Newsletter: July 2005
The day begins like any other. You focus on a project, ensure that schedules are met; you have the contractors all on site and you have a team of engineers working on the design. Things should be running smoothly so that you are able to move on to other work, but your office door is a revolving one. One employee after another comes to you asking for advice on the work and questioning how to do things. At the end of the day, you look around at the walls of your office and realize that you will be here yet another evening to catch up. Why is that? You have a team, and they should be doing their jobs. Why do they continuously interrupt your work? If this sounds familiar, then perhaps it's time to look at a new approach to managing your staff. When it comes to supervising people, there will always be challenges. Recognizing that you must take time to coach and mentor your staff, rather than just managing them, will help minimize the challenges you face. The approach to management has changed over the last few decades. According to Harriet Hankin, author of The New Workforce, this change has been caused by a shift in demographics. Today, three generations work together and, soon, four generations will interact in the workplace. With each generation having different work ethics and attitudes towards work and family, management of people is definitely challenging. Understanding these changes and how each generation approaches work differently is valuable knowledge to have for effective leaders today and for the future. Taking the time to learn about your people and gaining the knowledge and techniques of coaching and mentoring will be invaluable to you, your employees, and the organization as a whole. What is coaching and mentoring? Coaching focuses on using skills to achieve specific objectives within a given period. Mentoring enables an individual to follow in the path of an experienced colleague who can pass on knowledge and experience, as well as open doors to opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach. The traditional way of management is rapidly disappearing. Instead of controlling and commanding, managers are coaching and empowering. Rather than conforming to procedures, there is diversity and flexibility among employers and staff. Using influence is much more successful with employees than exerting formal power. Leading and making changes is more valuable and influential than resisting change. Communication is key to the success of today's leaders and is the keystone to the coaching and mentoring process. For the manager: Coaching and mentoring support shared leadership responsibilities. You receive satisfaction from watching employees grow and excel, opportunities increase for successful delegation of responsibilities, and your reputation as an effective leader is enhanced. For the employee: Coaching and mentoring help the employee grow and obtain a clearer picture of his or her career path. Skills are kept more current, and increased involvement in decision-making adds value to the organization. This ultimately contributes to the bigger picture, providing employees greater visibility and exposure to information and resources. For the organization: Coaching and mentoring enhance worker satisfaction and productivity, resulting in a higher retention rate. Developing employees increases the organization's external reputation, thereby making recruitment easier. Employees are motivated and committed to corporate values and vision, which is a challenge for any organization in any industry today. Finally, coaching and mentoring enable employees to respond favorably to change, an inevitability in business today.
Barbara Irwin is a principal with HR Advisors Group, LLC, a Human Resources Consulting firm focusing on strategic human resources solutions. She can be reached at bhirwin@hradvisorsgroup.com. On the Move Congratulations to Ronald L. Ewing, who was recently promoted to CEO from COO for Dewberry of Fairfax, VA. Dewberry is a 1,650-employee firm specializing in engineering, architecture, program management, geographic information, and environmental services. |
Hot Candidates
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Associate Engineer, P.E. Candidate is a Civil Engineer with over 10 years experience. Extensive experience with public and private land development, transportation, wastewater drainage and storm drain line design, grading, drainage, cost estimating, project analysis, preparation and analysis of topographic surveys, soil reports, drainage studies for construction schedules, and environmental impact studies. Experience with all aspects of project administration and documentation including permitting, key contact management, and site inspection. Candidate available in San Jose area, open to relocation to Sonoma County. For more information on this candidate, contact: John Rainone 508-393-4933 ext. 14 JRainone@SullivanKreiss.com Senior Project Engineer, P.E. Candidate is a civil engineer with over 11 years of experience in residential and commercial land development. Responsibilities include staff management, creating proposals and estimates, site grading, utility design, drainage, subdivision design, erosion control plans, and ALTA and topographic survey maps. Candidate is also responsible for attending public hearings and mentoring less-experienced engineers. Base salary of $65K per year. Candidate available in the Napa, California area, and is open to relocation in Oregon and Washington. For more information on these candidates, contact: Justin Roy 508-393-0358 jroy@sullivankreiss.com |
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Senior Project Manager, PG, LSP Candidate in MA/NH has 20 years of experience in the environmental consulting field including commercial, industrial, institutional, municipal, state and federal sectors. He provides project management for environmental investigations, remediation design and implementation, industrial clean-up programs, and nationwide multi-site assessment packages for corporate acquisition and regulatory compliance throughout New England. Candidate is responsible for technical and management oversight for test drilling, soil and bedrock subsurface exploration, soil, sediment, air and groundwater analysis. Candidate has a BS in Geology, and is a professional geologist and a Licensed Site Professional. Base salary is $90K. Project Manager Candidate in MA/NH has 11+ years of experience managing a broad range of environmental projects including work for private, federal, and municipal clients. Responsibilities include site investigations, site assessment, soil and groundwater sampling, and interpretation of analytical data. Candidate is also responsible for conducting hydro-geologic investigations, numerical groundwater modeling, contaminated soil and UST removals, and asbestos-containing materials surveys and inspections. Regulatory experience with Massachusetts Contingency Plan regulations. Supervision of field and project level staff, including engineers, planners, architects, and other scientists. Candidate has a BA in Geological Science and an MS in Earth Science. Base salary is $60k. For more information on these candidates, contact: For more information on these candidates, contact: Paul Sanz 508-393-4970 psanz@sullivankreiss.com |
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Registered Architect, Chief Operations Officer, Managing Principal This candidate is an experienced COO for a multi-office, full-service ENR 500 A/E firm with a staff of 130 professionals providing comprehensive architectural, engineering, interior design, construction support and building-oriented special services to education, college and university, healthcare, corporate/industrial, and government clients. Responsible for strategic operational planning and management of firm, including quality and contract management, overall revenue/project scheduling management, development of firm-wide policies, practices and procedures focused on staff productivity and company profitability, staff recruitment and development, and client management. This candidate is capable of project/program management and is adept in strategic business planning and marketing/business development. Salary in the $150+K range. Real Estate Executive/Registered Architect, Strategic Facilities Planning This candidate delivers advisory services to users, owners, operators, investors, builders and developers of real estate to minimize operational costs and increase revenue. Candidate is adept at developing specialized advisory tools to resolve complex real estate challenges and providing objective counsel to manage real estate risk. Specific skill sets include financing, capital planning, budgeting, repositioning, acquisition and disposition, as well as developing innovative marketing/leasing strategies i.e. advertising materials and promotional events to maximize investment return and minimize project risk. Salary in the $140K range. For more information on these candidates, contact: Kim McLean 508-393-4934 kmclean@sullivankreiss.com |
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Project Manager/Associate A former principal, this candidate has 25 years of experience in architecture and interior design. The candidate holds degrees in both disciplines. Extensive experience on corporate projects throughout the US. Projects typically 2,500 to 4,000 sq. feet. Serves in a supervisory, client contact, business development, and design capacity. Has a strong interest in a strategic role. Currently earns $100K. Associate RLA, ASLA LA architect and associate with 10 years of experience. Responsibilities include project management, staff supervision, client contact, and marketing. Extensive experience with high-end residential, urban development, parks, civic, and hospitality projects throughout the US. Has international experience. The candidate currently earns $60K. For more information on these candidates, contact: Brian DeMartino 508-393-4971 bdemartino@sullivankreiss.com |
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