This past week, the Emerging Leaders Program welcomed
guest speaker John Crawford of Downtown Dallas Inc. Our session met downtown,
at the newly remodeled One Dallas Center [ODC] - headquarters building for HKS
Architects. This aging skyscraper, originally designed by I.M. Pei, was
until recently nearly abandoned, and had fallen into disrepair However, since
the remodeling effort, ODC has become an impressive example of the
revitalization of the Central Business District as downtown’s commercial and
residential growth continues to explode. Considering the surroundings of this
month’s session, there was no more fitting speaker to present than John Crawford,
one of the key individuals responsible for the resurgence of Downtown Dallas.
John is the president and CEO of Downtown
Dallas Inc. [DDI], which is a non-profit firm championing the transformation of
downtown Dallas into a vibrant, urban center. During his tenure as the
CEO of DDI, the downtown residential population has grown by over 50%.
This has been accompanied by corresponding increases in retail absorption,
construction of new parks, and new multi-modal thoroughfares.
John spoke with the ELP group at length about
what it takes to become an influential leader within the community, and the
characteristics he viewed as vital. Most importantly, he stressed the
necessity of building a network of relationships with every engagement or
endeavor along the way. He also emphasized the importance of selecting
organizational involvement based first and foremost on personal interests and
satisfaction. He also gave an interesting perspective on volunteering
ones ‘sweat equity’ and not merely one’s wallet. Immediately following his
talk, a lively discussion ensued. John entertained our questions about
the future of Dallas’ growth, including his stance on several controversial
topics such as the parking/transit situation for new Downtown developments, and
the proposed tear-down of I-345.
After Mr. Crawford’s lecture, we filled
ourselves with fried pies from Bakers Ribs, and were treated to another
excellent leadership counseling session by Pete DeLisle. This month Pete
covered: reactions and solutions to threat perception, and tips on how to
flourish in high-pressure situations. After the session the leaders and a few
sponsors gathered for happy hour at The Library in the Woolworth. If you
have not been here yet – I strongly recommend you go…it’s how I imagine Ron
Burgundy’s apartment from Anchorman to be: Leather-bound books and rich mahogany
abound.
Needless to say it’s a great venue for a cocktail!
Last week’s session was characteristic of the
level of quality we have enjoyed at each of our monthly sessions.
Informative and engaging guest speakers paired with fantastic leadership
insight from Pete has made ELP a highly successful platform for crafting the
future leadership of our profession. As this year’s ELP class begins to
wind I would like to extend thanks from all of 2014’s class to AIA Dallas, as
well as the sponsorship from our respective firms that have allowed us to participate.
-Paul Ferrer | HKS Inc
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