Content area
Full text
O'Donnell Wicklund Pigozzi & Peterson Architects, a 255-person architecture/engineering firm in Chicago, began searching for new officers 10 years ago. The process gave the original owners a chance to do some soul-searching, examining and redefining the long-term goals of the company and its leadership principles.
Founded in 1958, OWP&P began planning for change in 1988, when Len Wicklund, FAIA, the firm's CFO at the time, and Larry O'Donnell, FAIA, announced their retirement plans. But it wasn't until February 1995, after months of research and intensive meetings, that an in-house task force produced a set of transition guidelines.
The guidelines spell out the steps to a smooth transition, as well as stating that the most important quality the firm's leadership can possess is...