Rethinking Advantages as Personal Responsibility for Collective Change
Special thank you to Elisif Brandon
Kelly Haigh is a Partner at designLAB architects, an advocate, and an educator. She is an active collaborator with Boston Society of Architects and served as Chair of BSA Women in Design. She has helped launch a number of programs that support mid-career women, including a program that pairs participants with senior-level mentors for nine-month mentorships. Kelly is a 2018 AIA Young Architect Award recipient. We love our occasional chats with Kelly, whether over coffee or recently on zoom. They always bring new perspectives and thoughts to reflect on for the future. Take a look below.
Kelly Haigh
How did you get to where you are, Partner at designLAB?
A major part of the equation is that I come from a very small town in Florida, which had no licensed architects. So I entered my education at the University of Florida starting from square one, learning about architecture without any ideas or preconceptions of what that means. In hindsight, I’m really grateful for that, because I entered design school wholly inspired. Over the course of my education I became a little bit disenchanted by the idea of being a practicing architect and actually decided I wanted to teach instead. This was partly because my passion was really focused on the design process and partly that I assumed some of the egos I saw around me at school would be even more challenging in the profession. And I knew myself- I would self-destruct in a work environment with so much ego!
I did teach a little after graduation then came to Boston somewhat on a whim to give the profession a try. I was looking for a very short-term professional experience that could underpin my teaching credentials, but then I ended up at designLAB, which was a really compatible fit from the start. And here I am 12 years later, now a Partner.
Along the path, what challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
Most of my challenges were actually self-imposed. In design school, I had a lot of insecurities that held me back, so the first major challenge in the profession was gaining some confidence in my own voice and believing my ideas had value beyond a theoretical position. Thankfully, I landed in a really collaborative environment that welcomes voices and opinions at all levels, which let me build my experience and confidence so that I could develop as an architect. In hindsight, it was really the personal challenge of getting out of my own way. I still keep in touch with some of my professors, and some of them have expressed a little surprise that I took to the profession and became a Partner so quickly. It’s great to go back with the assurance you didn’t have as a student, and they’ve been so supportive of me over the years.
As someone, who thrives off of interactions with other people, what I think I’ve enjoyed most about the profession is working with clients and other team members, because it doesn’t feel like it’s all about me. In school when you are working on your own project, it can start to feel a little single-minded, or that the design was all about me and my own vision or values. But in the profession, the clients have names and faces and you are imagining spaces with them and for them. I’ve found that really rewarding. Throughout my time at designLAB, I learned that my ideas were as valid as anyone’s, and that there are many ways to add value to a project, whether you are the expert or project lead, or whether you are supporting others’ vision. It took a long time and many different transitions to see that change in myself, but I think it ultimately came down to the relationships with the people I was designing for, and the team I was designing with.
Have you experienced any advantages and/ or disadvantages of being a woman in the profession?
I landed in a firm that was looking to have women in leadership roles, so I would say being a woman actually benefited my growth in the earlier stages of my career. There were often times I would have an opportunity to participate in a job interview or conference presentation before my male counterparts, because we always tried to be mindful about our gender balance on teams. That said, I do understand this is my personal experience in this particular firm. I try to be self-aware of the advantages I’ve been given, because I know that is not the case for many. When I talk to my friends across the country or in different firms, I often hear vastly different experiences, which is actually the reason why I have become so involved in WID over the years. I know from personal experience that firms can be better and more mindful about equity, and if my experience can be proof to others that those kinds of firms exist, then it is my responsibility to help others advocate for better experiences too.
I think there are two ways to think about disadvantages. The first, when you are in the disadvantaged position, is to know who your allies are and make sure you are strategic about how to tackle the issues with them. For example, once we were working with this vendor, who was very dismissive of me, likely due to my gender or my age or a combination of the two. Of course I could sense this dynamic the minute I walked in the room for our first meeting, whereas the men on my team didn’t immediately pick up on it. But considering them as my allies, we nipped it together. As soon as we finished the meeting, I shared my own feelings about this dynamic, and they immediately believed me and trusted in my reading. We decided that in future interactions they would let me speak first, and they would refer back to what I would say to underscore my authority on the matter. And that was huge. The easier path could have been to avoid the awkwardness by letting a male colleague deal with him, but instead it was a growth opportunity on our end, to have each other’s backs in this way. And I have always been really grateful for their trust and support.
