The success of every firm is deeply rooted in the talent of its employees. An architectural firm depends immensely on the firm’s pool of talent. Traditionally, leadership in architectural firms followed a thin line of command, with the principal architect who makes most of the decisions. The next level would be people who are responsible for specific deliverables and not really trained to manage  an entire project, including client responsibility. The quality of the second line of leadership often defines the success of an architectural firm.  

The growth prospects of several firms hit the ceiling when there are not enough employees who can shoulder responsibility along with the principal architects. When there are no second-line leaders in a firm, there are only 2 possibilities – either stagger the growth of the firm or take up projects and compromise on quality, deadlines and leave clients unhappy. To avoid this dire situation, it is important to build, nurture and allocate responsibility to the second line of leaders in your firm. The Smart Architect brings to you an array of solutions to grow your architectural firm and we have specialised service in developing a second line of leaders for your firm  READ MORE  

Importance of second line leaders in architectural firms

The second line of leaders in an architectural company plays a vital role in the growth of the firm. Not only do they help in shouldering some of the responsibilities from the principal architects or partners, but also allow room for the firm to take up new projects. The principal architects need not play all the roles in the firm. For example, if a second line manager could oversee the progress of work at the site and report it to clients periodically, it would result in better customer satisfaction and management of work. When routine management jobs can be allocated to the next level of managers, the top management can concentrate on expansion and taking up more projects. So, the role of the second line manager in the firm becomes very crucial as the responsibility of implementation, quality assurance, customer or client-facing would be primarily done by them.

The employees in an architectural firm are most valued for their talent, and it becomes necessary to recruit and retain the right set of people in the firm. Lack of clear roles and responsibilities often leads to poor human resource management in most firms, leading to loss of highly skilled employees. We have encountered many firms that have gone through a rough phase due to mismanagement of its employees. Small changes in people management can go a long way in building a highly effective team. Check out our human resource services.

5 steps to build your second level leadership

  1. Your people will get the job done when they have a clear work objective, trained for the right skills and a supportive work environment. As a principal, it is your job to ensure that the organization’s goals are clearly set and people goals aligned to it.
  2. Create a shared culture based on trust. Engage regularly and sincerely with your managers and build a space of psychological safety.
  3. Leaders often use power to achieve organizational goals. Instead, try empowering your managers based on past performance and guide them in their journey as new leaders.
  4. Training is an integral part of employee development. When employees move up to take on new roles, train them to handle their new roles effectively.
  5. Finally, as you build your second line of leadership, you need to step back to make space for the new line of leaders.

Employees in an architectural firm are most valued for their talent, and it becomes necessary to recruit and retain the right set of people in the firm. Lack of clear roles and responsibilities often leads to poor human resource management in most firms, leading to loss of highly skilled employees. We have encountered many firms that have gone through a rough phase due to mismanagement of its employees. Small changes in people management can go a long way in building a highly effective team.