Knowing People Matters More Than Knowing Stuff

After about a month break, here is the second post in my series from what I learned at the Young Architects Forum Transitions Round Table 2009. Panelist Deb Kunce is a Program Manager at Schmidt Associates in Indianapolis and current President of AIA Indiana. She started out life on a dairy farm but went on to become an architect (as I relate with from my upbringing). Deb enjoys non-traditional architectural services such as program management and other ancillary/additional services. She emphasized finding what you really enjoy doing and do it. Be involved; serve on Boards in your profession and in your community to make connections. When you see something that needs to change work towards it and remember that small changes can lead to real change down the road. Be persistent. Do what you say you’re going to do, follow-up. You don’t know why you’re called to something, follow your heart, but don’t make choices just about your passion, look at the big picture.
When asked about how to balance work and personal life (a question I’ve asked the past three years), Deb works to strike a balance from a whole year point of view. But, she is also shifting her time this fall to be home in the afternoon when her child comes home from Kindergarten. We just have to shift our burden, to be home in afternoon we’ll need to make agreements with our office to shift that time to early mornings, working from home, or a flexed hours workweek. There isn’t a magic formula.
And as this post is titled, knowing people matters more than knowing stuff. Deb was laid off from an early job a month after receiving an award for being the outstanding intern. Knowing everything about everything won’t guarantee success. At this time with a bleak job market we need to work harder to know people and be known. Seek opportunities to meet people and follow your interests.

Learners Inherit the Earth

The quote below was shared by Bill Brown, Director of Sustainability at Indiana University:

"In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists."
- Eric Hoffer

Bill encouraged us to each pick one thing that we are passionate about and study it for the year. You will be able to gain great insight into what your passionate about. Bill's passion is clearly sustainable design. He was the first student member of the AIA COTE and participated in the Greening of the White House. While in school at Ball State he formed a group of more than 100 students for Building to Save the Earth that later became A Sustainable Architecture Program (ASAP). He has been active in AIA Indiana's legislative initiative for Indiana to adopt sustainable design requirement for public projects. He has now taken on the large task of guiding Indiana University to become a green institution, I'm sure he'll succeed.

Bill truly inspires me to be sure I'm doing my part. In addition to passing the exam and becoming a LEED AP, I've signed on to the Architecture 2030 Challenge and I recommend all architects to commit to helping the environment by trying to achieve more energy efficient buildings that will save the owners operating dollars and minimize the building's impact on the rest of us. It's up to us, the learners to bring us into this new era of good design being defined as good environmental design.

This is the first post of a series on words of wisdom I gained from the Indy YAF Transitions Round Table on July 2, 2009 and Buggs Temple.