The Future of Design Leadership

There are many clear and immediate impacts of the Great Recession in the design industry. Nearly all leaders face the challenges of dwindling backlogs, fierce competition leading to seemingly irrational pricing and a more demanding client base. As painful as these issues are for leaders, it is the next generation of leaders who will feel the effect of this recession most deeply. Consider how the events of the past four to five years will shape the values, beliefs, expectations and ultimately the leadership style of a typical employee who reaches a level of significant leadership responsibility in the year 2023. Most leaders tend to overestimate the amount of change that will occur in the short term, while underestimating the change that will take place in the long term. As the design and construction industry executive begins to imagine the world of a typical 2023 leader, he or she will need to prepare for a war for talent that will define the competitive landscape of the future.

While it is difficult to predict the future, trends are continuing to reveal that talent in the A/E/C industry will think and act much differently than ever before. This creates a disconnect between how we are leading our workforce today and how we will need to lead our people in 2023. This leadership becomes much more difficult when it comes to influencing a workforce that is more diverse than ever. Many factors that will influence the way the 2023 workforce develops include:
•The Great Recession
•Globalization
•Changing U.S. Demographics
•Knowledge Economy
•Shifting Technology
•Increasingly Connected Environment
•Leadership Development Through Corporate Responsibility

Today’s leaders are required to perform at different levels than previous generations. They must have great business acumen, deep industry knowledge and expertise to lead the dynamic workforce that makes up the A/E/C industry. The 2023 leadership profile will look somewhat different given the changes on the horizon. When selecting leaders for an uncertain future, construction leaders should look for the following characteristics:
•Diversity
•Cultural Intelligence
•Innovative
•Technology Dependent
•Collaborative

There are many uncertainties about the future of the A/E/C industry, but one thing is certain: The future will be different from today. As the leader of your organization, you choose whether to start preparing now, or to wait and see how things turn out. Those who strategically start thinking about and planning for their future workforce will be the ones who make things happen. Those who choose to wait and see will be the ones who watch their competition take the lead.