How do they do it? Andy Williams

After graduating from the University of Manchester, Andy Williams started on the graduate development programme in Surrey County Council’s planning department. He then joined multidisciplinary practice ABA and after six years set up architectural and planning consultancy Landmark Architecture. Around 14 years later he moved its planning team to the Twickenham office of Lennon Planning, which in 2010 merged with Boyer. Williams is head of planning at Boyer's Wokingham office as well as a board director.

What are your objectives in your current role and how are you measured against them?

My role is to lead the Boyer team at Wokingham and to manage the company in collaboration with the other heads of offices and services. My objectives cover financial performance, staff development, recruitment, growth strategies and business generation. My performance is measured against the objectives of the business plan and how successful my team has been in achieving their objectives.

Q What key lessons have you learned during your career that help you to fulfil these objectives?

Building a good team is essential to the success of any project or office. It also creates opportunities for personal and career development.

Value local knowledge and engage with the community. But be resilient; public meetings can be tough and you rarely deliver what everyone wants.

Always question your assumptions. There is so much information available now and situations can change very quickly.