This is a guest blog post by Emeka Ukaga, PE, Assoc.AIA
I remember the first major project I got to run as a project manager early on in my career. There was a small, uniquely shaped lot, and our client wanted my boss to help determine the highest and best use of the site, design a suitable site plan with building layouts and programming, and properly layout the parking and traffic flow through the site. This was an important client who often pushed for tight deadlines and, this being the first project I was responsible for leading, the stakes were quite high.
The pressure was immense, and it quickly became apparent that the success of the project hinged not only on technical expertise but also on the strength and cohesiveness of our design team. It was a challenging journey, but through it, I learned the invaluable importance of building and leading high-performing engineering teams. In this post, I’ll share some key strategies that have worked for me over the years:
- Fostering a collaborative environment
- Defining clear roles
- Encouraging continuous professional development
- Implementing effective communication strategies
- Recognizing team contributions
1. Foster a Collaborative Environment
During the development of this project, I was initially overwhelmed, feeling that I had to have the answers to all the questions. Especially as an early career engineering/architectural designer, I knew that much of the time I was not the most knowledgeable person in the room on building signage, or construction costs, or zoning, etc. Over time, however, because our firm was strong on encouraging open communication, everyone felt comfortable sharing ideas, feedback, and asking questions when they did not know something. This helped foster a collaborative spirit, which was the driving force behind our team’s eventual success. Understanding everyone on the team was committed to the same goal and was willing to help other members when they needed support ensured that there was a high level of openness and an ability to take chances and push for more innovative solutions. This built a strong sense of camaraderie.
Steps to Foster Collaboration:
- Encourage open communication: Create an environment where team members can freely exchange ideas without fear of criticism.
- Organize regular team-building activities: These can be as simple as weekly lunches or as involved as team retreats. The goal is to build trust and strengthen relationships.
- Promote a culture of trust and respect: Ensure that every team member feels valued and respected. This can be achieved by recognizing their contributions and treating everyone fairly.
2. Define Clear Roles and Responsibilities
In one of my more recent projects, we faced initial confusion due to unclear project expectations and roles. We found many team members were completing overlapping work, not understanding what their responsibilities were, or taking on tasks that did not suit their unique strengths appropriately. Once we conducted a skills assessment and defined each team member’s responsibilities, our efficiency soared because we were able to reallocate tasks in a well-defined way, where each person knew their tasks and how they contributed to the bigger picture.
My older brother is a senior operations manager at Google and once told me, “Your goal in your career isn’t to be the best at everything or even to not have weaknesses — it is to shore up your weaknesses enough so they don’t hurt you and your team and then invest in developing your strengths, which actually set you apart from others.”
By defining clear roles and assigning work to team members according to their strengths, you help ensure the team is doing their best work to effectively move the project forward. You also help set each individual up for personal success, which in turn improves individual and team morale throughout the course of the project.
Steps to Define Roles:
- Conduct a skills assessment: Understand each team member’s strengths and areas for improvement.
- Assign roles based on individual strengths: Match tasks to the right people to maximize productivity and job satisfaction.
- Regularly review and adjust responsibilities: As projects evolve, so should roles. Regular check-ins can help ensure everyone is still in the best position to contribute effectively.
3. Encourage Continuous Professional Development
Continuous learning has been a game-changer for me personally as well as all my teams. I recall during the first two weeks in my first architecture project, I spent much of the time simply getting a strong understanding of Revit. Similarly, when I started my first CO-OP internship the fall of my sophomore year, my company had me make my way through AutoCAD tutorials for weeks to truly grasp the program and how to use it effectively. The initial time spent learning was quickly offset by the increased efficiency and innovative solutions we developed down the road that helped both companies save time and resources in the long run. While this was a measurable positive impact, it wasn’t necessarily the reason in mind when our training started.
Steve Jobs had a quote stating, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” This is especially true in engineering, where it is not always readily apparent how learning a new program, design tool, or code standard will be helpful. But having a culture of continuous professional development as well as one that encourages team members to pursue their interests with constant learning ensures that your team will always be bringing in new ideas and innovative ways to solve problems.
Steps to Encourage Development:
- Provide access to training and certifications: Encourage team members to pursue courses that will enhance their skills.
- Encourage attendance at industry conferences and workshops: These events are great for networking and learning about the latest industry trends.
- Foster a learning culture within the team: Promote knowledge sharing through regular internal presentations or study groups.
4. Implement Effective Communication Strategies
On another project, we initially struggled with communication, leading to missed deadlines and rework. No manager likes when projects face cost or schedule overruns and neither do our clients. Following these issues, we then implemented regular check-in meetings and used project management tools to track progress. This drastically improved our efficiency and team alignment and also allowed all team members visualize how their work and input impacted our project schedule in real-time.
Steps to Improve Communication:
- Use visual aids and project management tools: Tools like Gantt charts and Kanban boards can help visualize progress and identify bottlenecks.
- Hold regular meetings for updates and feedback: Consistent communication helps keep everyone on the same page.
- Ensure transparency in decision-making processes: When decisions are made, explain the reasoning behind them to build trust and understanding.
5. Recognize and Reward Contributions
I’ve seen firsthand how powerful individual recognition can be. It isn’t enough to just build an effective team that performs at a high level. All effective managers also know that proper recognition of team members is paramount to ensuring long-term morale and success. Especially when a team member goes above and beyond in putting forward innovative solutions, recognizing their efforts not only boosts their morale but also motivates others to strive for excellence as well. As a manager, the age-old saying “Give credit. Take blame.” should always be in mind.
Steps to Recognize Contributions:
- Implement a recognition program: Regularly highlight individual and team achievements.
- Celebrate milestones and achievements: Take time to acknowledge progress, whether it’s a project milestone or a successful implementation.
- Provide constructive feedback and rewards: Offer specific feedback and tangible rewards to reinforce positive behaviors and outcomes.
Conclusion
Building and leading high-performing engineering teams is about more than just doing great work — it is about creating a technical and collaborative system from which great work is an inevitable byproduct. By creating a collaborative environment, defining clear roles, encouraging continuous development, ensuring effective communication, and recognizing contributions, great managers can work to harness the strengths of their teams to better push for the kind of results all companies dream of. There are many amazing companies and engineering leaders, and I encourage you to also study some of their viewpoints, strategies, and systems, but in the end, it will look a little different for each situation.
You owe it to your team to be the best leader you can be, and by working to implement a few of these strategies, you can definitely start on the path toward achieving team excellence.
About the Author
Emeka Ukaga is an innovative engineer and team leader with over 10 years of experience leading technical and creative project teams. He has provided industrial architectural design and structural engineering work for clients including Tesla, Amazon, Intel, and the U.S. military. He is a lifelong learner who is always actively researching innovative approaches to engineering, design, and improving user-experiences. He has successfully managed multi-million-dollar projects in the tech and AEC industries, delivering success through iterative deliberate design, creative project management, and effective resource management. You can read more of his work on EMI’s blog and connect with Ukaga at LinkedIn.
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To your success,
Anthony Fasano, P.E., AEC PM, F. ASCE
