On saying no (or yes) to problem clients, Part 2

I had more to say about "problem clients," so here's Part 2. (Part 1 is here.) There's one common justification I hear for taking a "problem client." (By "problem client," I refer to those clients who pose some form of ethical discomfort for firm employees. How you define a "problem client" depends, obviously, on who … Continue reading On saying no (or yes) to problem clients, Part 2 →

On saying no (or yes) to problem clients, Part 1

Because I'm on the front end of projects, sometimes I'm in a position to say no to them. When you see professional service firms doing work for unsavory clients, it can be easy on the outside to cast stones. But from the inside, it's not so easy. Last year, my firm received an RFP from … Continue reading On saying no (or yes) to problem clients, Part 1 →

On the nitpicking joy of InDesign layout

I've been a mere two weeks off from work for paternity leave, and I missed it. One thing I missed, but didn't expect to? The utter banality of InDesign layout. Many knowledge work jobs have their weeds—when you break out your finetooth comb and lose yourself in the details. The other way to consider this … Continue reading On the nitpicking joy of InDesign layout →

On the best ideas in Mad Men appearing outside the office

The final seasons of Mad Men coincided with the beginning and end of my career in publishing. My final job in publishing—my first was "marketing" obscure books in the academic books division—was in the Dictionaries division at Oxford University Press, creating original web content—mainly blog posts—for the now-defunct Dictionaries website. When I first took the … Continue reading On the best ideas in Mad Men appearing outside the office →

On why me taking parental leave is a good thing for my employer

For my firm, it’s a work week like any other. For me, it’s a non-work week—my wife and I are home from the hospital with a new baby and work doesn’t enter the picture. But somewhere in the multiverse, I am logging on in my home office and join that work week, despite having a … Continue reading On why me taking parental leave is a good thing for my employer →

On using ChatGPT for A/E/C marketing, Part 2

Yesterday, I wrote about an important AI-related skill knowledge workers like me will need to develop in the next few years. Today, I’m writing not so much about a skill as a revelation. A big news story about ChatGPT has been the reaction of Google, with CEO Sundar Pinchai declaring a “code red” in response … Continue reading On using ChatGPT for A/E/C marketing, Part 2 →

On using ChatGPT for A/E/C marketing, Part 1

I recently wrote about needing to embrace ChapGPT (and/or its future competitors) as part of our future workplace. So I gave it a shot. And while the results weren't great, they were decent enough to confirm that there's an essential skill A/E/C marketers—and many other knowledge workers—will need to develop in the next few years: … Continue reading On using ChatGPT for A/E/C marketing, Part 1 →

On the back cover of digital documents

I'll admit it: I still think in print. We all do, to some extent—the default document size in our digital world remains an 8.5x11" sheet of paper. Open up Microsoft Word or a Google Document to see what I mean. A few years ago, I realized that I was generating proposals and qualifications submissions in … Continue reading On the back cover of digital documents →

On struggling to consider sales goals

How should we think about sales? Our firm—and most professional services firms—consider sales as distinct from revenue. Sales. When our firm wins a new project, we negotiate a contract with the client. Usually, that contract includes a lump sum fee. Let's say the fee is $500,000. Once the contract is signed, we count this as … Continue reading On struggling to consider sales goals →