Thoughts on being a "Best Firm to Work For"

As I thought about how to best represent our firm and my Taylor Design colleagues, honored by the Zweig Group for the fourth consecutive year as the best architecture firm in the U.S. to work for, a quote from the book Ruthless Consistency came to mind: “What matters more than anything you do, is everything you do.”

These words, which I used to answer a question about what sets Taylor Design apart, illustrate the importance of articulating and understanding a consistent set of values, and ensuring that they are unconditionally lived throughout the organization. They helped to explain that being a great firm to work for is not one thing, but many things working together, in balance. And that it is all about being open, transparent, honest and genuine – true to our values and ourselves.

The occasion was the Zweig Group’s Elevate AEC Conference and Awards Gala, last week in Las Vegas. Our panel, which included distinguished leaders from other #1 Best Firms to Work For across a variety of sizes and disciplines, was tasked with answering “What makes a #1 Best Firm to Work For in AEC.”

Here are a few of the thoughts I shared in response to questions on these topics:

Recruiting and Retention

The Best Firm to Work For award validates what we are saying and doing every day, and it is a valuable way to substantiate our message. We have found that happy employees make great recruiters for our firm, and much of our recent growth is the result of employee referrals.

An effective strategic recruiting process can be a good retention tool as well. We involve many employees across a variety of areas of our firm to help us better identify prospective employees who share our defined values.

The recognition also helps with marketing, especially when it gives our clients a glimpse into our business and our people. One of our strategic anchors is having “aligned values,” so being honored as a great place to work helps to reinforce this.

Transparent Management and Communications

Taylor Design is 100% employee owned, so we want to share everything we can. We stress ownership and empowerment equally, so even though it’s not a requirement of our ESOP, teaching people how the business works, and showing them how they can make an impact, is a major part of our value equation. This process takes a while, so you can’t start early enough.

Communicating this can be a challenge because everyone has a unique perspective and interest in the details, and no communication style works for everyone. We keep it simple, open and honest, which reduces the stress and improves awareness.

Flexible Work Policies and Trust

We find that minimal policies, with clear expectations works best. At Taylor Design, autonomy means one size fits one. “Flexibility” can be interpreted many ways, so it is imperative for firm leaders to be absolutely clear about what they mean and what they expect from people – then trust people to do what is right for the firm. And, as always, we reserve the right to change our approach if needed. This is an ongoing experiment and we seek continuous improvement in everything we do.

Thank you to Chad Coldiron , Laura Nick , Matt Hoying and Jeff A. Romeo, PE for such a great discussion, and congratulations to all of the award winners!