Date:        February 16th, 2024
Location: Kimball International Showroom
Led by:    Sarah Goff, AIA, LEED AP BD+C and Gustavo Colmenares, AIA, NCARB
Session Sponsor: Parklex Prodema, Potomac Valley Brick, and Kimball International
Session Downloads:  Session Program

Overview

In the first CKLDP session of the year “Leading Together,” scholars explored purpose and self-discovery, reflecting on individual, team, and leadership identities. They engaged in a motivational presentation about public spaces, interacted in a panel discussion, worked together in group workshops, and identified strengths and weaknesses through the LSI quiz. Through these activities, scholars discovered the importance of team dynamics, effective communication, and emotional intelligence in leading together.

Presentation #1

Reimagining Public Space
Speakers: Claudia Russell, AIA

The first presentation was about the role of Architects in reimagining relational and transactional spaces in the urban setting. Claudia Russell sparked the conversation with images that made scholars wonder: what makes a city rich? What makes us whole? What connects and lifts us? Architects wield great power as thinkers and designers to reimagine where we are headed in the future.

Presentation #2

Leadership Panel
Speakers: Anna Barbour, AIA, LEED BD+C, Alyson Steele FAIA, LEED AP, Matt Toddy AIA, NCARB

The second activity was a panel discussion focused on self-advocacy, career growth, and leadership in communities. The panelists shared personal experiences on their career paths, turning points and how their perspectives have shifted, advice for young architects, skills young architects should focus on, and what unique aspects they see architects bring to the table in our communities. Some of the key themes included flexibility, resiliency, being your authentic self, and unexpected learnings.

Presentation #3

Leadership Lab
Speakers: Matt Toddy, AIA, NCARB

The third activity is a series of interactive charrettes led by Matt Toddy, principal architect at Elevation Studio. In groups of 4, scholars exchanged personal as well as professional motivators and brainstormed innovative practice models based on collective passions. The key takeaway is to find the intersections of passion and skill, then leverage both to develop a personal leadership brand. Matt shared insights on how to build skills with the right mentors in 4 stages: confidence without competence, low confidence and competence, consensus and competence, and confidence with competence. The scholars identified specific skills needing development and mentors wanting to approach as the session concluded.

Presentation #4

LSI Results
Speakers: Cable Clarke

The final session of the afternoon was led by Cable Clarke, President of Clarke Consulting. As a prerequisite of the session, scholars took the Life Styles Inventory survey, which as Cable explained, is a self-development tool built around the notion of stimulus plus thought equals response. How we think we interpret situations influences our responses. With industry examples, Cable vividly presented the cycle of leadership, culture, performance, and encouraged the audience to think of themselves as part of this cycle. The survey results were presented with the Circumplex, a graphic tool measuring 12 specific behavior patterns in 3 categories: constructive styles, passive defensive styles and aggressive defensive styles. Cable urged scholars to act on the survey results to improve leadership effectiveness.