How to Keep Good People
How to attract and keep
an outstanding workforce is clearly on the minds of many principals and managers of A/E/P
and environmental consulting firms today. According to Mark Zweig, Zweig White & Associates,
Inc., "I think we are too often misguided in our approach to solving 'the people problem.' As a result,
we are solving the wrong problems and not dealing with the fundamentals that will really result in a
high quality, low staff turnover." Here's what it takes:
1. Leadership that can conceive and sell a vision for the future. This vision has to
be something the employees can get excited about as individuals and collectively. This implies
that growth and market domination have to be elements of the vision. For example, no one wants to
work in a firm whose vision is "to maximize earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT)." 2. A fantastic firm environment versus just having good projects. Good projects in a bad
environment equals staff demotivation and turnover. Yet there are a lot of companies that keep
selling their projects when they pay substandard wages, don't share ownership, don't keep people
informed, and have principals who hog all of the glory and credit. Who in their right mind would
put up with that for long? No one!
3. Great technology.
If you don't have the kinds of tools that busy people expect to have
available to them today, you've got a problem. This includes wide area networks, remote access,
Palm Pilots, e-mail, an intranet, online reports, cell phones, voice mail, and much more.
4. A spirit of winning. No one wants to be a loser. Winning is fun. Whether it's a
contest for a prize or a fight to the death, winning is critical to one's self-image. Some firms
win more than others do. They get more than their fair share of work, clients don't push them
around, and as a result, they feel pretty good about themselves. That becomes a self-perpetuating
cycle as the employees expect to be winners and do what it takes to make that a reality.
5. Sharing. Ownership needs to be distributed. Profits need to be spread around.
Raises need to be forthcoming for those who are most deserving. Benefits should be the best they
can be within reason. Companies that get so shortsighted trying to save will always pay the price
in their ability to recruit, retain, and motivate their workforce.
Something new all the time. There should be meaningful change borne out of a desire to more
effectively help clients, make the employee's job easier, or build
long-term health into the company. That means new organizational
structures, new services, new technologies, new office arrangements, and
new systems and processes that really do make things better. You have to
keep doing new things, not just to compete but to capture the interest of
your employees and owners. Contact Sally Giedrys at (800) 466-6275 or
(sgiedrys@zweigwhite.com).
De Young Named ACEC 2002-2003 Chairman
Daniel J. DeYoung, President and CEO of DJG, Inc., Williamsburg, Virginia, has been nominated as ACEC Chairman for 2002-2003. DeYoung is a past national Senior Vice President and Past President of the Consulting Engineers Council of Virginia. He has served on many ACEC committees including Budget & Finance, Planning Cabinet, Construction Liaison, Quality Improvement and is a Trustee of the ACEC/PAC. In 1994 he received ACEC's Past Presidents. Award. Nominated for 2001-2003 ACEC Vice Chairmen are James R. Cagley, President of Cagley & Associates, Inc. (CEC/MW); James M. Kring, Jr., Executive Vice President of Bartlett & West Engineers (Kansas/CE); and Edward J. Mulcahy, Principal of TransSystems Corporation (CEC/MO). Ballots will be sent to National Directors and counted by the Tellers Committee for verification in mid-January.
Contracting Out Infrastructure Conveys Several Now-documented Advantages
ASCE recently estimated a more than $1.3 trillion price tag for needed upgrades and repairs to today's roads, bridges, schools, and sewer and water systems. That's a steep bill for the public to pay. However, when it comes to getting the work done cost-effectively and to the satisfaction of the user, a recent report from the Reason Public Policy Institute considers the advantages of contracting out infrastructure projects to private firms as opposed to doing the work in-house. The report, Infrastructure Outsourcing: Leveraging Concrete, Steel, and Asphalt With Public-Private Partnerships, is intended to educate policymakers and others of the relative benefits of outsourcing to help efficiently meet these infrastructure needs. Study Director Adrian Moore says that the potential for saving money is only one of the reasons federal, state, and local governments turn to the private sector. Moore identifies three such factors beyond cost issues: 1) By signing clear, performance-based contracts with private sector engineering firms, governments can enforce high standards and avoid the bureaucratic hurdles of government-managed engineering offices. 2) Outsourcing allows governments to attract specialized outside experts and deal efficiently with peak demand. 3) . Private consultants,. Moore writes, . move from one project to another and are exposed to a broader range of complex projects than the traditional public sector employee. According to Moore, pure cost comparisons between projects done by in-house government staff versus by private firms are difficult at best. However, when saving money is the goal, numerous studies document significant cost savings. For more information, contact Adrian T. Moore, Reason Public Policy Institute (310-391-2245), about its Policy Study #272, published in September 2000.
