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I pay my respects and acknowledge all Traditional Custodians of Country and on whose land I live and work. I recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.
Always was, always will be.

Welcome to this week's useletter

focussing on your future not my past, a newsletter without news.

"Some times you need to break the things to make a beautiful new thing."

- Tea Uglow

I've been debating whether to discuss my current struggle.

In the hope it might be useful to someone, honesty and sharing won.

I'm facing the harsh reality that at present unmeasured isn't a sustainable business. In the last couple of weeks I've grappled with what needs to change. Conceptually breaking unmeasured, pulling it apart. Deciding what bits to keep and which bits to reject. Identifying what's missing. I share not for sympathy or approbation but to acknowledge business is hard. It's OK to pause. Look your problems in the eye. The worst thing to do is persist without change.

There's a glimmer. I have ideas. It might not work, but better to try something different than avoiding locking eyes with the elephant in the room.

In truth I've already shared my struggle. Doing this thinking out loud in public. But, it's one thing to publish it's another to put a spotlight on it. It's over on my other blog Michael Lewarne is working in public. A blog I started for accountability and all the other reasons I write. Now pivoting towards sharing the thrashing and subsequent insights.

In doing this work I've also made extra space for conversations with architects and clients. I've noted one thing coming up more regularly than usual - delegation. The difficulties posed by it and the hesitation. This week I share my delegation tips.

I got you

Michael

Delegation

Let's face it, delegation can be super difficult. I don't know anyone that hasn't struggled with it at one time or another. Here’s a few ideas to consider and help…

Questions

Ask questions instead of telling your team what to think, do, or how to do it. That way they’ll come up with their own answers and insights. They might have different ideas and ways to you, maybe even better ones. Your questions also help your team understand the types of questions they should ask themselves in future.

Rewards not retribution

Help people to take action and use their initiative by rewarding it, even if it doesn’t work out. In time this will reduce the work you need to delegate, people will come to understand you have their back if they take initiative.

Clear is kind

If the resistance to delegation is because you’re concerned about the quality of work, be kind. Clearly define your expectations, write it down, show examples, give constructive feedback for next time. Allow time for errors to be fixed, improvements made and don’t do it yourself, support others to make the changes. This helps your team to learn and get better.

Expectations

Instead of defining how long a task should take, ask the team how long they’ll think it’ll take. Have a conversation about the task and everyone's expectations. This promotes understanding and allows for adjustment on both sides.

Let go

Nothing happens until you try. Let go.

You got this.

Let's chat

At unmeasured I take the argh out of architectural practice.

Helping architects rethink and find joy in their practice.

I'd love to hear your story. Book a free 30 minute chat now.

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