One of the benefits being of business consultant,  is that I have the opportunity to meet remarkable leaders.   I am always fascinated to hear about their personal leadership journey and hope to share their stories with you.   I recently had the pleasure of having lunch with Tricia Esser, CEO of KGTY Group, Inc. a full-service architectural and planning firm established in 1991.  

I met Tricia, last year when she volunteered to participate in a United Way sponsored program to help working women in Orange County achieve economic self-sufficiency.    Not only was she leading the 4th largest architectural firm as listed in the Orange County Business Journal, she’s a mom of two and a makes time to give back to the community.

Her career there started in 1991 as a controller. later taking on the CFO position and at the same time as the economy took an abrupt turn, she took the helm as CEO in June, 2o06.   Ever the optimist, while it’s been a difficult time to lead, the economic slowdown created  conditions for change.

Here are some of the highlights of our conversation.

Leadership Insight:  Her decision-making style was initially misunderstood.  In her quest to be inclusive and seek multiple perspectives, before making key decisions was at first questioned by colleagues.   Now they understand it’s not that she doesn’t want to make a decision on her own, but is interested in gathering and analyzing different view points.

Leadership Challenge:  With 5 offices, she faces challenges of communication and perpetuating their unique culture.

Personal Nugget:   Feeling the pull of family and work, she suggests asking, “Who needs me most right now?”  This has helped ground her choices and balance her life.

Advice for other Leaders:   She has felt the isolation that many top executives experience and believes that one of the best things she did was to establish a personal advisory board.    Their honest, and very candid, feedback has helped her grow as a leader and a person.

What’s Next:    She knows how to downsize, and is excited to be back on the path to growth as she sees positive signals in the local economy.

I asked her in what way had she surprised herself as a leader, and she said, “I have a much stronger backbone, than I thought.”

She’s  been with KGTY for almost 20 years, what’s  kept her there?    A collaborative,  flexible work environment  has been a key factor to her loyalty and she continues to embrace this culture as CEO.   We wish her well on her journey.