What's My Firm's Member ID Number?
Ever been frustrated trying to obtain ACEC member discounts on publications or other material because you didn't know your firm's ACEC member number? Well now you will routinely find your firm's one-to four-digit member number on your mailing label of the American Consulting Engineer (ACE) magazine, which all members receive on a bimonthly basis. Beginning with the November/December 2000 issue of ACE, the four-digit member number will appear near the recipient's name on the label. Using the number will allow you to obtain discounts when ordering ACEC publications and downloading EJCDC documents from www.acec.org. Until now, the only time ACEC member firms receive the number is when they receive the annual ACEC Certification and Update Form. But unless you keep a copy of the form, you will not have your member number on file.
Partnering As an International Business Strategy: Conference on December 12-13
The global market presents huge opportunities for ACEC member firms, but how do you break in? Strategic alliances can be a valuable means to decrease risk and increase your chances for success, and ACEC's International Markets Conference on December 12-13 in Washington, DC, will provide you with contacts and information to forge alliances for your firm. For example, many federal agencies are available to serve as subcontractors on your international projects-but whom should you contact? Banks and investment funds devote whole divisions to infrastructure project finance-but how do you team with them? Large and small engineering firms can collaborate on international projects for mutual gain-but how do you find potential partners? For more information about attending "Partnering As an International Business Strategy," visit www.intl.acec.org or contact ACEC's Michele Moore (mmoore@acec.org). Register today!
The Laws that Congress Never Passed!
Not all laws are those that go through committee. Some are laws passed by society or by nature, laws that none of us can change but can utilize to our benefit. Noted author Brian Tracy has published The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success, a very clever book that brings to your mind things you've always known were true but could never really put your finger on. Take the law of cause and effect; you know that works. How about the law of expectations? What you expect, you get. How about the laws of money? The law of compound interest? The law of time perspective? Are you curious yet? We hope so. As you read this book you will learn a great deal about success and failure, about leadership, money, negotiating and time management. The Law of Increasing Returns, the Law of Compensation. Get the picture? The most astute and thoughtful book you've ever read can be yours. Just order #L-2888, $24.95, $4 shipping/handling, by sending your order by e-mail, publications@acec.org, or FAX 202-789-7220, with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, expiration date, contact name, street address, e-mail address.
SEI: Stretching the Limits of Leadership
This isn't a business where you can be successful by yourself, concluded SEI executives meeting in Alberta, Canada, last month. During five intensive days, 23 senior-level executives representing 16 states, shared techniques for addressing personal change, time management practices, stress management challenges, and effective communications. Tools used included role-playing, a 360° Leadership Assessment exercise, and books by Peter Senge, Stephen Covey, Roger Fiser, and William Ury. ACEC's Senior Executives Institute (SEI) provides design professionals an opportunity to focus on leadership, advanced management, and public policy. Each class of executives meets for 21 days over two years in five sessions. The sixth SEI Class is scheduled to start the fall of 2001. Contact ACEC's Maria Galvan (mgalvan@acec.org), for more information.
Coming Up
Dec. 12th, 2000
How Energy Deregulation Is Unfolding.
Ronald
Reagan Buiilding, Washington, DC.
Contact Nancy Mosely
(nmosely@acec.org) at ACEC
Jan. 19-20, 2001
Marketing for Consulting Engineering Firms.
Atlanta, GA. Contact Nancy Mosely (nmosely@acec.org) at
ACEC
Jan. 19-20
Human
Resources Seminar, Atlanta, GA. Contact Nancy Mosely
(nmosely@acec.org) at ACEC
Editor: Francis George (fgeorge@acec.org)
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