We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nancy Nozik. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nancy below.
Nancy, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about growing your team – how did you recruit the first few people, what was the process like, how’d you go about training and if you were to start over today would you have done anything differently?
Building a team, the right team, takes a while and has a lot of ups and downs. Our firm is made up of several teams. I lead the team in the Cleveland office (10 people), so that’s what I’ll focus on. I joined Brandstetter Carroll, Inc. in 2012 having already worked with several of the people in the firm in the past. In 2015 I became the lead principal in the Cleveland office and was suddenly in charge of bringing people on and letting people go. And the very first day in that role I had to let someone go! It was really hard, but I thought it was kind of a test, and I knew that I had to do it. Since then, I have strived to nurture a group of people who bring different skills to the table, support each other, and have fun together. And I always have the ulterior motive of trying to find my replacement (I’m 10 years out, but you have to look ahead). Whether I am interviewing someone who answered our ad or was recommended by a current staff member, I always try to see how they may “fit” with the group. I don’t use any of those ridiculous interview questions, I just want to know what the person is interested in and what they are passionate about. I’ve made plenty of mistakes in hiring people who didn’t work out, but they all need time to settle in and find their place. If either of us realizes their place is not with us, we move on. I’m thrilled with the team we have right now – everyone is different, and they each bring something great to the group. At every annual review, we focus on what each person WANTS to do, and find a way to incorporate that into their work. If they are growing and feel like they are benefiting from this job, they will perform better and stay!
Nancy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am an architect at Brandstetter Carroll, Inc., the division principal in the Cleveland office, and a shareholder. I studied architecture because I had the ability to visualize spaces, and I liked that it was a combination of art and math. Over the years I learned that I am not a “design architect”, but am good at solving problems and building relationships with people. The majority of our clients are cities and counties – who have a duty and desire to support their residents and need to spend the taxpayers’ money wisely. I believe our building and site designs bring value to communities – giving them what they need in a creative way within a given budget. And we try to make it easy for the maintenance staff to take care of! While I am an architect, the majority of my job is about people. Whether its clients, contractors, engineering consultants, vendors, our staff, or the final users – I need to listen to them, support them, help them, and serve them. And yes, that applies to ANY profession. In terms of Brandstetter Carroll, the firm IS the people. We provide a service, not a product. The people I work with, and my fellow shareholders, are caring, compassionate, strong, smart, and pretty darn funny. If you can’t work with people you enjoy and respect, it’s not worth it.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
As I have said, it’s all about people. Our founding partner approached business development by making in-person visits to potential clients. In our case, that would be the mayor, city engineer, service director, recreation director, etc in any given city or county. He would just get on the road and meet with these people – not with any specific project in mind, but to get to know them and for them to know who we are. Our current leadership continues this practice. For example, I visited the recreation director in Strongsville, Ohio over many years without ever doing a project for him. He would call me for advice, and I would help out as much as I could. Eventually we did one project for the City’s natatorium, and then were selected to do a planning study for a new park development, and then were selected to design that $10m park development. We built that relationship for probably 10 years before getting hired, and we will continue that relationship now that the project is complete. Yes, we’re all in business to make money. But the reason we do our particular work is to “enhance community and quality of life” (our mission statement), and we mean it.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
When I was preparing to become the division principal for the Cleveland office, I met with several colleagues whom I respected and asked them how they transitioned from “peer” to “boss”. One firm owner I met with told me when he became the boss, his partner told him “you can’t be friends with them anymore”. But that wasn’t who he was, and he opted to treat his staff as peers, friends, and equals. I knew I had to do the same. I know I am too nice, but I believe my staff appreciate the empathy and authenticity with which I treat them. In turn, they want to perform. I don’t want anyone to do their job because they are afraid of the repercussions, being reprimanded, or being fired. I want them to do their job to support everyone else in the office, to provide a good project for our clients, and to foster their own professional growth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brandstettercarroll.com
- Instagram: brandstettercarrollinc
- Facebook: Brandstetter Carroll Inc
- Linkedin: brandstetter-carroll-inc
Image Credits
Laurence J. Nozik
Mason Schneider