Domain 6: Management
Posted by Communications2 on Dec. 2, 2024 / Member Resource / Subscribe 0
From Logo-Laded Boxes to Meaningful Moments: The Evolution of Managing AEC Teams: Gardening, Dogs, Jugglers, and Magic
Developing Teams and Cultivating Culture—Without Losing Your Sanity
Written by Matt Rich, CPSM | Past President 2024–2025
Business Development, R&O Construction
In the chaotic, caffeine-fueled world of marketing and business development within the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, management is less about bossing people around and more about herding cats—if the cats also had fanatical opinions about graphic design and sans-serif fonts. For leaders in the AEC industry, the job isn’t just about keeping the wheels on the bus; it’s about ensuring the bus (on which you’ve hopefully herded all the cats) has a killer marketing wrap and arrives before the deadline to impress the client.
Management is the sixth and final SMPS domain of practice, but it is by no means the least. In fact, it’s more like the massive net that holds everything together. To manage your team effectively, you have to be part therapist, part juggler, and part magician—balancing egos, deadlines, and the occasional existential crisis. Here’s a look at two key aspects of management: supervising marketing staff and promoting a firm-wide marketing culture (yes, even Tiffanie in accounting).
Supervising Marketing Staff: Gardening, But With Drama
Our family had a garden growing up. It was massive! It took up half our backyard. We grew beans, tomatoes, squash, and even corn. It was amazing, and I hated it! As a kid, it was my job to pull the weeds and get rid of the rocks … both of which seemed to replenish themselves every night. Each type of plant needed its own level of sun, water, fertilizer, and space. Managing a Marketing/BD team can be a lot like tending a garden—each team member has their own quirks and strengths, and your job is to keep them alive, thriving, and not “fertilizing” the bed (if you know what I mean).
For example, Emily might be a proposal-writing ninja, while Jake is a wizard with social media hashtags (#GardensAreCoolNow), and Eric is “tight” with every developer from Tabiona to Tremonton. Awesome! But now you’re the referee when they argue over whose efforts deserve more budget, time, and attention. Instead of plucking weeds, you’re mediating between Emily, who “just needs one more day,” and Eric, who thinks everything is urgent because “the client has my cell number.”
Pro Tip: Regular check-ins. They can be formal or informal—or both. Not only do they keep the team aligned, but they also give you a chance to remind Julie, your marketing guru, that “I’ll figure it out” may produce awesome results but doesn’t count as a formal marketing strategy.
Promoting a Marketing Culture: Marketing Is a Team Sport, Sunny
Getting the entire firm to embrace marketing and business development is like convincing my cute little golden doodle, Sunny, to love the vet—it’s possible, but you’ll need treats. And patience. And maybe some chocolate (for you, not the dog … that would be dangerous).
Start small: host marketing roundtables or lunches where everyone shares success stories, or launch an internal campaign to celebrate milestones. Did the BD/marketing team land a big project? Get the engineers to clap (politely … because loudly would be asking too much, right?). Did the accounting team finally update the billing codes for your new CRM? Throw a small office parade. Celebrate everyone who helped land a job or will be working on a project … EVERYONE! Make everybody part of the success.
Pro Tip: The idea is to have everyone feel a part of the marketing and business development efforts—even the people who roll their eyes at the words “marketing and business development.” With enough buy-in, you’ll transform the firm from a collection of individuals and siloed departments into a lean, mean, business-winning machine.
The AEC Marketing/BD Manager: Part Juggler, Part Wizard
One time, we had Jeff Civillico come and juggle for us at a large company celebration. Jeff is a headliner in Vegas and has one of the most entertaining, funny shows I’ve ever seen! He’s a juggling wizard and a top-level comedian all on one stage. During one of the highlights of his act, he brought an audience member—let’s call him Dustin—up on stage. He involved Dustin in the juggling act, and before you knew it, they were throwing bags and juggling pins back and forth like they’d been working together forever. It was magical and got some of the biggest applause of the night!
Managing in the AEC world is no easy feat. You’re juggling deadlines, managing personalities, and “gracefully” catching whatever happens to get thrown at you in a given day. But when you supervise with care and cultivate a culture of collaboration, you’re not just managing—you’re creating magic.
And … if all else fails … break out the caffeine and chocolate. You’re probably gonna’ need it!
All referenced team members are fictitious (for the most part), and any similarities between them and actual people, either living or dead, are purely coincidental. Except Sunny—she really is my dog and she really hates the vet.
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