2019 Directory

38 WYOMING ARCHITECTURE .19 | www.aia-wyoming.org Architect, The Trusted Advisor BY FORMER NORTH DAKOTA SENATOR LONNIE J. LAFFEN , AIA G reat places don’t happen by accident; as architects, we know this better than anyone. Great places result from great leadership. Most people do not realize, however, that School Districts, Cities, Counties, and States do not have full-time paid leadership. Leadership is borrowed from the public in the form of school boards, city councils, county commissions, and legislatures. Yes, there are superintendents, mayors, and governors, but these positions are primarily administrative; they execute the plans prescribed by the volun- teer leaders. So, a question: Do you see architects provid- ing this leadership in your community? Are architects at the civic leadership table? Are they volunteering to provide the leadership required to make their communities great places to live? I have to say the answer to that question is no, but they should be. I grew up in a small community (Wimbledon, N.D., pop: 250) where service to the community was automatic; we didn’t have enough people. I started volunteering with the fire depart- ment at age 17. Over my career as an architect, I’ve had the opportunity to “volunteer” my leadership skills to dozens of church boards, chamber boards, hospital boards, and the like. My experience culminated when I was elected and served two terms in the North Dakota State Senate – while, at the same time, acting as the full-time CEO of my 120-person architecture firm. Many people have asked, “Why would you do this”? The answer is simple: the State of North Dakota needed an architect on their Board of Directors. I believe that every orga- nization needs us – and yet, we are not there. When I served in the North Dakota Legislature there were only four of us amongst the more than 7,000 state legislators in America. So why architects? Let me describe the personal attributes that I have found to be the perfect skillset for effective leadership: a. Visionary thinker b. Excellent planner c. Understands the scale of money d. Capable of seeing the big picture e. Excellent communicator f. Effective problem solver g. Good stewards of other people’s money h. Genuine care for improving the lives of others I know of no other profession that can check all these boxes as well as architects. So why should we be there? Like I stated earlier: our skills can make America better. But of equal importance: policy affects our profession. Some places are trying to eliminate the need for architectural licensing. These places do not understand Health, Safety &Welfare. These places have no idea what we do or the value we provide. Can you fix all these issues by being there? I can attest that you can – and more. You will become the trusted advisor on everything related to public places, facilities, construction, and even public infrastructure. There is simply no one there who understands these issues as well as we do. So why are architects not at the table? Likely two reasons. The first is that it takes a lot of time, and not everyone can fit it into their practice. That is a legitimate concern. I am fortunate to be a part of a large company that can afford to loan out its leaders. We have found great dividends in the connections, information, and skills we have developed along the way. Without any doubt, these dividends have made it well worth the time commitment. The bigger issue, I suspect, is a conflict of inter- est – real or perceived. We often work for these same institutions and some will exclude you working for them if you serve in their organiza- tion. If you work for all your schools, city, and county, then yes, you will need to watch from afar. I will offer one possibility that has worked very well for me: your state legislature. State legislatures pass laws that affect every- one; it’s not personal. Conflicts seldom arise, as the policy decisions are very broad. My firm does a lot of work for the state of North Dakota, but conflicts rarely occur as policy decisions such as funding occur long before architects are selected. We compete for state projects in an open, well-defined, and inclusive process. On a rare occasion, I needed to ab- stain from a vote because we may have already won the project ahead of a legislative vote. To put it in perspective, that only happened twice in eight years. Lastly, some of you may be concerned about putting an “R” or a “D” behind your name. I had that same concern but found it to be a non-issue. Did my firm lose some work because of the “R” behind my name? I’m guessing we did. Did we win some clients because of that “R”? I know that to be the case. Mostly, people will respect you for giving your time and ser- vice. The new lifetime friendships and connec- tions are priceless. If you would consider this challenge and want to talk, give me a call, I’d love to help. My number is 218.779.2012, and I look forward to speaking with you. b