BUILDING YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE WITH NON ENGINEERSPRESENTED BY DEV WARREN

CEO

ASCENDANT ADVISORY GROUP, LLC

As your firm grows, there are needs beyond servicing clients that become full time positions. Leadership, Finance, Risk Management, Business Development and Human Resources are just a few that are bound to be considered. Transitioning an Engineer to these positions can create challenges for the firm and for them. Is it time to consider looking outside the engineering field to fill the positions? We will review the pro’s and the con’s to this option in this interactive discussion. Come with an open mind and bring your team members who you might consider for the position!

THE PLATEAU EFFECT

• Firms grow from level to level as they progress in their skill set, their areas of expertise and their staffing

• We then experience the plateau effect

• Why do some move beyond it and some don’t?

OBSERVATION 1

• Firms try to put the person in charge of leadership roles who will cause the least of amount of damage

• This person often is liked by most and doesn’t ruffle feathers

• Chances are there are no changes of merit coming under this person

OBSERVATION 2

• Professionals who are moved into administrative roles often are poorly suited for the position

RIGHT FIT?

Are you putting everyone in the right role?

OBSERVATION 3

• Professionals in administrative roles usually hate the role if they aren’t well suited for it

OBSERVATION 4

• CFO’s and accountants are not the same thing

OBSERVATION 5

• Leaders and managers are not the same thing

OBSERVATION 6

• Employees and clients don’t have the same needs

OBSERVATION 7

• Firms often try to get people in administrative roles to do billable work as well as the administrative function

• Your only client when leading should be the firm

OBSERVATION 8

• Business Development and Being a Great Engineer rarely mix

OBSERVATION 9

• The Best Firms are the ones who look at individual talents and put the right people in the right seat on the bus

OBSERVATION 10

• Firms try to hire the cheapest they can for the administrative roles because they don’t value the position

SOLUTIONS

• Hiring a CEO who knows how to run a business

• You all are great at Engineering but most of you struggle optimizing a business

• The best leader can marry the two

• Doesn’t have to know engineering if they have a trusted expert in the mix

SOLUTIONS

• Hiring a CFO who isn’t an accountant

• Accountants look at the past

• Tools

• Accounting software, Tax Returns, Past Financials, Audits – Think History

• CFO’s look to the future

• Tools

• Projections, Models, Analytics – Think Tomorrow

SOLUTIONS

• Hiring a full time Business Developer or Setting up a role that maximizes the efforts of those who have the DNA to bring business in and close it

• Cant teach closing

• Worst thing possible is to have a bad car salesman with a goal of selling

• Its not for everyone and is very rare

• Pay for performance not effort

• Pay REALLY WELL

SOLUTIONS

• HR in Montana is not fun and never will be

• Benefits are not fun and never will be

• Dealing with employee complaints, issues, lawsuits, terminations, etc. is not fun I promise you

• Why would you make someone do it who is bad at it or doesn’t like it?

• This is a high risk area and is usually put on the lowest paid folks

CAN YOU HANDLE NON ENGINEERS IN LEADERSHIP?

• Are you willing to trust people with “different” credentials?

• Are you willing to admit they are “smarter” than you in their areas of expertise?

• Do you believe that your firm is just fine without them?

• Will you follow someone who is better than you at business?

• Can you handle someone else having more success than you at running the business?

Your thoughts and Questions?

Thank you for your time!

dev@ascendantadvisory.com

www.ascendantadvisory.com