Engineering Management Institute

UPCOMING TRAINING

Find Your Genius Zone: The Ultimate Personal Brand

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This is a blog by Jeff Perry, MBA

Personal BrandPersonal branding is getting more and more attention as a piece of building our careers, yet many people ignore it or do not even know what it is. Whether you do it intentionally or not, you are putting off a personal brand — but is it the one that you want to have?

Let us dive deeper into how you can take charge and help others perceive you in the way you want to be known.

What Is a Personal Brand?

Put simply, a personal brand is how you promote yourself. It’s the amount of “who you are” that you allow the world to see. It’s your opportunity to tell your story and differentiate yourself from others.

Personal Brand

An easy way to think about a personal brand is to imagine a simple Venn diagram. In one circle are all of the attributes, skills, personality traits, interests, and experiences that you have. In the other circle are all of the ways you show that to other people — online, in a resume, on LinkedIn, personal websites, and more. The intersection of the two circles is your personal brand — how much people actually see of who you truly are.

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3 Steps to Building an Accountability System for Your Engineering Career

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This is a guest post by Nader Mowlaee

Accountability SystemCareer success and growth comes to us when we accept responsibility for our actions, our wins, and our failures. This is because what we put into our career, from education to continuous learning, training, and certifications, dictates what we get out of task accomplishments, project achievements, and daily performance. We begin to notice that no one else but ourselves controls the power of success by taking full ownership of our consistent everyday actions, positive thoughts, and constructive energy.

Taking full ownership for building an accountability system for your engineering career is a powerful thing because there is no way to go back and fix the mistakes you made or change your career choice. However, at one point, you will discover that to change your engineering career trajectory, you will have to make changes to your daily routine and build an accountability system to guarantee those changes will remain in place for as long as it takes for them to become habits.

Accountability System

Here Are Three Tips for Building an Accountability System for Your Engineering Career:

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TGEP 23: Ground Anchor Systems for Geotechnical Engineers

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Ground Anchor SystemsIn this episode, we talk to Devon Mothersille, BEng (Hons), Ph.D., CEng, FICE, LETAPAEWE, the Managing Director of Geoserve Global Ltd, about ground anchor systems for geotechnical engineers. He also touches on what it takes to run a sole consultancy and find expert witness work.

Engineering Quotes:


Ground Anchor Systems

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Devon:

  • What are ground anchor systems, how do they work, and what is their purpose?
  • How does being a sole consultant work for you?
  • What tips can you give our audience on running a consultancy in geotechnical engineering?
  • How do you find expert witness work, and is there an intriguing case that you can describe?
  • How have you found working in the current pandemic environment?
  • What do you think the future holds for ground anchor technology?

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About Ground Anchor Systems for Geotechnical Engineers:

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TCEP 170: Leading a Fast-Growing Civil Engineering Company in Today’s World

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fast-growing civil engineering companyIn this episode of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk to Peter Moore, P.E., LEED AP, ENV SP, F.ASCE, President of Chen Moore and Associates, and official nominee for worldwide ASCE President-Elect in 2021 about his experience over the years being a leader at a very fast-growing civil engineering company. The interesting part about his experience is that he became a part-owner at a very young age. He also discusses his vision as nominee for the ASCE President-Elect 2021.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Peter:

  1. How do you personally make sure you are working on the right things each day when leading a fast-growing civil engineering company?
  2. When you have a fast-growing civil engineering company, how do you identify and solve problems?
  3. How important is it to create and document core processes and practice them consistently across the company?
  4. How do you build your company culture and carry it through in the company?
  5. You are a nominee for the ASCE President-Elect in 2021. Can you share with us what your vision is as a nominee?

Here Are The Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Leading a Fast-Growing Civil Engineering Company:

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Who Will Win the Talent Standoff?

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This is a guest blog by Peter C. Atherton, P.E. that was previously posted here.

TalentPlaying to win requires a real investment in organizational redesign, along with the creation of both a vision and a culture that are worth the work.

The Standoff

The standoff is between younger talents’ needs and older talents’ interest and ability to engage and develop them. It’s the future versus a non-functional or sustainable status quo.

To succeed, we need to reimagine work in the context of today’s actual constraints and the reality of a forever-changed world.

The Problem

Organizationally, too many of us are in the functional shape of an hourglass.

