Our first category is about the personal Attitude we carry internally.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Our first category is about the Attitude we carry internally.\u00a0 Everyone comes to the table with their own perspective and style of interaction and delivery. Successful habits for we greenies that relate to attitude include being bold, curious, and committed. You\u2019ve read those words and likely already formulated some sort of first impression, even in just one sentence. This is good as each circumstance needs us to pre-judge in order to function and to begin work. However, we need to refine our impressions based on new information AND we must have the ability to seek that information.<\/p>\n
Be Bold<\/strong> \u2013 make suggestions, bring up ideas, and set fear aside when confronted with new knowledge or new opportunities. We cannot do things as we have always done them, which means we must change and seek \u201cnew life and new civilizations and boldly go where no man has gone before\u201d. Maintain respect while reaching out, especially as boldness is sometimes mistakenly treated as arrogance.<\/p>\n Be curious<\/strong> \u2013 it is not enough to send a list of questions to your owner and your team, or have all participants fill in a survey. You must truly want to know what makes them happy, what possibilities they see, and what limits they are facing. Curiosity will help you to help them know what they will benefit from, and what stated desire is merely something that looks good in a glossy magazine. Even more importantly, it will help you all to discover what is fueling the goals and help you see other possible ways to attain them.<\/p>\n Curiosity is not only OK, but needed.<\/p><\/div>\n Be committed<\/strong> \u2013 in any endeavor that is changing the \u201cnorm\u201d you will have days that seem\u00a0overwhelming and full of effort. Keep the long-view in mind. In a project, this means setting project goals and prioritizing them as well as making sure the whole team understands and agrees to those goals. Every decision will be easier with this clarity. I don\u2019t say \u201ceasy\u201d but certainly easier. The same goes for your personal career, or the future of your company. What is the vision and what are your goals \u2013 does this project keep you on the path to achievement or not? On top of all this, being committed means you don\u2019t have to spend time every day or every decision re-deciding what is important. If your project goal is to get to proven zero net energy, you will then be free and open to explore every opportunity to do so.<\/p>\n Our second broad category is Expertise, which is about being knowledgeable, innovative, and realistic.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Our second broad category is Expertise, which is about being knowledgeable, innovative and realistic. It\u2019s about the experiences you\u2019ve accumulated and built upon. This, of course, will change as your career progresses and as the world around us pushes educational needs in different directions. I never thought I would be so knowledgeable about triple bottom line or policy and government when I began my career as an architect.<\/p>\n Be knowledgeable<\/strong> \u2013 easy to say, right? It\u2019s not just about book knowledge, but about wisdom and application. This is why the habits are all so important; the curiosity that we\u2019ve already mentioned will help you to become knowledgeable and to seek understanding of other\u2019s abilities and expertise. No one can know it all, so above all, be knowledgeable about your limits and how to subsidize your own work with the inputs of others.<\/p>\n Be innovative<\/strong> \u2013 this is a time to ask \u201cwhy\u201d and \u201chow\u201d an awful lot. I know in leading projects we need\u00a0to maintain the schedule and not get derailed, but it is imperative to not rest on the laurels of our past knowledge. One of the best residential design stories comes from Sara Susanka (of Not So Big House fame) who talks about meeting her client\u2019s need for a library by making a generous stair landing a library and letting the books be the d\u00e9cor for the space. A separate room was not needed, and the spirit of the \u201cwant\u201d was achieved within the budget and size constraints.<\/p>\n Be realistic <\/strong>\u2013 are you squirming because I just told you that innovation is important\u00a0and now I am somehow contradicting this with a reality check? Think again. You cannot be innovative without the grounding and the drive of reality. Check out the story above \u2013 the innovation came because of the reality of budget constraints. Work exceptionally creatively with what you have.<\/p>\n This is NOT being realistic!<\/p><\/div>\n The last and most important grouping is the Interdependence piece. There is no building project completed\u00a0in solitude…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The last and most important grouping is the Interdependence piece. There is no building project completed\u00a0in solitude and it is way past time to dispel the myth of the stark-itect that leads the team with his sole vision and arrogance. It is a harmful myth. Interdependence is a strength and it entails being inclusive, ready and celebratory. Be inclusive<\/strong> \u2013 of ideas, people, ecological systems, community systems, attitudes, and preconceptions. Approach each design goal knowing that systems work together \u2013 we can no longer design a building, ignoring ecological systems, and then \u201chand it over the wall\u201d to the engineer to heat and cool, and then over the other wall to the interior designer to make pretty and comfortable. Be inclusive of the abilities of the people you are working with as well \u2013 a structural engineer should have insights into thermal bridging and the sustainability of structural systems choices and more.<\/p>\n![\"Curiosity](\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/curious.jpg\")
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