Why Working Less on Your Projects Can Improve Engineering and Project Management Efforts
There is a stereotype in the engineering world that I would like to disprove and that is, to be successful in your engineering and project management efforts you have to work a TON of hours. I think this is totally false, and I think that this stereotype is causing a lot of engineering and project […]
Boost Your Engineering Focus By Eating A Frog Every Day
“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” ~ Mark Twain Normally I end my articles with a quote, but this time I’m starting with one instead. We’re […]
The Worst Action You Can Take In Your Engineering Career Is Inaction
I am planning to take the PE exam in the future…. I am thinking about getting a master’s degree…. I am considering taking some core skills courses…. I may read this great book I heard about…. Have you said these things before or made other promises to yourself or others related to your engineering career […]
Simply Taking Action will Set You Apart in Your Engineering Career: 6 Ways to Start Taking Action Today
If you are currently building an engineering career you know that most of your time is spent on projects, and phone calls, and dare I say in meetings. This leaves little time for you to focus on your career path and development. In case you weren’t aware of this, you are not the only engineer […]
Fire, Aim, Ready…Seizing the Initiative in Your Engineering Career
One hurdle that many engineers experience in their careers is taking action on the challenging professional projects that will enable them to move forward and up. I’ve had a lot of conversations with engineers who talk about their desire to earn a certification or find a new, better position. In fact, the conversations are the […]
Using Key Performance Indicators to Manage Your Engineering Career and Life
“What gets measured gets done.” ~ Unknown Management Yoda Ever heard this phrase? More than likely you have and if you haven’t, stick around in the industry long enough and you will. Although this phrase gets thrown around each time there are discussions about organizational performance, it happens for a good reason: it’s true. Management […]
5 Reasons Accountability Is Needed for Success On The Big Engineering Projects
Accountability is one characteristic that is present every time success is realized on a big engineering project or any project undertaking. Think about the major goals you’ve accomplished in your personal life and your engineering career. University work entails accountability – exams, papers or projects, and semester grades. With the F.E. or P.E. exams, it’s […]
5 Ways to Get Big Picture Thinking
How many times have you heard that you need to get the big picture? Or that you feel like you didn’t have the big picture? I’ve heard this phrase repeated too many times to count and each time I do the thought that runs through my mind is this: what exactly is the big picture […]
The 4 R’s that are Critical to a Successful Engineering Career
Information on the 4Rs for a successful engineering career was sent to me by Anthony Venafro who serves as the Director of Engineering at Smith Engineering in Chantilly, Virginia. I was so impressed with the information; I asked Anthony if I could post it here on the Engineering Management Institute blog. These are four core […]
7 Attributes of an Effective Strategic Plan
When you think “effective leader” what comes to mind immediately? I attended a leadership seminar at local university recently. Within the first fifteen minutes we were given a task to go out and ask three strangers this exact question. What do you think the result was? To be an effective leader you have to be […]