We have little “middle,” and what we do have continues to be overloaded and piling up with pressure moving upward instead of downward in the organization where more capacity exists.

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TSEC 50: Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Concrete (to Tackle Concrete’s CO2 Problem)

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Carbon Footprint of ConcreteIn this episode, we talk to Professor Karen L. Scrivener, MA, a research group leader at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne (EPFL), and an expert on cement chemistry and material science of cement-based materials. She talks about alternative ways to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete to tackle concrete’s CO2 problem, as well as her career and research.

Engineering Quotes:

LC3 cement

Carbon Footprint of Concrete

Carbon Footprint of Concrete

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Professor Karen Scrivener:

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TCEP 169: Civil Engineers Need To Lead the System of Systems

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lead the system of systemsIn this episode of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk to Maria Lehman, P.E., F.ASCE, ENV SP, the Director of U.S. Infrastructure at GHD, and an official nominee for the worldwide ASCE President-Elect 2021. Maria will be talking about America’s infrastructure, the ASCE Report Card, the needs of the civil engineering profession, and how civil engineers need to lead the system of systems.

Engineering Quotes:


Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Maria Lehman on How Civil Engineers Need to Lead the System of Systems:

  • The American Society of Civil Engineers unveiled their 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure on March 3rd. Can you share with us some of the results and grades that were given to the different sectors?
  • The Failure to Act: Economic Impacts of Status Quo Investment Across Infrastructure Systems quantifies how the persistent failure to invest in our aging infrastructure impacts the economy. Can you share some of its findings and how it affects the cost to families when we don’t invest in infrastructure?
  • How do you successfully deliver mega-projects? 
  • How would you say civil engineers need to lead the system of systems?
  • Do you have any advice for civil engineers out there who are planning to get involved with mega-projects, or who are considering pursuing a career similar to yours?
  • You are a nominee for the ASCE President-Elect 2021. Can you share with us what your vision is as a nominee?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Leading the Systems of Systems:

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Why You Need a Coach

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This is a guest blog by Mickey Addison, MSCE, PMP

Need a CoachI need a coach. Anyone can trudge through a task or lesson on their own, but if I truly want to get better, I’m in need of a coach. 

I’ve been an athlete all my life. I started soccer at age 6, baseball at age 8, and I lettered in both football and track in high school. Attending a senior military college and then entering the Air Force afterward meant intramural sports, physical training, and annual physical fitness tests from the age of 18 until my retirement from the service in 2017. Of course, we lead active lives in our house as well: hiking, cycling, CrossFit, surfing. Well, you get the idea. I’m not a couch potato. 

The reason for that self-absorbed preamble is to establish that at 55 years, I’m not a novice to physical fitness or the gym — and despite all that experience, I STILL need a coach! 

Successful People Are Lifelong Learners 

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TGEP 22: Career Planning Tips for Geotechnical Engineers

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Career Planning TipsIn this episode of The Geotechnical Engineering Podcast, we talk to John Peirce, Jr., P.E., D.GE, founder and principal of Peirce Engineering that provides us with some great career planning tips on the importance of mentoring young engineers, the need for field experience before becoming a design engineer, and continuing education. I believe this episode will especially help you if you are earlier in your career and if you are trying to plan how to move up in your engineering career.

Engineering Quotes:

Career Planning Tips

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask John in This Episode:

  • You believe that engineering education begins after graduation. What do you mean by that?
  • What are some things, in your opinion, that you must consider when choosing a mentor?
  • The way we communicate with other people says a lot about us, even when we don’t say a word. Why is it so important for engineers to speak less and listen more? 
  • Do you believe that engineers should know how structures are built before they start designing those structures?
  • How does an engineer know what the limitations of their experience are?
  • How can engineers remain diligent and keep up with continuing education?

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About Career Planning Tips for Geotechnical Engineers:

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TCEP 168: The Importance of Having a Vision-Driven Company (and Developing Your People)

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Vision-Driven CompanyIn this episode, the third in our Civil Engineering Entrepreneurs series, I talk to Jenny Snape, P.E., Managing Partner at Batture, LLC about building a vision-driven company with a social mission that does both profit and pro-bono work.

Engineering Quotes:

Vision-Driven Company

Vision-Driven Company

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Jenny:

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