I love Excel, even though I'm not all that good at using it. I love Excel, because it does work for me: executing elementary school arithmetic at scale; evaluating a set of sales of data; suggesting formulas to solve my questions. But I also love Excel because it forces me to do mental work I'm … Continue reading On the mental exhaustion of a day in Excel
Category: Working Life
On email sign-offs
I don't remember how I signed off emails at my first job. I remember for my second job, though, because I aped my British colleagues and went with "Cheers." Cheers struck me as an inordinately delightful sign-off for business emails, but I loved it. At my next job, though—having no British colleagues—my Cheers felt a … Continue reading On email sign-offs
On being the student who always waited until the last minute to study
Transcribing my daily journals, which I began keeping six years ago, has been startling at times. First, my memory is as poor as I suspected (if not worse!). Second, I see myself more clearly now. Especially at work. A recent entry notes a comment from my boss about a close deadline: Busy day, especially at … Continue reading On being the student who always waited until the last minute to study
On business development and the shame of not knowing everyone
As an introvert, I was never going to be much of a business developer. (I've written previously about my mild aversion to picking up the phone.) But even though I fall on the marketing side of the A/E/C business development-marketing spectrum, sometimes I still find myself in business development situations. Typically, this is a "leads … Continue reading On business development and the shame of not knowing everyone
On valuing your time vs. keeping a client happy
Over the past four Mondays, I've sat in on a series of "bootcamps" for the firm's project managers on a variety of topics. Given that I don't do any project work, these bootcamps weren't all that relevant to me. But—they were very illuminating when it came to understanding my colleagues. The most recent bootcamp focused … Continue reading On valuing your time vs. keeping a client happy
On how jobs do (or don’t) match someone’s skills
In my wife's work world, she knows several people who have gone from the client side to the advertising account or sales side. In theory, these jobs look interchangeable—in practice, they're not. The skills needed to succeed in one are not the same as in the other. My wife explained: A good client is less … Continue reading On how jobs do (or don’t) match someone’s skills
On wondering how to teach writing to architects
As the firm I work for has grown the past few years, I've run up into a repeated problem: I don't have enough time to market every project. The solution seemed obvious: another marketer. With another marketer in the firm, we could tackle it all and make it work, giving every project the marketing support … Continue reading On wondering how to teach writing to architects
On admiring those who pick up the phone and make calls
I used to dread picking up the phone at to make a work call. If I had to made a work call, I'd procrastinate until the last minute. Even calling colleagues was dread-inducing. I've gotten over this dread...for the most part. But it came back to me this week, as it does occasionally, when I … Continue reading On admiring those who pick up the phone and make calls
On the right number of people for meetings
Over the past few years the firm I work for has grown—and so has the size of the leadership. I'm fortunate to be in the leadership group of the firm, and more fortunate still to work for a firm that is serious about creating actual leadership opportunities for Associates, making it more than just a … Continue reading On the right number of people for meetings
On moving past the founders
A few years ago, prepping for a firm anniversary, I had the chance to interview one of the founders. I'd met him only briefly when he'd popped into the office, but I hadn't worked with him—he'd retired years before I joined. Before chatting with him, though, I had a curious request from one of the … Continue reading On moving past the founders
Taylor Coe 