Let's back up the bus on servant leadership in A/E/C.

Being of service and positively impacting communities is a noble pursuit.

The buzz around this phrase, though, weakens the intent.

Servant leadership isn't exclusive to your broader community.

It also applies to internal teams within A/E/C firms.

Are leaders genuinely addressing the real challenges and deeper problems your staff may not openly share?

Servant leadership starts at home.

It may include coaching or training for YOU to improve your communication skills and lead by example.

Internal servant leadership can be sharing your wisdom, screw-ups, and experiences with your team.

It may involve implementing programs that help staff prioritize and reduce burnout.

The productivity piece gets woven in; don't worry :)

Exceptional servant leadership can only happen

when firms have a solid internal foundation.

Once that's in place, go into the community and make a freakin' impact!

Have you ever gotten a round of applause after giving a 15-minute sales presentation to an A/E/C prospect?

It happened to my engineering client last month.

As she told me about it on our group coaching call, she was incredibly proud.

So was I.

She used my tactics to connect a personal experience directly to the prospect.

• Super clear.
• Super engaging
• Super logical.

She nailed the delivery, pacing, pauses, and body language.

This engineer shared a two-minute anecdote about her birthday.

It emotionally touched each person.

How do we know?

They clapped at the end of her presentation.

Her boss was in the meeting as well. He was stunned by her personality, confidence, and command of the room.

Yes, engineers can tell stories!

It's profound to skillfully share an ordinary moment and connect it to a bid.

Her boss says he sees significant growth in those enrolled in my Amplify group coaching.

Reach out if you want to transform your team's communication and clarity so you can...

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...

Processes and procedures. 

A/E/C firms have long been hot on operations. 

What happens, though, when senior leaders teach new hires inefficient methods?

The cost of doing business like this is mind-boggling.

Productivity, morale, lost bids, and the labor shortage, to name a few. 

Senior management must know how to train and onboard new hires in new ways. 

Are you showing people how you scramble to prepare for a short-listed meeting the day before?

Do you confide that you don't know who will be in the room?

Does your team know when to speak and what to share?

Are they sharp and paying close attention to each other and the decision-makers?

I spoke recently at my local SMPS chapter on this topic.

The business development leaders unanimously agree:

They need (and want) to learn new communication and selling strategies, such as:  

• Storytelling

• Reading the room

• Body language

• Vocal pacing so that your words *land* with...

Forget the kitchen sink. 

Prospects want essential and compelling data. 

And a story to make the (dry) data come alive.

You prepare with your Business Development team DAYS ahead of your shortlisted interview. Maybe even a week (gasp!) 

Scrambling to prepare hours before your meeting won't work well. 

There's too much on the line.  

And you never, ever "wing" any part of your A/E/C presentation. 

• You and your colleagues know who will speak and what they'll say. 

• You have a point person who can course-correct when prospects look bored or confused. #Readtheroom

• You value the preparation process so that you boldly show up and win trust and new projects. 

Strong communicators give themselves the space and grace necessary to succeed.

Soft skills can be hard to learn, especially if you're analytical and logical. These left-brain thinkers have careers in science, math, and the trades.

Many work in architecture, engineering, and construction.

A lack of communication and people skills translates into lost revenue and relationships.

This week, I was featured on Forbes.com. The article covers leadership and the three essential soft skills for business growth.

Storytelling is one of the communication tactics I talk about.

Read the Forbes.com post here for all three tips.

The highest-paid people in the room are exceptional storytellers.

 That’s because stories connect us emotionally as human beings. 

 And people who know how to capture the essence of a good story become marketing machines.

No weirdo sales pitches or presentations.

No chasing.

No worrying about the economy.

Or having that hard talk with your partner or kids that the holidays will be lame cause money is tight. 

When you skillfully use stories in business, there are no weirdo sales pitches. Instead, you have easy, friendly, and heartfelt conversations that convert. 

You’re gold.

You have sustainable business growth with new clients who are exciting to work with. 

Look, storytelling isn’t a fad that’s going out of style anytime soon.

There IS a place for it in business.

I remember being told for years that emotions don’t belong in the workplace.

That ship has sailed.

And that’s where stories come in. 

So how...

Speaker Rant Here:

You wanna become a paid speaker so you can share your stories and change lives.

That's wonderful.

There's a huge mistake that beginners make that I want you to avoid at all costs.

This is the 3rd time in a few weeks I've heard something like this.

A connection on LinkedIn posted this today and I cringed. You should never experience this!

Look, a keynote is VERY different than a breakout session.

In how you craft your...

Stories and the flow of your talk

Slides

Activities

Handouts

And your mindset!

A true professional speaker who gets paid to present time and time again asks the right questions from the moment they are hired so that they are absolutely in their power and can blow the doors off their presentation!!

My coaching clients know that walking into a surprise is not professional.

If you're wanting to get serious about becoming a paid speaker, let's hop on a free Story Power Session strategy call. Click this link to apply.

Entrepreneurs are rarely short on ideas. 

And then we tell ourselves: I have no idea where to start.  

Let's ban the phrase, I have no idea where to start. 

It’s a familiar and comfortable narrative that has you brainwashed into believing you're stuck.

I’m calling you out on this BS because your internal story is blocking your business growth. 

You insist you're clueless and instead focus on external messaging like ad copy, SEO, and email automation.

Here's the thing. 

Your internal messaging is more important than anything else.

Because marketing rarely works when your internal story keeps hammering that you have no idea what to do.

Our words create our worlds.

 And our communication is “an inside job” that no SEO guru can tweak. 

When you start with Step 1 and commit to cleaning up your internal story, you'll have: 

 Qualified leads and decision-makers joining your list and...