153: Building High-Performing Teams and Navigating Growth in Architecture with James Gray, Senior Principal Stantec

15 snips

Nov 12, 2025

James Gray, a seasoned architect and senior principal at Stantec, shares his wealth of experience in architecture and leadership. He discusses the critical role of cultural alignment during mergers, particularly with the Page acquisition. James emphasizes building motivated teams and aligning them with organizational goals. He explores urban sustainability and how technology can address environmental challenges. Personal anecdotes and insights into navigating economic downturns highlight his career path and the importance of curiosity and proactive thinking in architecture.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ADVICE

Align Passion With Purpose

Hire talented people and then align their passion with company goals to create momentum.
Motivate individuals differently and focus on collective enthusiasm to keep teams rowing the same direction.

ADVICE

Train Leaders To See The Bigger Picture

Encourage emerging leaders to think beyond their immediate tasks and consider client, community, economic, and environmental impacts.
Teach young leaders to expand perspective to improve judgment and team leadership.

ANECDOTE

Page Acquisition Expanded Capabilities

Stantec acquired Page bringing 1,400 people and new sector expertise, especially in Texas and Washington DC.
Cultural alignment surprised them positively and boosted Boston office capabilities in healthcare and higher ed.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

James Gray is a seasoned architect and Senior Principal at Stantec, a leading global design and consulting firm. With a career spanning over three decades, he has been instrumental in leading significant growth and transitions in the architecture and construction industry. Starting at AD Inc., James cultivated a successful trajectory which eventually led to the company’s acquisition by Stantec.

Throughout the episode, James discusses the roles of cultural alignment in mergers and acquisitions, particularly highlighting the synergies realized through Stantec's acquisition of Page. With a focus on sustainability, the episode examines how urban architecture can solve environmental challenges and the potential of technology and policies in shaping the future. James also shares personal anecdotes about his career influences and pivotal projects, offering insights into the intricacies of architectural design and development from a leadership perspective. By understanding broader economic forces and trends, James provides practical strategies for thriving in both prosperous and challenging times within the industry.

Key Takeaways:

Leadership in Transition: James emphasizes the importance of building motivated teams and aligning their passion with organizational goals during periods of transition and growth.
Navigating Economic Challenges: The episode provides insights into strategies for resilience and innovation in the face of economic downturns and market changes.
Cultural Alignment in M&A: Discusses the critical role of cultural compatibility in successful mergers and acquisitions, drawing from the Page and Stantec integration.
Sustainability in Architecture: Explores how urban densification and the evolution of environmental policies can address the challenges posed by climate change.
Future of Design and Technology: Highlights the growing importance of electrification and artificial intelligence in shaping the future of architectural design and sustainability.

Notable Quotes:

"At the end of the day, motivation is the most important, and helping people be motivated for the kind of greater good is what I found to be the best recipe."
"A big company is really a collection of individuals. It's a bigger collection, but it's still, and it has leadership. And the leaders of this company care about the work."
"Insatiable curiosity is really important to being good at anything, frankly, and certainly in this business."
"I like to say that I've been wildly more successful than I ever imagined."
"Sometimes people probably called me nosy, which is sort of the other connotation of the same kind of set of behaviors."

Resources:

Stantec

Thank you so much for listening and thank you for joining the Design Development community. Don't forget to subscribe to hear about the latest episodes dropping every Wednesday. If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend.

Our goal is to help people in the industry identify opportunities for growth by sharing the journey of top performers. There is no one path. Success isn't a straight line. There is something to learn from everyone's story. Let's go!

Leave your thoughts in the comments and reach out if you want to be a valuable guest on the show!

Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram & YouTube

Find out more at https://h-o.engineering/podcasts/