Blog

Goal Setting: Think Big, Be Mindful

January 20, 2020 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Michael Burns, PE, PgMP, DBIA

What a cool topic for my first EMI Blog—Goal Setting—as publishing and mentoring have been on my list of career objectives for many years. Writing my first draft, I realized it was January 4th, my father’s birthday and the time of year where resolutions and goal setting run rampant. My parents, school teachers who raised me in Boulder, Colorado, often limited their advice to philosophical statements like, “We are who we are becoming.” As a kid, this lack of concrete guidance frustrated me, as I sought clear direction for a successful life. Thirty years into my civil engineering career, as a parent, mentor, mentee and friend, I hold dearly to my parents’ guidance, accepting that we are who we are becoming is step one in balancing our desires against life’s events.

Do You Have the Resourcefulness to Earn a 30% Pay Raise This Year?

January 13, 2020 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Jen Bunk, Ph.D.

Happy New Year! It’s goal-setting season. How much value do you want to add at work this year? Do you know the EXACT percentage raise you want to earn? And do you know how to earn it? For many of our clients, earning a 30% pay raise is a stretch goal they aspire to achieve.

But the question is, how do you get there?

Scientific Laws of Leadership

January 9, 2020 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Jeff Perry

As engineers, we learn massive amounts of equations, corollaries, theorems, and laws. These typically apply to mathematics or scientific laws that must be understood in order to make appropriate engineering designs and calculations. However, have you ever wondered if these scientific laws that the natural world follows have applications to our personal growth, development, and leadership? In my opinion, the answer is a clear “Yes!”

In this post, I’ll take examples from some of the most commonly known scientific laws of physics — Newton’s Laws of Motion. I’ll show you how these fundamental laws apply to the movement and progress of people and teams, not just physical objects. Then, I’ll provide suggestions actions, or “motions,” you can take in your own leadership.

5 Modern Strategies to Integrate AEC Disciplines in 2020

January 3, 2020 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Daniel Quindemil

One of the biggest challenges we face in construction is integrating all of the AEC disciplines in our projects so their valuable input can positively affect the project.

There are many people involved in a project, including the Owner, Architect, Engineer, General Contractor, Subcontractors, Lenders, Owner’s Representatives, and more. How can you start a project the right way and then integrate the Owner, Architect, and the others during construction?

The key disciplines that need careful integration are the Architect, Engineer, and Contractor (AEC). These are the organizations that design the projects and carry out their execution.

Factors Affecting Growth in the AEC Industry

December 30, 2019 By EMI

This is a guest blog by John Beck, MBA

It’s no secret that organic growth in any business follows a natural S-curve, with a period of infancy, followed by aggressive expansion, and ultimately maturity. Inherently, achieving exponential growth later in the business cycle is more challenging than achieving exponential growth at the outset.

A vast majority of revenue at an established engineering firm often comes from existing clients, which makes scaling difficult and puts more pressure on relationship building and maintaining. There are a number of factors specific to the engineering industry that can affect growth. I’d like to highlight three factors that affects growth in the AEC Industry.

How to Sell Your Engineering Clients on Sustainable Initiatives

December 16, 2019 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Holly Welles

As an engineer, you’ll meet tons of clients who all feel differently about sustainability. Some will be for it, while others may need a little persuading. Luckily, getting others on board doesn’t have to be hard. The benefits of green buildings are abundant and can appeal to even the staunchest refusals. You simply need to know how to sell your case. If you don’t know which selling points to hit, you’ve come to the right place. Discover six ways to win over clients with facts about sustainable building.

This Is How Engineers Can Build a Good Work-Life Balance

December 9, 2019 By EMI

This is a guest post by Nader Mowlaee

To have a good work-life balance, you can’t live your life to work. It should be the other way around: Work so you can have a good life. That may sound too good to be true for you right now, but don’t allow—not even for one second—any doubt to settle in your heart or your mind that you can’t have that. We have all been there at least once, working on projects 50 to 60 hours per week and still feeling like we’re spinning our wheels.

I understand that deadlines don’t often change, and that in tough times we must go all-in to finish projects on time. But this means that you’re getting deep into working overtime while at the same time training yourself and everyone around you that you are capable of working more than you should—and since you want to be a good sport, you can work overtime while keeping a good attitude.

5 Tips to Revamp Your LinkedIn Profile and Attract Recruiters

December 2, 2019 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Aditya Sharma

If every aspect of our life is marked by the involvement of social media, how can a job search be any different? The platform that has suddenly taken center stage and beaten conventional job search portals is LinkedIn. So, in this article we are going to tell you the top five ways in which you can optimize and revamp your LinkedIn profile to attract recruiters.

Remember that it’s a platform for professionals. So there is no need to put unnecessary effort into making it look fancy. The only thing you need to ensure is that it looks like the profile of a professional. Here are five things you can do to revamp and optimize your LinkedIn profile:

The Essential Competencies of an Effective Engineering Leader

November 25, 2019 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Kyle K. Cheerangie, P.E.

As a young engineer, I knew early on that I wanted to be a leader. However, I didn’t know the basics of leading others, nor, therefore, how those might fit in with my personality. Certain aspects of leadership came naturally to me: I was a natural at simplifying complex tasks and listening to others. However, two skills eluded me: I often let my ego get involved in the task and I found it difficult to communicate in groups. Since then, I have learned, on-the job, the four competencies an effective engineering leader needs to have:

How to Develop Relationships With Engineering Managers

November 18, 2019 By EMI

This is a guest post by Nader Mowlaee

As an engineer, you know it’s essential to be a team player, collaborate with your colleagues, and build your skills to advance your career. However, if you want to accelerate “climbing the ladder” or get access to pitch your ideas to the right people, then it’s worth building strong, positive relationships with engineering managers. Workers who maintain a strong, positive relationship with their managers not only increase their employment opportunities, but enhance engagement and improve productivity too. In fact, a Gallup survey highlights that companies with engaged employees increase productivity by 17%.

Without having a strong, positive relationship with your engineering manager, your boss may overlook you when someone is needed to take on a special assignment or travel to represent the company at a trade-show. Moreover, you risk hampering your job growth opportunities and becoming disengaged and unmotivated to work. So, it’s essential to develop positive and strong relationships with your engineering managers. Here’s how to do it: