Issue link: https://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/1471683
FROM THE INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Two (or More) Minds Are Better Than One BY JERRY HALL INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MBAKS JHALL@MBAKS.COM ACCOUNTABLE COLLABORATIVE DEDICATED INNOVATIVE RECOGNIZING RESPECTFUL MBAKS CORE VALUES When it comes to building homes, whether master-planned or fully customized, a diversity of approaches is key. This issue of Master Builder magazine is all about design, from architecture to full custom builds down to artisanal tile and detailed finishes. When it comes to design, I'm always of two minds. On one side, majoring in economics in college trained my brain to zero in on efficiency. Optimization of resources and scaling up is more ideal than the unpredictable give-and- take of customization. On the other, my liberal arts education meant studying fine arts and developing an appreciation of unique individual expression. Beautiful and evocative design, far from an efficiency killer, is truly ideal. Which approach is the right one? Either one. Or both. It depends on who you ask. And that's as true in business as it is in architecture. What we consider ideal varies from one person to the next. It's what we mean when we say, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." (Yes, even efficiency can be beautiful.) Preferences and tastes are just that, and when it comes to aesthetics one is not objectively superior to any other. And if all approaches are valued, everyone wins. There really is no better demonstration of this than each unique member of our association. Each company has their own brand, workplace culture, services and products. And their customers want different locations, housing types, architectural styles, or financing structures. One size does not fit all. Some people want high-performance homes, and others want a statement piece. And those differences allow each company to offer their customers unique value propositions, resulting in housing types and styles to serve every need. Homes reflect the value of the companies that build them as well as the people who live in them. That's as expressive as it gets. So, maybe efficiency and beauty are actually one and the same. Building houses of all shapes and sizes—whether they're master-planned or a work of art—is efficient because it allows us to optimize what's right for our customers, communities, and our world. Differences allow each company to offer their customers unique value propositions, resulting in housing types and styles to serve every need. 7 SUMMER 2022 | master BUILDER IN EVERY ISSUE