It’s a really great thing to be a leader of an architecture, engineering, or environmental consulting firm. The corner office, company car, executive pay and bonus, and ample vacation time are enviable prizes after years of dedicated work. Likewise, what’s not to love about the immense responsibility of guiding the organization out of the worst economy in decades? Who can dispute that the pressure and power to make the right decisions were worth climbing the ladder for?

The people we lead generally expect us to have answers for everything divined through absolute clarity— whether the climate is stormy or calm. The truth is, we’ll never have all the answers and we’ll never be perfectly certain that the decisions we make are foolproof. The difference for 2010, however, is that leaders will be re-evaluating the list of decisions to be made— and concentrating efforts on those most important to firms’ strategic plans. 

There is also a strategic way to handle that filter— and wisely discern what constitutes a strategic decision and what doesn’t. In the coming year, when everyone is vying for the same small batch of clients and searching desperately for the ultimate point of differentiation, consider the focus certain leaders will have.

n Good— but not strategic. Strategy implies planning; thoughtful, deliberate, and calculated thinking, the results of which carry long term impacts and benefits. Deciding where to cut costs, implementing a system for quicker AR collection, finding firms to collaborate with, migrating to Deltek and Revit, or asking managers to become more diligent about business development is not strategic. These are fine maintenance activities certain people in the firm can perform, but they shouldn’t be the highlights. The team is expecting much more and the firm will require a whole lot more if it wants to grow in 2010. 

n Better— asking intense questions. Before we even get to the place where we are balancing one option against another and need to make a choice, we have to be asking the right questions. Formulating these requires an intense understanding of the marketplace and what’s brewing inside it. It also requires an honest look inward at what the firm is capable of and interested in handling. Consider what level of change is required— not just technically, but emotionally and professionally. Rather than ask what markets have money, ask what services are needed. Instead of chasing the latest trend, which is typically broad in nature, drill down into one particular area within it. Is your organizational structure capable of doing what needs to get done? Will the board of directors be effective this year? What did they actually accomplish for us last year? 

n Best— thinking like a strategist. We can all think of someone or some firm that landed what we deemed a lucky break and turned it into an exciting story of success. This level of achievement is not always derived of methodical effort. It is possible to be so engrossed in a business plan that one fails to capture a prime opportunity at the right time. Those chances arise in environments like these, where economists are unsure week in and week out, and where the industries we are in involved in change before our very eyes. Leaders who think like strategists identify and utilize the potential and swiftly make the decision to pursue it. You can’t profit from waiting for others to try it and learning from their lessons. Your success will come by pairing your firm with a positive or negative change in the industry, and twisting it to your advantage. It requires innovative thought and courage, but it will carry you further this year than by doing the same as you’ve done before. 

Think about what your own outlook is for the year and about the types of decisions you need to make that will make a big difference. No matter how 2009 turned out for anyone, it is behind us, and 2010 presents its own unique set of challenges and opportunities. As a leader in your firm, everyone is counting on you.