
Developing the next generation of leaders is essential for every engineering firm’s long-term success and sustainability, whether you’re a solo practitioner or amongst the largest firms in the world. Leadership development is not just about succession—it’s a critical investment in building firm value, motivating employees, increasing retention, and ensuring profitability. Firms that embed leadership training into their culture earn the trust and loyalty of their employees and clients while positioning themselves as industry leaders.
This 1-hour webinar provides practical, scalable strategies to create a leadership pipeline tailored to firms of all sizes. Building on the principles of succession planning, this session demonstrates how leadership development drives innovation, strengthens business resilience, and secures your firm’s future.
Presented by: Steven Burns, FAIA

Steven Burns, FAIA, is the founder of The Well-Designed Firm where he focuses on leading AE firms to operational excellence and mentors leaders to craft businesses as elegant and innovative as the architecture that they create. Over the past 2 decades, working directly with over 1,400 firm owners, Steve has significantly contributed to reshaping these businesses for enhanced growth and sustainability. Steve’s career highlights include a 7-year tenure at SOM Chicago, founding BBA Architects in 1993 and growing it to 17 architects before its 2007 sale, and creating ArchiOffice, a groundbreaking project management software company acquired by BQE Software in 2010. In 2009 he was recognized for his significant impact on the profession and elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects.
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