Canadian Business magazine had an interview with ‘Star-chitect’ Jack Diamond in the December issue. Yes, it isn’t even November here, but that is magazine cycles for you… It is a pretty good interview with things like ‘How do you know when a project is successful?’ (recognition by peers, and by the public) and ‘How do you deal with a difficult client?’ (what people say isn’t always what they mean), but the best one is the final one.

*What goes into creating a successful firm?

People know we’re very serious about architecture, so we attract bright young people. One of the keys to our success is the Friday-afternoon meeting where the entire firm gathers to review projects, and there’s criticism and discussion about them. At those discussions, we talk only about architecture, not about insurance or liability or a burst pipe on a construction site. And a junior architect, if they have some constructive criticism to offer, it’ll change the direction of the project. So it’s a learning office. In fact, I often think our Friday-afternoon meeting is the best graduate seminar in the city. People are engaged. There’s very seldom a night or a weekend when there are not people working here, and it’s not done by cracking the whip. People say, “We love working here.”*

Let’s break this down.

  • we’re very serious
  • we attract bright young people
  • the entire firm gathers
  • we talk only about architecture
  • it’s a learning office
  • people are engaged
  • People say, “We love working here.”

How many of these things apply to your office?

Why not?