Thirty years into his career as an architect, Bryan found himself – at the request of his long-time client, Boeing – standing in front of 50 middle managers who all expected him to train them how to identify different workstyles and integrate them into a new and better way of working. Bryan was out over his skis. He realized that the key success factor on any project is the people – how we interact with the client and how firms and teams organize themselves for success. He didn’t know enough. Bryan enrolled in a Master’s degree program in Organizational Design and it changed his life.
I’m a little bit in awe of connected and aligned people and what they can accomplish.
From this point onwards, Bryan has worked to immerse himself and his clients in a true participatory design experience. He’s learned that leading with questions rather than solutions reveals and sustains a dialogue about what’s important and meaningful to people. Bryan acknowledges that he’s led many architecture projects that are impressive to others, but the most rewarding experience of his career was building B+H’s Seattle studio. The integration of strategy and design attracted exceptional design talent and facilitated a culture of curiosity and inquiry that creates a context in which everyone can do their best work.
People are Bryan’s inspiration. His deepest purpose is to be of service to others. He loves being with people and fostering a sense of connection, clarity and possibilities for his “tribe.” His motivation is to access human potential, creating value for every client and organization he works with. Bryan is not yet done reinventing himself. He still plans to learn to surf, to see the Northern Lights, and hopes one day to visit the living national treasures in Japan, travelling to remote, rustic studios and experiencing the pure, unfiltered energy of extraordinary artists and master artisans at work.