January always feels like a time for new beginnings. When we flip over the calendar page, we have a clean slate; whatever the ups and downs of the previous year were, we have the opportunity to look forward when a new year begins. The previous year (or two) brought challenges to us all, but in uncertain times we revisit the values that serve as our guiding principles: excellence, integrity, empowerment, collaboration, balance, stewardship, and caring. We’ve learned that we can’t always predict what’s next, but our values form a strong foundation and our vision points the way forward. Through successes and challenges, we lean on the things that endure, and we lean on each other.

For the last several weeks, LS3P’s Operations and Finance Managers representing each of our offices have explored these core values and how they are made visible throughout the firm. As we look forward to the fresh opportunities the year ahead will bring, we can apply these values at the individual level, across our teams and the firm, and outward into our communities for maximum positive impact.

It Starts with Each of Us

Our firm is made up of individuals, each with different talents, interests, backgrounds, and goals. Our collective successes and our community impacts begin at the individual level, and we are extremely fortunate to work with team members who strive for excellence and work with integrity in all that they do.  Excellence is the baseline that encourages continuous learning, inspires innovation, and motivates us to level up in our daily tasks. In setting a high bar for our designs, our processes, and our service, we each have a role to play in elevating our firm and supporting our clients. Integrity, likewise, grows from each individual’s commitment to doing the right thing, every time, even when it’s hard. It’s how we earn trust and build the relationships that keep us moving forward.

We Build Momentum Together

Our values are amplified when we combine individual excellence and integrity with the collective values that help our teams, offices, practice areas, and the firm as a whole to thrive. Teams who lean into empowerment encourage everyone around them to work to their fullest potential, contribute, and grow. Collaboration is critical to blending the right expertise and skills to elevate each design; with the benefit of technology, we are more able than ever to collaborate across offices, across states, and even across countries.  Balance comes into play as we build project teams with the right blend of skills and experience, manage workloads and schedules, and make time for the joyful things that keep us whole.

Our Impact Grows

Turning outward, our core values encourage us to be ever mindful of, and engaged with, our communities. Wise stewardship of our resources- our time, our energy, and our budgets- allows us to pursue pro bono projects, volunteer in our communities, and mentor the next generation of designers. We are also deeply committed to stewardship on behalf of the natural environment, the people we serve, and the finances we manage for our clients. In taking care of the details as well as the big picture, we realize that the “small” things aren’t small at all, and this definitely applies to caring for the people around us. If excellence is our baseline, then caring is what unites us and makes the work we do worthwhile.

Looking ahead to this new year, we are optimistic about the exciting work that lies ahead, and we are glad to share this work with so many talented colleagues and friends. We also understand that ongoing issues in the world around us will require patience, problem solving, and resilience. Remembering that our values are touchstones which guide us along the way, we are confident that we can meet all of the opportunities in the year ahead with the tools we need to succeed, for ourselves, our teams, our firm, and our communities.