Pub. 7 2019 Directory

7 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE SOPHIA A. SPARKLIN, AIA, PRESIDENT OF AIA MONTANA A s architects, we wear many hats. Since this publication is written for clients and architects, I wonder: What are you looking for when hiring an architect? If you are an architect, how would you describe your role? Do you define yourself as an artist, engineer, master collaborator, therapist, or futurist? I believe all of us assume those roles at times, and none are easy. This offers me the perfect excuse to turn this year’s president’s message into a president’s book list. Some folks accuse me of unhealthy reading habits, and the easy access to audiobooks has only extended the reach of books to my drives, chores, and occasional middle of the night wakefulness. I love books, and the level of thoughtfulness, research, editing, and careful story building they employ. When I moved from a metropolitan area with a population of over 6-million to a town with only 60,000 inhabitants, they continued to connect me to people and resources from all over the world and history. So given the unique opportunity of this publication, it is my pleasure to pick a couple of selections from this year’s reading list for your consideration. Project Ecosystem Clarity about the whole project ecosystem, including clients, contractors, engineers, financing, and many more. “The Owner’s Dilemma” by Barbara White Bryson with Canan Yetmen “Managing Design” by Michael Alan LeFevre They say when the student is ready, the teach- er appears. This happened at AIA’19 in Vegas, where I met Michael and Barbara. After some engaging conversations, I found out about their publications, and they hit the spot. Bar- bara’s career included a transition from an architect, to a client, to education. Michael’s path went from an architect, to contractor, to innovator. Barbara is incredibly articulate in her observations of our field, and Michael brings together thought leaders of our indus- try and concrete recommendations affecting our very specific processes. Both facilitate mutual understanding of clients, builders, and other stakeholders. I’ll keep tweaking my own firm’s systems as I re-read these books. Leadership and Self-Management Growing complexity and demands on our time and focus sky-rocket. Here is a small but broad selection. None of these are architecture-spe- cific, but I believe you will find some gems to incorporate into your processes along the way. “Atomic Habits” by James Clear offers the best insights into “habit hacking’ I’ve found. With examples from Professional Sports to Everyday Life, you’ll be inspired to try those New Year resolutions with a new strategy. “Essentialism” by Greg Mc Keown, refocuses us on the essentials, so we can stop making “one-inch progress in a million different di- rections.” I’m on my third repeat of this book and will keep at it until I have successfully switched from competing priorities to clarity, and one priority at a time. Not Just for Ladies Insights in how we all roll, with a focus on leadership and logistics. “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown has offered me more recent insights than any other author. My husband and I routinely use her concept of “shitty first draft” (SFD) to remind us when we are likely interpreting things in ways that have little to do with reality. Did that client or boss have a grumpy tone? As soon as you become aware that you are telling yourself a nightmare story about that tone, remind yourself that’s likely an SFD. This can de-escalate the stress associated with the sit- uation, freeing you up to check in with what is really going on. Brené speaks candidly about her hard-learned lessons in translating academic insights into her own business, and offers handy tips, such as turning meeting minutes into a great tool, and successfully defining ‘task,’ with tools like the TASC acro- nym quoted here: T— Who owns the task? A— Do they have the authority to be held accountable? S— Do we agree that they are set up for success (time, resources, clarity)? C— Do we have a checklist of what needs to happen to accomplish the task? “I Know How She Does It” by Laura Vander- kam is a Researcher and Author focused on the study of time use. What we think we do, and actually do, are rather different things, and she isn’t shy in sharing her insights. This particular book looks at a subgroup of what could be called career moms and gets down to the nitty-gritty strategies they employ to make the best use of their time. I hope you find some insights and look for- ward to your reading tips. If you have sugges- tions, or requests on additional topics, please reach out to sophia@spark-architecture.com. I’m looking forward to continuing this con- versation in person or in our newsletter. b All the best for a prosperous 2020, Yours, Sophia