Design Leadership

As we move through 2026, firms are navigating a fast-paced onslaught of new projects starting, projects, once on hold, starting up, and the pressure to build teams quickly. At the same time, the pace of technological change has accelerated. The shift from AutoCAD to BIM platforms like Revit is now [...]

This video is a few years old, and while the circumstances were different then, the great resignation, the tips on motivating and keeping your team inspired and engaged are still true.

Most people know investing in talent is important. Employees are the backbone of every company. But not everyone knows how to tell if they are making the right investments in their team’s ability to advocate for the firm. This is especially true in the architecture field because the architecture field [...]

As an architecture firm, staying current with the latest trends, technologies, and design practices is essential. One way to do this is by integrating young designers into your team. Not only do they bring fresh ideas and perspectives, but they can also help attract younger clients who are looking for [...]

As I have grown through my career of recruiting talent in the Architecture and Interior Design industry, a truth that has resonated with me is the idea of a recruiting committee.  A recruiting committee is a group of trusted and experienced firm employees who understand where a firm has been, [...]

As a manager, it is your job to keep your team inspired and motivated. Low morale hinders both creativity and productivity. The best way to retain your team members is to make them feel appreciated, but this isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Here are some tips to keep [...]

Architecture is a deeply rewarding field, but it can also come with long hours and high stress. Deadlines are a top priority, and this can create significant pressure. Knowing this, many architectural firms are trying to reemphasize the “life” side of work-life balance. Employees right now expect a level of [...]

Here we are again!  The design world is looking into the future with uncertainty.  It can seem scary, but the truth is the world of architecture is constantly evolving—new technologies, shifting client expectations, economic uncertainty, and industry disruptions are part of the DNA of today’s architecture firm reality.  All demand [...]

How to Attract Top Talent to Your Firm?  Every architecture and interior design firm wants to attract star talent, but how do you attract them? What are they looking for? These stars need to see that your firm has what they want. Here are some tips for better understanding high-quality [...]

How to Attract top talent?  As firms start to rebuild or grow, the battle for talent is resuming. It is often a knee-jerk reaction to think that money is the key to finding the right talent. This is part of it.  But many factors will attract top talent to your firm.  [...]

Improve workplace cohesion.  It can seem like a daunting request.  From political opinions to differences in how to respond publicly to the pandemic, division seems to be growing in our nation. Yet, this isn’t the first time that our country has experienced significant differences. With such a wide range of [...]

Use these 4 trends to hire top design talent and your firm will add outstanding architects and interior designers to your team. With the industry evolving rapidly, architecture leaders must stay up-to-date on the latest trends in hiring and interviewing. In this article, we’ll explore four key trends shaping the [...]

Hiring the right people can be challenging during rapid company growth. The firm feels pressured to meet all sorts of other demands during this time. Breaking the hiring habits that have worked for decades can be difficult, but the truth is that hiring processes are doomed to fail when they [...]

I have been looking back over some of the content I created during the height of the pandemic.  I have been curious to better understand this time because, one, it feels like and long time ago, and two, I find it hard to have any exact memories of being locked [...]

Social media can be a powerful tool for architecture firms, yet many firms don’t take advantage of TikTok, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Social media can help you establish your identity, attract talent, gain new clients, and increase firm awareness. The Benefits of Social Media Social media is a fast and cost-effective [...]

The architecture and design industry, all industries for that matter, are in a new paradigm.   From full-time in the office to hybrid and full work-from-home, unlimited PTO, and hot desks, organizations are rethinking culture from the ground up. Part of the cultural redefinition is how to retain employees.  Firms are [...]

Sharing feedback with a candidate after the interview is critically important. This process does two things.  First, gathering feedback on the candidate from your interview team helps you decide if the candidate is the right fit for the position. Second, it allows the candidate to better understand how their skills [...]

Job Offers that get accepted are easy to create and are not all about base salary!  As we enter 2024 DBI is already seeing new jobs opening and firms of all sizes in need of staff.  Competition is slowly creeping back into hiring for the Architecture and Interior Design industries. [...]

My last Design and Dialogue post from last year, Happy New Year, I Quit (you can also see my video here) I talk about the best practices your firm should lean on when an employee quits. One of the best practices is for a firm to call upon their bush [...]

Happy New Year!  I Quit! I hear this story all the time. It is the first Friday morning of the year and things are going well. The weekend is close, and your project is on track. You have the right budget, the right timeline, and the right team in place. [...]