Episode 051: Designing a Culture of Mentorship

How can architects rethink studio culture through conversations on mentorship?

In this week’s episode Evelyn Lee interviews Practice Disrupted co-host Je’Nen Chastain to learn more about her work on mentorship and leadership development at Apostrophe Consulting. Je’Nen shares her vision for helping her clients assess and redesign their talent development strategies. She explains why this is critical at the individual level to support better project work.

As architect leaders continue to seek out ways to improve their firm operations, Je’Nen believes mentorship is an underutilized pathway towards strengthening creative teams from the inside out. Over the past decade she has studied leaders and leadership in architecture, yielding the creation of training programs and resources in support of architects and emerging professionals. Her work has become increasingly focused on organizational behavior, specifically in support of helping emerging architect leaders grow and reimagine their studio environments. 

Tune in to learn more about her work, her observations, and key skills leaders can work on today to enhance mentorship conversations in practice. Interested in working with Je’Nen? Check out Apostrophe Consulting

Guest:

Je’Nen Chastain is a consultant trained in architecture and business management with a decade of experience working with award-winning architects. She founded Apostrophe Consulting to help architecture firms win more work, build a culture of leadership and trust within the studio, and create a pipeline for emerging leaders to grow. She is the co-host of Practice Disrupted, a podcast that addresses how technology, cultural shifts, and emerging best practices in business are prompting industry disruption and transformation. A recipient of the 2017 AIA Associates Award, Je’Nen holds both a B.Arch and an MBA. She specializes in facilitating conversations that engage multi-generational teams and has designed, developed, and presented dozens of professional development training programs that inspire next-gen leaders.

Show Links:

📍 Apostrophe Consulting

📚 Continue Learning:

WorkLife with Adam Grant, season 4, episode 20: Is it Safe to Speak Up at Work? (Transcript)

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Tired of dealing with generic IT providers? ArchIT offers Complete IT Solutions for Architecture, Design, and Engineering firms, including helping architects fight back against ransomware and cybersecurity attacks. Visit https://getarchit.com/pd/  to set up your free 15-min Cyber Security Assessment, or custom solutions for your design firm.

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