Day 9: Thursday 19 January
Some days you just need to make the space for the unexpected to enter.
I thought I was clear on what I was doing today. Beginning by honing the answers to: What is the problem I’m solving for my clients? What is their current challenge I can help with? Where will they be after working with me?
And then that all changed.
The Reach Out
Had a morning coffee with an architect acquaintance. Chatting about the challenges the profession is facing around adjusting to the post Covid work environment. Had the sense his office was struggling a little and that there is an issue around this new culture for the profession. Enjoyed the conversation, it’s something I’m interested in.
Then
BOOM 💥
Got back to the office, sat down and it struck me.
That’s what I should be doing for the profession. If not a core part of my work, at the very least an upfront offer. It could be a workshop or more.
Need to get my head down and launch into this. Design the workshop. And as Pete observed (below) launch before it’s ready.
Initial thoughts to the coach crew
I sat back down at the office and went…
FAAARK! That’s what I should be doing!
Helping architects navigate the challenges of the new workplace post Covid. Maybe I’m slow. It wasn’t like I wasn’t aware of it. Maybe I couldn’t see the wood for the trees. In that moment I could also see it still involves all that I envisaged unmeasured would do, but with a much much clearer offer than I’d had before!
It was a
“How fascinating!” moment
Needs a bit more research, but even if it doesn’t become a central offer going to experiment with a workshop.
…
There’s the general concern around office culture and connection, that everyone is experiencing.
The thing that architects feel makes them unique, whilst also being a very real challenge, is around managing the design process. It’s the collaborative process, the incidental learning and the serendipity that happens in proximity. They’re not insurmountable problems but architects are very attached to the traditional design process and in many ways it’s about rethinking that but also developing new skills around it.
I asked Seth the question around this on his podcast, which he didn’t entirely answer, but I should try and find and register to.
I also wrote something about it some time ago, need to dig it out.
Feedback
@Michael – It sounds like the person you had coffee with is the perfect client to run this first workshop for?! I feel like there’s actually nothing to noodle on, and instead some spruiking to do (as you already have so much clarity ^^^)
Super exciting aha btw, and calling out that my bias is to pitch/spruik things way before they’re crystal clear or ‘ready’
Oh I love that @pete! Straight to the heart of the matter!
@Michael I wonder if there’s also an opportunity to co-create.
Go back and say “I’ve been thinking about our conversation and would love to run a workshop on it focusing on x, y, and z. Do you think that’s something that would be useful to your team? What else would you want to see?”
And so…
The feedback was direct, it was puke zone material and 100% right.
So I’ve already sent out an email suggesting I run a workshop.
Now going to dig out my old post: How architects can do remote working better
Probably need to review some others around rethinking practice.
Footnote
It’s a good reminder of the value of the Reach Out. Making the space to chat to people. Sometimes it’s a nice conversation, sometimes it helps hone and refine ideas and language, they’re good for insights, connection and many other things.
Sometimes you get to see things you just hadn’t seen before.
Always worthwhile taking a moment to pause and ask “What do I notice here?” Or “What is worth noticing here?”
Easy wins for the end of the day
Having a moment where the world shifts and you feel like you’ve made a major breakthrough can help you to feel it’s been a huge day of work. When the reality is really it was only half a day’s work. It felt like that today. I felt like I could start on my new direction, or I could try for some more small wins for the day.
For a today’s small wins I rustled up a new script to send to publications offering my writing – as well as identified sample blog posts to send.
Frankly didn’t finish off the day as I well would have liked. Marks off for that. Went from a +1 day to a 0.