For me, the flip-side has actually been an even larger growth opportunity, which is being in the position of advantage. I have been thinking about my own privilege quite a bit over the last few months, especially in light of the racial awakening that our society is going through. And just like my male colleagues who didn’t read gender discrimination immediately, I know I have my own blind spots that need to be worked on. I think the onus is on me to correct these, so I can be an ally to others. Not just so that I can be more aware and sensitive of the discrimination others may be experiencing, but also so that I can make sure our firm is as mindful and purposeful on issues of race as we’ve been with gender.
If you could change any work-related policy, what would it be?
It is important with office policies, whatever they are, to recognize that there are individual needs and dynamics that come into play. You need to give latitude for people to chart their own course within the firm. Now that I am in the position of writing office policies, I see that you need to put intentional language to your firm values and develop systems to make sure you are holding yourself and others’ accountable. And you have to acknowledge and honor the individual people when you create policies. This pandemic has really shed a light on how much everyone’s personal lives are intertwined with their work experience, because it’s on display in real time. But there is an opportunity to grow with that. We have all had to find different ways to survive, whether it’s moving to another state so that you have better access to nature, or whether your in-laws move in to help with the kids. Everyone is trying to find a way to make life, family, work, and play possible. And I think it is great that it’s on display and we’re able to be a little more empathetic toward each other through this time.
I’ve been a part of so many conversations about work-life balance and flexibility, and sometimes it gets overly-simplified to parental leave. Granted, I have two young kids so I understand how important flexibility and parental leave is, but I also think there are a lot of people who have other interests that are not young children that bring great value to their lives, and we need to give them space to pursue those as well. Some people may never want kids, but are just as fulfilled traveling the world to run marathons. As policy makers we need to step back and realize that our own needs and challenges are not necessarily everyone else’s, and be creative about how we give space for people to pursue their own life interests. For example, I have had colleagues who are hikers, furniture makers, Jeopardy champions, home renovators, or have created arts installations at music festivals, and we would want them to feel just as supported in pursuing those interests as the parents are. Not only because it is the equitable thing to do, but also because it leads to more fulfilled team members and it enlivens the office to have people with personal passions. It is always important to acknowledge that even when making global policies, you have to allow for the individual human.
What tips would you give to both emerging professionals and leaders?
One of the best pieces of advice I got from a professor, back when I was questioning whether I wanted to be an architect or not, was that “every firm has a different personality and it is important for you to find a firm whose personality is compatible with yours.” I think it is really important to consider how you feel about the work you do, and that there is alignment between the values of the firm and your own personal values. You are better at your job if there is compatibility between you, the firm, and your team. I also think that it is important to reflect on what you are doing and why, so that you can make deliberate steps toward crafting a career that is intentionally yours. Own it, let it be personal, for both you and others around you.
I would also say, to both emerging professionals and leadership, that we as a profession have a long way to go in creating spaces that are truly equitable. And that this is an issue with how we practice and also what we make. Throughout this pandemic, I have been trying to fill in some of my own knowledge gaps about how the design field reinforces systemic injustices, and it’s been really challenging. But I also think it is an opportunity to have conversations that bridge staff and leadership. Like many other firms, we have been taking a deep dive into our own practices around social justice issues, and it has been an opportunity for both partners and emerging professionals to come together to chart the course of our firm in a much more deliberate way. We have quite a bit to learn from one another, and we have had to give ourselves the space to lean into it and find real solutions together. It has been one of the most striking silver linings of this pandemic, acknowledging how far we have to go to correct past injustices, but then connecting across firms, sharing our stories, and brainstorming ways to make sure we do much better for the next generation. So I suppose the takeaway tip would be - please, everyone, always keep asking questions, sharing stories, and evolving, with both urgency and intention.