I read this super article in the last issue of Harvard Business Review. It focused on boxing and how analyzing classic boxers of all time can allow us to learn how to better approach practice in our current economy. I found it fascinating. The author compared and plotted the talents of famous boxers over time and proved that a varied set of skills was ideal for the championship boxer. When plotted on a spectrum, there are those boxers who are very agile and those who are simply tough, like Joe Frasier. And then there are those like Muhammad Ali…one of the greatest boxers of all time. Ali had quickness and endurance. And this lethal combination allowed him to reign as the heavyweight champion for a long time. When Ali was younger, he was quick and agile, but with time, he became stronger and was then able to stand in the ring and take the blows. He had the quickness and the fortitude to last a long time and outlive his opponents. And he used these combinations of skills and weapons to leverage his success.

Architects can learn a lot from this analysis. We enter the design ring each day, and in our current economy, when so few are investing in design services, it is critical to work on our agility and strengths. So, the message for the architect is pretty clear. You can’t simply be paper thin in terms of your expertise. You must have some depth. Sharpen your skills in presentation; rekindle your love for detailing; evolve your expertise in the design of academic settings; or strengthen your knowledge of codes and regulations. Regardless, add something to the toolbox. Additionally, for those of us who are mature architects, we can’t depend on our depth of experience in traditional forms of architecture, since the demand is not necessarily there. The deeply experienced architect may want to dive into a new skillset that can allow you to look at the world in a different way.

In accomparison to practice, the article pointed out that even firms with substantial girth may not be able to take the punishing blows of this economic recession. This firm, often descriptive of the large firm with exceptional expertise, must learn to quickly transform to meet the needs of the new architectural consumer. Additionally, the agile, fleeting firm may be blown out of the ring by the high winds of this economic storm. The firms that most emulate Muhammad Ali, with a blend of agility and strength, will be the firms that survive. The successful architect will understand these issues and seek to strengthen their firms through collaborations with experts and share their expertise with firms that are more agile. Now more than ever, partnerships and collaborations will prove to serve the greater interest of our clients.

So, go share your knowledge. Share your strategies for sustaining practice. Seek knowledge. Seek understanding. Stand up in that ring and dance, and take the blows one by one.