Graduate Stories – 2003

Scott Teas is Founder and Principal of TFH Architects, P.A..

The importance of having a clear vision about where those of us at the helm are steering the organization.

After 25 years of maintaining a successful architectural practice, it seemed the only thing “intentional” about our management was creative problem solving. It wasn’t until I began The Seven Intentions® that my firm became more focused, with a clear direction of who we are and where we’re going. The constant, and sometimes contradictory, demands of developing creative design solutions under tight fiscal and time constraints, all while managing a business created an overly reactive work environment. We clearly needed a solid foundation from which key decisions could be made. By learning to understand one’s destiny, values rather than profitability begins to form that foundation. In our case it was a desire to serve the community and to respect the natural environment. Leadership based on these values has empowered both management and our employees through a clearer sense of purpose and shared objectives.

The course looks at who we are in a much more holistic way. A journey that begins with “connecting with goodness” then moves on to the self discovery of “knowing thyself” and ends with “passing it on” can’t help but ground a decision making process and galvanize a workforce. This focus sets it apart from other formulaic programs.

Now that I continue to work on these concepts in a Leadership Circle, I feel not only internal growth, but also the growth of my peers. An extraordinary degree of sharing goes on. And it’s particularly wonderful when we not only share but actually get involved, maybe even offer counsel about how we might deal with a particular problem – again, always grounded in the Intentions. And we don’t seem to burn out. I think that’s a testament to the wisdom of the course. We are all adamant about keeping this as a part of our lives, both as a reminder that The Seven Intentions® are there and as a way to implement them in our daily lives.

Did anything dramatic happen after taking the course? Personally, before the Intentions I never once sat down to define where I was, where I wanted to be, or how to get there. And that lack of clearly defined direction worked for me, but I’m not sure it worked for my firm. Now, I recognize the importance of having a clear vision about where those of us at the helm are steering the organization. For me the important thing was awareness – intentional versus reactive behavior. There is little doubt that TFH Architects’ recent successes have their roots in The Seven Intentions®. My associates are more grounded and committed to their efforts. We discuss matters more openly; communication flows two-ways and we’re better able to build on each other’s ideas. We look forward to the future as we connect with like-minded clients who recognize that we offer a more responsive kind of service – a service based on values.