In this episode of No Exceptions Taken, we explore how RATIO, a multi-office architecture firm, approached a challenge many practices are quietly facing.

How do you transfer knowledge across offices and teams, navigate busy deadlines, and prepare next-generation project managers to lead with confidence?

What began as a conversation about project management training evolved into a firmwide dialogue on standards, communication, and mentorship.

Through a multi-phase partnership with Apostrophe Consulting, RATIO designed a firmwide project management program that supported leaders across the firm and fostered connection among offices. Emerging from COVID, the work became a way to re-establish shared dialogue about how the firm wanted to lead moving forward.

In this episode, you’ll hear reflections on:

1. Why project management training became a catalyst for broader leadership development
2. How shared systems created clarity and space for leaders to grow
3. What it looks like to lead ahead of the organization while still creating pathways for others to follow
4. How structured support and training can remove isolation as leaders grow into new roles
5. Designing systems that outlast any single generation of leadership

This conversation offers an honest look at what it takes to design intentional leadership development. It is especially relevant for firm owners, design leaders, technical leaders, and next-generation managers who want to build structures that support people, not just projects.

About RATIO

RATIO is a multidisciplinary design firm that “connects people and place to shape environments of purpose, beauty, and meaning.” They work across sectors — from higher education and K–12 to civic, workplace, parks, mixed-use, health, and more. Their teams bring together architecture, interior design, historic preservation, landscape, and urban design to create integrated solutions.

Explore More

Visit the firm: https://ratiodesign.com/

Subscribe to the podcast and join us for future episodes as we explore how transformation takes shape — one firm at a time.

No Exceptions Taken is produced by Apostrophe Consulting. We help AEC firms lead with clarity, strengthen their culture, and navigate transformation with intention.