Continuing the series of career path conversations, Frank Lippert talks to TankGirl Marketing’s Creative Director, Nikki Hasbun. With two creatives, the conversation is filled with great ideas, inspiration, and practical advice to feed the creativity within any listener.

Keelin Cox is a creative thinker and problem solver with a focus on thoughtful interactions throughout the A/E/C industry. She is invested in marketing efforts that produce smart strategies and help her teams serve their communities. She is the owner of Adiuvo Marketing and the host of the AEC Marketeer podcast that explores A/E/C marketing and beyond.

This episode continues an episode on Keelin’s podcast, the AEC Marketeer, where she and Frank talked about how job interviews are changing. Check out the AEC Marketeer episode here (Episode 73, aired 9/14/22). In this episode, Frank and Keelin discuss different ways of answering questions prospective employers ask, and how to take it to the next level.
Resources:
• Indeed Article
• You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters by Kate Murphy
• Dare to Lead by Brené Brown

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!

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

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

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

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.

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.

Rachael Frohardt with PCL Construction and Stephanie Jude with Clark Nexsen give us the scoop behind leading a major SMPS regional conference – the 2022 Southeast Regional Conference (SERC) in Orlando, FL. They talk about the value of membership in a professional organization, the excitement of high-engagement, and handling the unexpected. Listen in as they talk about leadership, including delegation, becoming fully involved, the power of good communication, acknowledging strengths, and getting the help you need.
Reference files are located here.

Closing keynote at the SMPS Southeast Regional Conference, Sandy Geroux talks about embracing risk, exploring personal risk tolerance, preparing for risk factors, and principles to follow to achieve your goals and gain buy-in. Reference files are located here. For more content from Sandy, visit her website www.thewowplace.com or check out Sandy’s book “Turn Your Workplace Into a WOWplace!” available on Amazon.

Straight from the SMPS Southeast Regional Conference, keynote Tim Asimos with Circle S Studio talks about bucking the status quo – when, why, and how. Frank and Deirdre bookend the conversation with their own insights on disruption as a tool in the marketing, BD, and leadership toolbox. Get ready for an evolution, not a revolution.

The SMPS Southeast Regional Conference of 2022 hit all the right spots, including inspirational and creative keynote speakers. Join our four-part deep dive with the keynotes and the conference leadership on our special, SMPS SERC 2022 podcast series.
First up is Steve Tatham, a 30-year Imagineer and theme park designer for Universal Creative. We talk about inspiring creativity, playing off each other, giving space for creativity, and translating emotions into desired outcomes.
https://www.stevetatham.com/

It’s a common story in AEC: you were headed down one career path and something happened and you ended up working for an architecture, engineering, or construction firm in marketing or business development. Some people thrive, and some struggle to build a career here. Frank and Deirdre get candid about forging a career in BD and Marketing. Listen to Deirdre’s guidance on a marketing career path in Part 2. Deirdre’s top 5 tips to grow your career: >Learn who your real client is and treat them exceptionally well. >Bring new ideas in, all the time. Be a constant learner. >Demonstrate how you can impact revenue/profitability. >Learn the business of the business. >You will gain a ton of respect. >Build relationships inside and outside of your firm. Especially with the CFO.

It’s a common story in AEC: you were headed down one career path and something happened and you ended up working for an architecture, engineering, or construction firm in marketing or business development. Some people thrive, and some struggle to build a career here. Frank and Deirdre get candid about forging a career in business development and marketing. Listen to Frank’s guidance on a business development career path in Part 1.Frank’s top 5 tips to grow your career: >Find a Mentor – someone you can learn from and with >Find your Advocate – the person in the firm leadership that gets you >Find your Role Model – someone you want to emulate or aspire to be like >Get Yourself Out There – everyone has butterflies, go for it >Talk to Yourself – you are your own biggest champion, psyche yourself up, you got this

The feeling of powerlessness can be overwhelming for professional services marketers. In this podcast, Frank interviews Paula Johnston – the remarkable marketer known as empowered.paula on Instagram. Paula’s incredibly successful personal journey towards empowerment follows the Tanzanian proverb “little by little, a little becomes a lot.” She talks about physical and mental fitness, about living a healthy life, and about applying fitness to her job as a marketing manager in A/E/C. Frank and Paula have been friends for about 15 years, their conversation goes back and forth on the little things you do to reach seemingly impossible goals.
Resources:
James Clear
https://jamesclear.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jamesclear/

Jason Stein
https://jasonstein.com/about-me/

Amy Morin: Mental Strength
https://amymorinlcsw.com/

Susan David: Emotional Agility
https://www.susandavid.com/

Katy Milkman
https://www.katymilkman.com/
https://www.katymilkman.com/podcast

Elite Minds
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/18756719-elite-minds

Body Mind Mastery
https://www.peacefulwarrior.com/body-mind-mastery/