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E llen L. Belknap, AIA, ACHA, LEED AP, is president of SMRT Architects and Engineers, a full service firm designing healthcare, science/technology/industry, education, justice, government and corporate office facili- ties. Ellen is committed to working with clients to anticipate future state, encouraging them to innovate and position their organizations for success. Ellen is known for her collaborative leadership skills and fully engages in a change management mindset throughout the design and construction process. She has led a variety of projects across New England, in- cluding the largest integrated project delivery (IPD) hospital in the Northeast, MaineGeneral Medical Center. As SMRT president, she champions transparency and a strengths- based leadership philosophy. Ellen earned her Masters of Architecture at Columbia University and her undergraduate degree at Cornell University. Ellen Belknap, AIA Principal and President of SMRT Architects and Engineers PA N E L I S T 1. It's better to apologize than ask permission: My long-time partner and friend Paul Stevens told me this on my first day of work at SMRT in the summer of 1983. I've never looked back! 2. Curiosity fuels creativity: Use the creative process: be curious, explore options and surface the answers. Extend that curiosity to the world at large; the ways seemingly unrelated subjects can influence your work and inform your decisions never ceases to amaze! 3. Fail forward, fail fast: Trying and failing is often the first step toward success. The key is to learn from, but not dwell on, the failures — gaining new awareness and knowledge to bring forward to inform the next iteration. 4. Convert nexperts to experts: Identify the "nexperts" in your organization and help them develop their expertise. Nexperts are inquisitive, teachable and eager to absorb new knowledge. Partner them with experts and they will grow. When looking for nexperts don't overlook the quiet and capable – there can be a lot of talent lurking there! 5. Own your career and live it here: Make room for career advancement in your organization. Find "success" in succession where individual development and firm growth intersect. 6. Encourage collective benefit behavior: Encourage employees to do what they can to collectively strengthen and sustain the enterprise; behave with an eye toward the greater good; take the long view and find ways to create and sustain success. 7. Share knowledge, celebrate success: Transparency and sharing information are the foundations of a positive culture. Celebrating success nourishes this culture. 8. Be open to the different / don't let fear hold you back: Embrace the unfamiliar, explore uncharted territory, and take measured risk. 9. Put on your oxygen mask first: Do what feeds your soul. For me it's family and friends, exercise, travel, reading, design. If I take care of myself, I have more energy to put toward others. 10. Simplify: Practice restraint. Less is more.