Design firms that do not carefully groom younger firm members for leadership -- a process called mentoring -- may find the future of their practices in serious jeopardy

Hey, kid. Do you remember hearing that? Not only in architecture and design but in all the professions, formal schooling is only the beginning of a career. Degree in hand, the young professional enters into an apprenticeship, gradually grows in skill and responsibility, earns a license, and eventually, one hopes, achieves mastery. To that model of professional training, today's design practices must not ignore another fundamental process -- mentoring -- and another fundamental role, that of the mentor, the experienced and trusted counselor or teacher.

The term "mentoring" is everywhere these days, in conference rooms and design studios, in books on management and in office manuals, in formal presentations and casual conversation. But it's not just the latest buzz-word or the organizational fad of the ‘90s. Increasingly, it's essential to a firm's success, for a number of reasons.

At more and more firms, the original founders are approaching retirement, looking to the next generation in-house for their successors. Those who have not carefully groomed younger firm members for leadership, that is, who have failed to mentor their juniors, are finding the transition painful. The future of the practice they worked so hard to build is in jeopardy; the character and reputation of the firm diluted.

Why do we need to embrace a new culture?

In this information age, it's critical for professionals to stay current with developments and trends in their field, hence the emphasis on continuing education and other formal programs of professional development. But to be a true learning organization, a firm must embrace a culture of continual exploration and discovery. Its leaders must actively encourage individual initiative and creativity, and reward those who nurture rather than control, who share their experience rather than hoard their expertise, who help others to advance rather than jockey for position.

The economic boom is placing great staffing pressures on architecture and design firms, a burden exacerbated by the "missing generation," experienced people in their late 30s and early 40s who either left the profession when times were bad or never entered it at all. Younger employees, pushed more quickly into positions of greater responsibility, are all the more in need of guidance -- both enthusiastic praise and constructive criticism -- from more seasoned firm members.

But good times notwithstanding, competition among firms for projects and for the promising young professionals to produce them has never been tougher. A design practice must be considered as desirable for its supportive, learning environment as it is known for its distinctive character and image. Junior employees don't learn in school about the real world of professional practice -- how to manage the business, how to design and execute a project successfully -- and they won't learn how to exemplify their firm's personality from office manuals. They can only learn by doing, with a mentor's support.

Who's mentoring successfully today?

If the definition of "mentor" leaves considerable room for interpretation, so does the practice of mentoring. Who serves as a mentor, what does he or she do, and how, and how much? All these depend not only on the practice, but on individuals.

Gensler, for instance, has a structured, formal program known as "Buddy Coach Mentor," which is at the heart of the firm's culture. A buddy is a peer, assigned from within the studio or work group to introduce new people to the firm, ease them into social connections with their fellow employees, and generally help them understand Gensler's work process. A coach, too, is assigned, helping people discover their particular interests and guiding their professional development in appropriate directions.

Interestingly, a mentor isn't specifically assigned to a protege, though Gensler expressly fosters an environment that encourages and supports mentoring. Mentors often meet after hours with their proteges, helping guide their career development and sharing experience and insights. But at Gensler, as elsewhere, the mentor/protege relationship tends to be idiosyncratic, depending on a meeting of minds, personalities and professional interests that can't be dictated.

"Coaching, training, and mentoring are fundamental to Gensler's culture," explains Laurie Dreyer, vice president for human resources, based in the firm's San Francisco headquarters. "We work hard at creating an environment in which bright, creative people can grow and thrive. Programs like Buddy Coach Mentor, Gensler University, which develops leadership talent, and our other learning initiatives have all had a tremendous impact on our ability to retain a strong, creative staff."

At Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates, professional development is similarly integral to the firm's culture, and mentoring is encouraged in a variety of ways. The firm is organized in studios of five to 15 people each, small enough to enable the studio principal to play a major role in career development and mentoring. Professional development is further supported by the firm's committee structure: eight groups of just eight people each, at different levels of experience and longevity in the firm, whose responsibilities include providing continuing education programs for the staff at large.

TVS is especially supportive of its interns, a practice in keeping with the philosophy and interests of founding partner (now retired) Ray Stainback, FAIA, who played a major role in establishing the AIA's Intern Development Program. According to Atlanta-based senior principal Foster Lynn, AIA, "We realized that our interns weren't becoming registered as soon as they should have, so we have encouraged them to pursue registration by supporting them with professional development programs." And, like Gensler's Dreyer, he affirms that such programs "have tremendous value in recruiting talented professionals."

There's more than one path to successful mentoring?

NBBJ is also organized in studios whose relatively small size is a deliberate effort to encourage diversity within a large firm, give individuals a sense of belonging, and support mentoring. While there are numerous formal and firm-wide professional development programs and initiatives, each studio has developed its own mentoring process, reflecting its particular character. Some studios assign mentors, others organize mentoring along functional lines, while still others simply facilitate relationships that emerge from friendship and personal chemistry. "Individual skills seem to be the real test," comments John Pangrazio, FAIA, who works out of NBBJ's Seattle office, "and some people are better at mentoring than others. Personally, I favor the process of natural selection. It's in keeping with NBBJ's culture, which acknowledges and nurtures a great variety of talents and interests."

If large architecture and design practices have structures and programs explicitly aimed at mentoring, others take a less formal, but equally effective route. In designing its new offices in Manhattan, Butler Rogers Baskett set out to create an environment that would be conducive to interaction among the staff, make the partners more accessible, and give employees in the firm's two studios a sense of identity and team. At the heart of the space, literally and figuratively, is the Agora (from the ancient Greek for a gathering place), where people come together informally for breaks or lunch, or simply meet on their way from one studio to the other.

"With the Agora, we have a place where people can connect," explains partner Jonathan Butler, AIA. "And once a week, we have an office lunch and a presentation on some aspect of a project. People learn from one another, they share insights and knowledge, and they establish relationships that are an important part of their sense of belonging to the firm."

Like "agora," "mentor" is also borrowed from the Greek, taken from the name of Odysseus's trusted friend who leads the wanderer's son in the search for his father. The ancient term and the contemporary process have common roots: Remember, think, counsel -- words of wisdom for supportive mentors and successful design practices alike.