A dynamic place to really grow in your design career
Pros
There is a strong culture at Gensler that you really come to appreciate - in the various offices all over the world. There is something that connects everyone - a culture and commitment to creating great projects but also growing our people to lead in their own way. Something they call the "one-firm-firm" mentality - that we all work across offices to support out our teams and our clients - vs. competing against each region like some firms do. I had a great opportunity to travel to many offices over 20 years and work on some of the most amazing projects of every scale - when you walk into one of our offices at senior level - you feel at home immediately. When I first arrived many years ago - I really knew nothing about Gensler - but over the years I have seen every kind of project and every kind of client come through our doors. As the reputation has grown - the work is getting better and better and more diverse than simply architecture and interiors. I had the opportunity to work with numerous talented consultants and collaborators - but was always happy to have the core Gensler group that I worked with understand the culture and what connects us all. I think people would be shocked at how simple the formula developed by Art Gensler is - "hiring great people and getting out of their way". It works when it's done right and there are a lot of leaders, designers and doers who practice this ideas whether they think about it or not.
Cons
The people who really thrive at Gensler understand that this is not a place to just "have a job" - but to grow in your career and push beyond your comfort zone. While the firm has changed significantly and matured over my 22 years - it is changing faster than ever in recent times - to keep pace with how fast the design industry is changing, our society, our cities and the impact of interior design and architecture. This means there are great opportunities for those with an entrepreneurial drive and a dynamic design approach. If you want to do one thing, to just work on projects - this might not be the place for you.
