A temp agency assignment at an engineering firm began Kathryn Ness’ 20+ year career in marketing and business development in AEC. Her intentional relocation to St. Croix brought personal insights and challenges, and two back-to-back Cat 5 hurricanes that changed her perspectives forever. Now a consultant and certified professional coach at GO Strategies, Kathryn made the leap from solving problems to supporting others’ problem-solving. Deirdre and Kathryn unpack life’s journeys, lessons, GPS, and limitless possibilities.
 
Kathryn’s Top 5(ish) things to grow your career:
– Keep investing in yourself
– Be curious, ask questions, assume nothing
– Get a mentor, regardless of your experience level
– Mentor someone – lift others up
– Take the time to be with family and friends
– Step away from a problem, take a breath; the answer will come
 
Book and podcast resources:
– Shawn Stevenson (Eat Smarter, The Model Health Show)
– Adam Grant (Think Again, Work/Life)
– Patrick Lencioni (The Ideal Team Player, The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team)
– Simon Sinek (Start with Why, The Infinite Game)
– Kim Scott (Radical Candor)
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
– Brené Brown (Dare to Lead, Unlocking Us)
– Dr. Seuss, for the puns!

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Perryn Olson is a disrupter, he does things differently. In his current role, he’s serving multiple companies under one-parent umbrella. He’s finding a way to manage his marketing department as a consultant to these companies. It’s a very different way to approach day-to-day and long-term marketing needs. If your firm has multiple brands or divisions, and many do lately, Perryn has an interesting approach for you and your marketing services.

Resources:

• Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time
• Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business

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Karen Natzel with K Communications is a “business therapist.” She works with CEOs and other leaders to help them communicate and lead more effectively. In this episode, Frank and Karen dive into the concept of “right-sizing” AEC companies. A lot of firms grow because they think that the opposite of growth is decline. That’s not true. In this age of high M&A activity, there is something to be said for sustaining a good, healthy-sized company that meets the demands of loyal clients and the satisfaction of happy employees. Karen shares her insights on healthy organizational growth.

Resources:

• 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace
• Right-sized Growth PDF

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Like most of us, Kate Robinette came to AEC through a circuitous route. But hers was an intentional path, made by consciously placing stones to learn her strengths, educate herself, fill holes, and gain advocates. Deirdre and Kate talk about being different, bringing strengths to a conscious level, and dragons in this humorous and deep dive conversation.

Kate’s top 5 tips to grow your career:

• Know your strengths and get use to talking about what you do best and how you bring value.
• Look for things you want to do and find ways to make that happen.
• Ask lots of questions and ask for help.
• Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. (Change happens outside your comfort zone.)
• Do informational interviews.

Resources:

First, Break All the Rules

Now, Discover Your Strengths

Strengths Based Leadership

Adam Grant’s WorkLife Podcast

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Gary Williams with Questa Consulting Ltd helps technically minded people become more confident, relaxed, and successful in all things to do with client management and business development as part of his consulting business in the UK. His podcast, Working Winning Ways, provides depth and humor as he explores this strange marketing/selling/BD thing we do. Frank joined Gary’s podcast, Work Winning Ways, in February 2022. Now the conversation continues on the PSM Show. Gary draws parallels between the US/UK journeys for buyers and sellers, talks about the importance of training the right people, and uses the analogy of the Sunday Market to help explain how BD works. Join Deirdre, Frank, and Gary as they discover that we’re more similar than different and that the important things are true everywhere.

Reference files are located here.

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Kelly Valentin is the Marketing Director at Empower Electric, LLC in Nashville, TN, and a newcomer to the AEC industry and SMPS. She attended her first conference for SMPS at the Southeast Regional Conference (SERC) in Orlando in March. New to the industry and SMPS, she found herself in a sea of people who knew each other well and had long histories together, as well as juggling new content and learning opportunities. Deirdre and Kelly talk about navigating the ocean swell, inserting yourself, and bringing back one thing of value. 

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