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Singapore, Weekend 30-1 May 2016

Guaranteed no travel over the next week as I just submitted my passport for a business visa renewal! (Un)fortunately the country’s consulate here in Singapore is not that efficient when it comes to processing applications of non-Singapore residents which means that I can only collect my passport back end of next week…This will allow me to focus on my practice, my team and my ongoing projects. With my project director resigning and being booted out of one of our projects this week I have some reflection and stabilisation work to do over the coming weeks. I guess we all go through “failures” from time to time and acknowledging them, learning from them and moving on is as much part of our lives as the successes we share. This week I would like to reflect on the two types “failures” I experienced. I do emphasize that these reflections are personal and not meant as a vindictive thought towards staff or clients, but shared in the spirit of the blog of what is going on in my life as a lighting designer.

People
As the founder and principal of the company that bears my name I have a responsibility towards providing for the staff that form the heart and driving force of the company as well as towards our clients in the delivery of our services to the quality and professionalism expected. This, to a large degree, comes down to people skills and managing people’s expectations. The size of our practice is considered small and with an open plan office set up we see and hear everything wat is going on in the office. We are virtually a small family that (should) care for each other and in principle have each other’s back. I certainly, as the “patriarch” of the family, have a responsibility to make sure everyone behaves as a family member and look after everyone accordingly. Like every family as we grow and mature, there are new additions and departures to and from the family. New additions or departures can unsettle the existing balance and cause disruptions and adaptation problems.

But as our little family has been growing, I have been on the lookout for a suitable “number two” to make it less dependable on me with a wider base of knowledge and team responsibility. The first one I hired was young, ambitious and self-assured. Being a tight nit group it took the team a while to accept the “new arrival” at the time but it gradually sorted itself out to a smooth working balance of power, capabilities and responsibilities. However over time he grew more ambitious and not surprisingly decided after a few years to venture out on his own. A proposed partnership in the company was not in his plans…that happens and you deal with it, but it meant starting the process over again. Did I fail in growing him as a future leader and partner? Obviously yes in regards to keeping him in my own practice, but possibly not if he succeeds in establishing himself with his own venture…time will tell.

My project director who resigned this week was deliberately the opposite, of an older generation, presumed wise, knowledgeable, mature and skillful, which had generated much expectation for a long partnership. I had judged his skills from our social encounters and professional discussions but it is only once someone is put to the test under actual work conditions that you can see if projected maturity and knowledge translate in practical project and management skills. The integration in the team and the change, inspiration and leadership that I had hoped for did not show or materialise. I attributed it to issues typical to many new beginnings, adjustment to the new work environment, a different system, my own team being “hostile” (not ready for a change?) and different styles of communication. In the end I can only blame myself. Whether the sudden resignation is an admission of his own failings or the result of shortcomings of my own leadership is academic. I assessed his competence, I assumed certain leadership qualities, made the decision. But it did not materialise and the integration failed. I am sure we both learned and can only wish him well in his new “family”.

Projects
Proud and concerned about the well-being and image of my company we strive to deliver to our clients beyond expectation. While that is easily said it is a daily challenge to achieve this with at times unreasonable deadlines and budgets to comply with. Nevertheless good communication and an efficient, tight project management generally keeps our client not only well informed but also up to date with our progress. Over the years I had very little project failures, but I have had them, the notoriously unhappy client, the-my-way-or-the-highway client, the totally unreasonable client. Regardless of how far you bent over backwards, you can never satisfy them which occasionally ends in early termination from a project. Most of the time when it happens the relationship has already deteriorated to such level that the termination is actually a relief ending the “suffering”. Invariably, and proud as I am, I see that as a failure to satisfy my client. But you can’t win them all as they say. While it may just be a personality or cultural clash, a termination is always a failure from either one or both to come to a resolve.

Coincidently the project that I had fully entrusted to my project director run into such “clash” and out of left corner we were un-ceremonially booted out of the project during this week’s site visit. We can only deduce that we did not perform up to expectation, which to me is a failure of the company regardless of how you twist and turn the story. The fact is that the client viewed our team and thus the company as incompetent or unable to perform to their satisfaction. We clearly did not manage their expectation in that respect. Could we have done better, did they change the goal posts…perhaps, perhaps not? I did not get much wiser from the de-brief and hopefully we will in the weeks to come better understand what and where we went wrong so we can learn for the future. As the principal I am obviously troubled by this, but as the “boss” I can only blame myself for not having anticipated and interfered earlier.

Meanwhile in lighting world…
To end on a brighter note I was proud to be named along my peers and shown on a large billboard at the ongoing San Diego Light Fair amongst as one of the past keynote speakers…proud to be named among some of the perceived leading lighting designers of this time…

In other news a little German town unveiled floor recessed traffic lights at a pedestrian crossing going with the times where many people today are so busy social app-ing that they look down to their phone rather then up around them! Another manufacturer used the same argument for integrating LED signage and emergency exit lighting into carpets as well…

Finally and following in the steps of the car emission scandals (Volkswagen, Mitsubishi) lighting manufacturers have been caught out on overstating performance and efficiency! It seems a worldwide epidemic for companies in all product sectors to misreport all in the name of money I dare say…

Have a great (long) weekend.