I know that my grandmother’s apple pie recipe will never change. Some things are set in stone and they will always be the way they are. I don’t know what my job is going to be like next year. I don’t know what changes technology will continue to have on the office. It’s important to…
Users vs. You
It’s amazing how often we forget that we’re in a customer service business. Goal number one should always be service. In real estate the only way to keep winning business is by establishing relationships – but sometimes that means getting them the best option possible even at the sake of our own short term gains….
Lessons from an Icon
Steve Jobs has stepped down as CEO of Apple and it’s the end of an era in Silicon Valley. But this move will send waves through many, many industries. There are going to be lots of stories and lessons learned and myths coming out in the next few weeks about the impact Steve Jobs had…
Changing the Rules
Industries are most likely to change once everyone believes that the rules are fixed and everyone has to play the game exactly the same way. Once group-think sets in, the probability of sudden and dramatic change becomes greater. Real estate is in that state now. Most participants are playing it the same way – follow…
Gen Y and Technology
I’ve been trying to think of a good way to talk about Gen Y and the workforce/workplace and GigaOM has provided an excellent jumping in post about Gen Y and their relationship with IT. They have all the information around how Gen Y interacts with these groups but miss one critical point: Gen Y is…
Display Quality
This title could go two ways, but today it’s all about making things look good. It’s amazing (or not depending on your background) how important the look of a sales presentation or report has on the audience receiving it. A mediocre but good looking report goes further than a thoroughly researched and checked, thrown together…
Decision Making – Define
Defining a real estate problem can be a complex undertaking. Generally, the main driving factor is simply total cost of the space. But this approach completely neglects the impact that real estate has on people, process and performance. I’ve never had a project where the number one criteria wasn’t financial cost. But surprisingly, it turns…
Decision Making
Real estate decisions by nature are drawn out affairs. No matter how quickly you decide what you want to do, there will be a minimum time to negotiate with all parties and eventually get to a final decision. It’s a lot like steering a large ship on the ocean….actions take time to propagate through the…
Real Estate and the Future of Urban Centers
There are two growing trends that are going to drastically impact the future of our city centers: rising fuel costs and telecommuting. Traditional pundits look at rising fuel costs and forecast the return of well populated urban areas. If it costs an arm and a leg for people to drive to work, food and play…
Continuous Improvement
One thing is true of all real estate….once it is put in place and moved into, it’s really hard to change it. Taking a 5 year lease on space in a building for your business is typical, making material changes once you are in it is not. However, continuous improvement is critical to maintaining your…