Here's the dealio about productivity and meeting tight deadlines on multiple projects.

🏗️Are you working on the right problem?🏗️

I ask myself this question more than once a day.

And often, the answer is a resounding NO!

🎯A 'NO' response allows you and your team to refocus and prioritize tasks more efficiently.

The result is fewer frustrating meetings and miscommunication.

Being attentive to your attention gets you back on track quickly.

Look, everyone is busy.

The real question is: Busy doing what???😎

If you want continuous business improvement, this is it.

Have you ever felt your voice didn't matter in a room full of experts? 

Younger architects and engineers often feel they must have all the answers in presentations and meetings. 

Not true. 😮

The need for perfection is exhausting and expensive when you lose bids to more confident competitors. 

• It's comforting to know that no one knows everything. 

• And that's more than OK; it's liberating. 

• Project managers, superintendents, and others can overcome limiting beliefs with new communication and mindset processes. 

An architect in this month's Top Tier Communicator Training said: 

"I keep falling into a trap, feeling I'm not good enough, and I didn't even know it. Now it's clear, and I have all the puzzle pieces to improve."

Admitting when you don't know something can be empowering. 

Your firm will earn respect and trust when staff says with humility and honesty:

"I don't know, and I'll find out within the hour." 

🎯The pieces and tools for building confident teams and incre...

You don't need more tech hacks to develop new A/E/C leaders.

We need to share wisdom in heartfelt and relatable ways.

🎯There are no shortcuts to wisdom, especially post-COVID.

Emerging leaders are craving meaningful "lessons learned" from senior execs.

They believe they have to be perfect and know everything.

Many feel like they're shouting into the abyss.😮

C-suite execs riding their own ego waves are drowning out the messages and cries for help. 🌊

Quit beating the drum about sustainable growth.

➡️Instead, commit to developing today's communication skills.

Have deeper conversations.

🎯When your entire org chart prioritizes communication, sustainable growth comes easily.

I'll show you the way. 📈 Drop me a note.

Let's do it.

So many people are oblivious to the negative self-talk loop playing in their heads every day. 

I was there most of my life. 

And I'm not there anymore. 

A/E/C coaching clients admit they beat themselves up with imposter syndrome.

😮Many feel unprepared for last-minute meetings.

😮Others are self-conscious about not having "all the answers."

😮Have you convinced yourself you lack the personality and confidence to step into leadership?

👀 Does this resonate with you? 

The best news is that negative self-talk is not a permanent condition!

👉Self-awareness and trusting yourself bring empowerment and new energy. 

In this 2-minute video clip from the archives (2010!!), I shed light on how to transform with positive self-talk.  

Ready to get out of your own way and head? 

Click above to see the clip. ⬆️⬆️⬆️

We are celebrating A/E/C pros who know how to use curiosity in communication and sales.

I met Sydney Unnerstall recently. She's an emerging leader and marketing coordinator at Vessel Architecture in St. Louis.

After my communications presentation at an SMPS regional conference, Sydney jumped at the chance to transform business conversations by being curious.

"I have started asking more relevant questions and hiding less since I attended Susan's program at the SMPS conference," she said.

"These go hand-in-hand with feeling more confident as I gain experience in meetings and with clients."

You get quality information when you ask quality questions (and listen deeply).

Sydney adds a couple of more quick gems in this 30-second video.

Take a look above.  

🧨🧨And reach out if your emerging leaders want to be more effective communicators. Our "Amplify for Emerging Leaders" online group coaching program is now available. Details are here!

You've seen the gazillion end-of-year lists. #ugh

From popular baby names to celebrity divorces, the media covers it all. 

Have you made your Top 10 List of Achievements in 2023?⏲️

I've been doing this for 20+ years, and I love it!

👉Give yourself permission to celebrate and honor your hard work. 👈

Maybe you helped win a huge bid. Are you working with a mentor or coach? Maybe you earned your PE credential or spoke at a presentation (without feeling totally stressed.) 

Too often, we downplay our efforts and results.

Maybe you're like me and forget what happened in March!😮

So, in late December, I compile my Top 10 list. 🍷

I do one for work and one for my personal life. 

My professional list includes:

 ♦️Delivering the opening keynote at a global A/E/C conference.

 ♦️Rebranding the company website.

 ♦️Helping countless A/E/C folks improve their communication with coaching and training.

Personal highlights include:

 😂Seeing our daughter get married.

 😂Finding our home at the...

From our file marked: Watch the Gap. 

C-suite executives in A/E/C know the value of intellectual property. 

A generation of top execs worry about passing the torch when they retire. 👈

It's overwhelming to think about gathering data on culture, history, finances, values, and projects. 

All are critical to succession planning. ✅

But few, if any, talk about the colossal gap.  

Set aside data and bid packages for a sec. (Don't twitch 😎)

What will the knowledge transfer look like without dizzying pie charts and spreadsheets? 📈📊 

AEC succession planning and business communication are markedly different post-COVID.

Our next generation of leaders expects emotional connections as well as data.  

🎯Intellectual property = storytelling.🎯 And wisdom. 

If succession planning is on your mind as 2023 winds down, be sure you know how to transfer your knowledge through stories:

• Have casual conversations
• Mentor heart-to heart
• Share experiences and vulnerabilities

After all, isn't busin...