We want to be valued.
We also seek out the things we value. Skills, knowledge, objects or experiences.
Things we value attract our attention and our actions.
Spending our time only on the things we value. Avoiding those we don’t.
It’s a cost assessment.
If the benefits in spending the time aren’t recognised, they’ll be no spend. Time or money spent will never exceed the perceived value.
Let’s consider architectural services. There’s a cost (a fee) to architects services and to the skills, knowledge and vision architects bring to a project. It’s important therefore that that value is recognised. It’s a common complaint from architects that their value isn’t recognised. No value, no spend.
And whilst that’s important, it’s not what I want to write about.
I’m more interested here in things architects value, or don’t. In how they value life-long learning, in skills or in knowledge acquisition.
It’s in relation to my current research in reverse mentoring, structured with workshops and programming.
Anecdotally, architectural mentoring partnerships often start well but can peter out quickly. My theory (as you might guess) is because the value is not perceived, or simply isn’t there. Either way that’s a problem.
The challenge in constructing effective mentoring programs, therefore, is in achieving both perceived and delivered value. Especially given the value here may not be immediate, or perceptible. Particularly when up against the day to day time pressure and constraints of project delivery. In this case, short term will outweigh long term value.
One of the keys is to change this mindset. Either by demonstrating the longterm value of doing the work or by also delivering immediate short term value. Doing so in a time-efficient manner.
Time, as always, is key.
And that means a time cost benefit.
“I don’t have time.” Translates as, “This is not a priority.” Or “I don’t value this.”
So just like architects wanting people to better understand the value they bring to a project. I’d like to better understand how to deliver a better understanding of the workshops and reverse mentoring programs I’m proposing.
And that is a hard nut…
I just need to think and research further on this and welcome any thoughts you might have.
AI image generated in Canva
