you more magnetic and influential.” Your operational leadership will keep the firm on a steady financial course.

You will increase your influence to fuel innovation. “Unearthing strengths like vision, creativity, or strategy can give you permission and embolden you to step outside your lane, challenge the status quo, speak up with new ideas, and pursue opportunities you may have previously dismissed.” Having the financial and operational facts—and their impact—at your fingertips, along with your improved credibility and self-assurance, will put you and operations front and center in firm management.

Reference: “Why you’re overlooking your secret career strengths (and how to start recognizing them,” Harry McCracken, global technology editor, Fast Company.

SDA does not endorse any products or services mentioned, and SDA does not assume responsibility for any circumstances arising out of the interpretation, application, use, or misuse of any information presented. SDA recommends that the reader consult the appropriate legal, financial, or human resource counsel before implementing the information contained herein.

Operations personnel keep AEC firms moving, linking project managers, architects, engineers, field teams, and clients. Two development tools can dramatically amplify that impact: coaching and mentoring. They’re related, but not the same, and knowing when to use each helps your people (and projects) level up.

Guiding Principle:

• Choose coaching when someone must perform now.
• Choose mentoring when someone needs context, confidence, and a longer-term growth plan.
• Add sponsorship when someone needs visible opportunities and advocacy to advance.

Your Field Guide: Moments to Coach & Mentor

The “Lock It In” Principle: Learn It → Apply It → Now

Lock It In, as taught by Jonathan Wilson (PSMJ Resources), turns passive listening into active learning by having the learner apply the skill immediately after you teach it.

For example, after you explain the Accounts Payable (A/P) process, ask:

• “Can you explain it back to me?”
• “Can you show me the file naming convention we use?”
• “Can you tell me 2 details that must be on the invoice before paying?”
• “Will you come back to me with improvements in the process if you find any needed?”

Lock It In = Don’t just tell it. Don’t just show it. Let them do it.

Celebrate Mistakes (Learn, Don’t Shame)

• Own it in the moment: “That was my miss, thanks for catching it.”
• Debrief quickly: “What happened here?” “What can we try next time?”
• Strengthen systems: Would a checklist or workflow catch this earlier?

Coaching Opportunities by Time Frame

• 3 minutes – Quick learning bite: Share a tip/video; ask, “What’s one thing you’ll try next?”
• 5 minutes – Micro-training: Demo a step; “Now you do the next one.”
• 10 minutes – Focused 1:1: Tackle a challenge; end with clear next step + date.
• 30 minutes – Coffee chat / Lunch & Learn: Build relationship; “What insight will you apply next?”
• 60 minutes – Team workshop / Firm-wide learning session: Assign action items for next check-in.
• 1–3 hours – Deep dive learning: Apply immediately to a live operational system or project.
• 1–3 days – Retreat / Intensive: Close with written action plans, accountability partners, and scheduled follow-ups.

Coaching Best Practices

• After every moment, ask: “What did you take away?”
• Slow down; focus on one or two lessons at a time.
• Reinforce by repeating key ideas in future touchpoints.
• Follow up: “Did you try it? What came up?”

Coach with Empathy

Listen without interrupting, match their pace, and check in with “How are you feeling about this?” before “Any questions?” Psychological safety fuels real growth.

When to Coach vs. When to Mentor (Quick Scenarios)

• Coach a project coordinator to run tomorrow’s OAC meeting: rehearse the agenda, role-play stakeholder questions, and commit to one improvement.
• Mentor an operations person mapping a move from project support to marketing/BD: share how the firm wins work, offer feedback on a portfolio, and make two introductions.
• Sponsor a rising team member: put their name forward to lead a client touchpoint or an internal improvement sprint.

Make It Real in Your Firm

1. Publish a shared one-pager (use the table above) so PMs and PMAs align on terms and expectations.
2. Offer both pathways: short, skills-focused coaching for immediate performance and relationship-based mentoring for broader development.
3. Measure what matters:
   • Coaching: observable behavior change, meeting outcomes, accuracy/quality.
   • Mentoring: role readiness, internal mobility, retention, engagement.

1. Equip leaders to teach basic coaching skills (questioning, contracting, and feedback) and how to mentor without turning sessions into status updates.
2. Close the loop: schedule brief follow-ups to check what was applied and what’s next.

References/Resources

• Coaching vs Mentoring Cheat Sheet
• Harvard Business Review – A Guide to Mentors, Sponsors, and Coaches (clear distinctions + when to use each).
• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) – How to Use Coaching and Mentoring Programs to Develop New Leaders (program design & best practices).
• PSMJ Resources – AEC TalentMAX pre-conference AEC Executive Workshop (source of “Lock It In” as taught by Jonathan Wilson).
• PSMJ Resources – Jonathan Wilson bio (coach/instructor background).

SDA does not endorse any products or services mentioned, and SDA does not assume responsibility for any circumstances arising out of the interpretation, application, use, or misuse of any information presented. SDA recommends that the reader consult the appropriate legal, financial, or human resource counsel before implementing the information contained herein.