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Thought Leadership: A Key to Stellar Service

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This is a guest blog by Joseph Viscuso, P.E., PLS, ENV SP
Thought Leadership

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Every year, our business units prepare “Business Development” plans. This year, one of the major takeaways from our plans was the importance of thought leadership. A deep dive into the plans identified more than 120 “thought leaders” within Pennoni.

As a firm with 56 years of history and experience, it is not just about WHAT we do, but HOW we market our services and deliver the final product to our clients. We find that this helps our firm provide stellar service and subsequently develop more business. While we have a stack of resumes of projects and services from across the U.S., it is not enough given the increased competition within our industry. Developing thought leaders is key to establishing your firm as the expert and the go-to professional for satisfying your clients’ needs.

Thought Leadership

There are a variety of channels that can be used to display their expertise. Websites, social media, blogs, presentations, and articles are critical. You should rely heavily on your firm’s thought leaders to share their knowledge and play an active role with things like speaking events, webinars, guest writers for industry publications, external leadership roles, and mentoring.

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Mastering the 4 Ways to Show Thought Leadership on LinkedIn

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This is a guest blog by Carl Friesen

LinkedInImagine your ideal client, employer, or business partner has heard about you and wants to learn more. Let’s give this person a name — we’ll call her “Aisha.” She’s someone you want to impress, as she could be the key to your brighter future.

So if she’s interested in learning more about you, how will she do it? Aisha will likely begin by going online, and what will likely show up first about you is your LinkedIn profile.

So ask yourself: Would Aisha be impressed with what she finds there? Will she be reassured that you’re a recognized expert in your field, someone worth her time?

One of the most important ways to show your expertise, so Aisha will take the next step of reaching out to you, is through publishing thought leadership content on your LinkedIn profile.

LinkedIn

It could be content about a new development in your field, such as a new law, regulation, or disruptive technology. Maybe it’s a trend you’ve seen. Or it could be a case study of a project you’ve worked on.

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TECC 118: How Engineers and Engineering Firms can Build Thought Leadership through Public Speaking

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How Engineers and Engineering Firms can Build Thought Leadership through Public Speaking

In this episode, Anthony Knutson, PE interviews Carl Friesen, a professional who likes helping engineering professionals and firms build their profile as thought-leaders.  Friesen talks specifically about how to build your expertise and thought leadership through public speaking.

Engineering Success quotes:

public speaking

public speakingHere Are the Key Points Discussed About How Engineers and Engineering Firms Can Build Thought Leadership Through Public Speaking:

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How to Shift From Engineer to Leader Successfully

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Engineer to LeaderIn this episode, I talk with Tina Heath, P.E., LEED-AP, senior technical client manager at T&M Associates, about the challenges and triumphs of shifting from an engineer to leader. We dive into key strategies for navigating this transition, including how to move from controlling tasks to supporting and understanding your team.

***The video version of this episode can be viewed here.***

Engineering Quotes:

Engineer to Leader

Engineer to Leader

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About How to Shift From Engineer to Leader Successfully:

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Essential Power Skills and Habits for Next-Level Leadership

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This is a guest post by Peter C. Atherton, P.E.

Power SkillsThere’s a lot coming at us in terms of technology, consolidation, and business model evolution — and all this on the heels of profound workplace, marketplace, and recruiting space change.

How are the highest performing leaders (and leadership teams!) getting ahead, addressing needs, and unlocking opportunities?

They are leveraging (and continuously refining) what I call the “essential power skills and habits.”

When practiced, these are proficiencies related to both thinking and action that lead directly to next-level success.

Power Skills

A summary and brief description of each is provided below:

THE POWER SKILLS

Power skills are the developed abilities necessary for achieving new era growth and prosperity.

Power Skill 1: Critical and Strategic Thinking

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TCEP 243: The Rise of Diversity and Inclusion in the AEC Industry: Opportunities for Women in Leadership

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Women in LeadershipIn this episode, I talk with Kimberly Bauer Burke, vice president at Skanska and a leader in the AEC industry, about her experiences as a business development and sales professional, which include discussing strategies for market penetration, customer relationship management, and more. We also dive into her perspective as a woman in the construction industry and share her thoughts on attracting and retaining women in leadership positions. Whether you’re starting your career or looking to take your business development and sales skills to the next level, this episode is full of valuable insights and advice.

Engineering Quotes:

Women in Leadership

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Kimberly:

  • Is finding a skilled mentor to guide you in your business development journey after identifying your interests a great career approach?
  • What skills and strategies do you use to enter new markets, secure business, and excel in your job?
  • How do you actively integrate current knowledge into your sales and business development strategies to ensure their effectiveness?
  • Could you elaborate on the obstacles you’ve encountered as a woman in the construction field and share your strategies for overcoming them?
  • How do you tackle the industry issue of translating big ideas into practical implementation, ensuring they become tangible realities rather than remaining abstract concepts?
  • What measures do you believe the AEC industry can take to enhance the recruitment and retention of women in leadership roles, specifically within sales and business development?
  • What advice do you have for people moving from technical roles to business development who want to improve their relationship-building skills?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About The Rise of Diversity and Inclusion in the AEC Industry: 

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Moving From Transactional to Transformational Engineering Leadership

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This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

transformational leadership

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As leaders, we have a responsibility, duty, and stewardship to take care of those we lead so they can grow and become the best they can be for themselves and the organization. In order to do this, we don’t simply want to be interacting with them in a transactional way, but want to be building something that is transformational.

In this article, I will give you an overview of four areas that constitute transformational leadership and how you can improve in each area.

Individualized Consideration

“In real life, the most practical advice for leaders is not to treat pawns like pawns, nor princes like princes, but all persons like persons.”

~ James MacGregor Burns

What does it feel like to be treated like an individual by those who lead us? When they see that we have different skills, passions, and talents than others and they want to grow that in us?

It typically feels wonderful and is one part of building a transformational leadership relationship.

When we treat each person as an individual, they feel seen, heard, and cared about. We’re driving success through the team and their strengths, and working hard to put each person in a position to succeed. We understand and spend time learning about each person’s goals, dreams, and aspirations, and we work to help them accomplish those goals.

As such, they desire to do their best for the good of the team and are more likely to heed guidance, feedback, and correction from you because they know you have their interests at heart.

Consider this: How can you connect and influence those on your team more as individuals in the way that is most optimal for them?

Idealized Influence

“Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could.”

~ Steve Jobs

Transformational leaders inspire those they lead with a clear vision of what needs to be done to succeed and set an example for how to make it happen. They clarify the “what” and the “why” of the organization, and truly “walk the talk” as a role model in the work that they do.

Transformational leaders exhibit idealized influence.

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The Four Major ‘Shifts’ Changing Everything About Leadership and Firm Success

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This is a guest post by Peter C. Atherton, P.E.

Shifts

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Like most large-scale systemic events, March 2020 gave “official birth” to a new era of work and life — one with new rules, new ways of thinking, and lots of big change.

Among the change we’ve all seen and experienced for several years now, there have been a number of major “shifts.”

These shifts have already altered the workplace, marketplace, and recruiting space.

These shifts have also fundamentally changed the way we must lead and develop our teams and organizations if we want to sustainably grow and prosper in this new era — and do so making a real difference and not burning out. All of which is possible, should we choose to design for it.

“These shifts have fundamentally changed the way we must lead and develop our teams and organizations if we want to sustainably grow and prosper in this new era.”— Peter C. Atherton, P.E.

The four major shifts are listed here, and each is described further below:

  1. The redefinition of winning
  2. The shift of work from “place” to “space”
  3. The shift to what I call the “third way”
  4. The shift of performance from manager to teams and team success

The first two are more societal shifts and the second two are strategic and tactical shifts that we must make in response as leaders and organizations.

Shift #1: The Redefinition of Winning

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TECC 291: Mastering Success Behaviors as an Engineering Leader

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Success BehaviorsIn this episode, I talk with Wayne Brown, an author, speaker, organizational coach, and the principal founder of Skills 4 Executives Limited, about leadership in engineering and how you can master success behaviors to become a more successful engineering leader.

Engineering Quotes:

Success Behaviors

Success Behaviors

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About Mastering Success Behaviors as an Engineering Leader:

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TECC 248: Growing as an Engineering Leader and the Experience of Writing About It in a Sci-Fi Novel

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Growing as an Engineering Leader and the Experience of Writing About It in a Sci-Fi Novel

In this episode, I talk to Matthew G. Dick, P.E., an engineering leader working at a transportation technology company and moonlighting as a sci-fi author. Matthew talks about his career journey growing as an engineering leader and the experience while writing about it in a sci-fi novel.

Engineering Quotes:

Growing as an Engineering Leader

Growing as an Engineering Leader

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About Growing as an Engineering Leader and the Experience of Writing About It in a Sci-Fi Novel

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