Engineering Management Institute

Personal Development and Professionalism

How to Use Personal Branding to Build Your Engineering Career

By

This is a guest post by Tiffani Teachey

Personal BrandingBuilding a successful career as an engineer is essential to establishing yourself as a credible expert in your field. One of the best ways to do this is through personal branding. By creating a solid personal brand, you can make yourself visible and recognizable within your industry, which can help you stand out from the competition and lead to more excellent opportunities for advancement. If you’re looking to build your engineering career, using personal branding is a strategy you should consider!

This post will discuss how personal branding can help engineers reach their career goals. We’ll also provide tips on how to get started with personal branding. So, if you’re ready to take your engineering career to the next level, keep reading!

“You can be sure others do it for you if you’re not branding yourself.” ~ Unknown

Here are three ways to use personal branding to build your engineering career:

[Read more…] about How to Use Personal Branding to Build Your Engineering Career

3 Radical Responsibility Coaching Tips for Engineering Success

By

This is a guest post by Zachary White

What is the most frustrating problem you are dealing with right now?

The one that keeps you up at night.

Got it?

Good.

Now be honest. How did this happen? What caused the situation? How did this problem end up in your lap? Why are you the one who has to solve this?

95% of engineering leaders answer these questions the same way.

  • “My boss is demanding an unrealistic timeline.”
  • “The culture at my company is toxic. It’s a leadership problem.”
  • “I have unreasonable demands from my supplier.”
  • “Insert your own example…”

As a Victim

Before you scoff and scroll to another post, let’s take a quick timeout.

The fact that you are reading this blog says something about you. Growth and development matter to you. Learning how to coach your engineering team and hold them accountable is important to you.

[Read more…] about 3 Radical Responsibility Coaching Tips for Engineering Success

Four Skills Engineers Can Learn From Entrepreneurs

By

This is a guest post by Patrick Sweet, P.Eng., MBA, PMP, CSEP

Whether you plan to launch a business or work within an existing organization, approaching the world from an entrepreneur’s perspective can be incredibly valuable for engineers. At their core, both engineers and entrepreneurs are problem-solvers. By approaching the world from the mindset of an entrepreneur, engineers of all disciplines can become stronger in their fields.

Here Are Four Skills That Engineers Would Do Well to Adopt:

1. Entrepreneurs See Opportunity

Entrepreneurs see the world in terms of opportunities. They are able to identify problems and pain points that, if solved, would create incredible value for people. Where many people see problems and are content simply to complain about them, entrepreneurs are able to see a world where that problem is actually solved and take strides to make that world a reality.

[Read more…] about Four Skills Engineers Can Learn From Entrepreneurs

3 Ways Engineers Can Build Self-Confidence

By

This is a guest post by Tiffani Teachey

Build Self-ConfidenceEngineers often face challenges that can test their self-confidence. Whether it’s dealing with difficult problems or working with challenging team members, there are plenty of situations that can knock an engineer’s confidence down. However, there are three specific ways engineers can use to build self-confidence and come out on top: learning new skills, seeking feedback, and practicing assertiveness. In this blog post, we’ll explore each of these methods in detail and provide tips on how to put them into practice. By following these tips, you’ll be able to boost your self-confidence and become a more successful engineer. 

[Read more…] about 3 Ways Engineers Can Build Self-Confidence

Strengthen Your Self-Confidence

By

This is a guest blog by Gina Covarrubias

Self-ConfidenceIn this post, I’d like to share three mental exercises that you can use to build a daily practice to strengthen your self-confidence!

Exercise #1: Embrace Emotions, Both Positive and Negative

While many definitions of your self-confidence exist, I will share my favorite: Self-confidence is the willingness to feel any emotion.

As terrible as some emotions feel, they are not harmful. The stronger your ability to accept and allow emotions, positive and negative, the more accomplished you will become.

Self-Confidence

[Read more…] about Strengthen Your Self-Confidence

Stomp Out the ANTs With Your Self-Confidence

By

This is a guest blog by Pamela A. Scott

your self-confidenceBuilding self-confidence, in my opinion, is like a tug of war in your head. One part of you is saying, “I can do this,” while the other part of you is saying, “No you can’t. You’re a disaster.”

“Don’t believe everything you hear — even in your own head.” That advice comes from Dr. Daniel Amen, who coined the term ANTs—Automatic Negative Thoughts. Just like real ants that ruin your picnic, ANTs can ruin your day.

your self-confidence

Your goal is to stomp out those ANTs. Kill those negative thoughts. Don’t listen to them when they pop into your brain. Remember, you are in charge, not the ANTs. Dr. Amen has some suggestions on how to do that here.

People See What You Project

[Read more…] about Stomp Out the ANTs With Your Self-Confidence

Breaking Down Impostor Syndrome for Ambitious Engineers

By

This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

Impostor Syndrome

“It’s not what you are that holds you back, it’s what you think you are not.” ~ Denis Waitley 

Impostor syndrome is a common struggle. We all have it — at least to some degree. And those who don’t think they have it at all are probably just too prideful to recognize or admit it. 

It’s this feeling like we don’t belong. Even when we’re doing good work, there is this lingering fear that perhaps one day someone with a clipboard is going to come up to us and say, “I’m sorry, it appears we’ve made a mistake — you need to go now.” 

But how do we manage it so it doesn’t keep us down, hold us back, and limit our success? Let’s talk about that! 

Name It to Tame It: An Example 

[Read more…] about Breaking Down Impostor Syndrome for Ambitious Engineers

Two Types of Goals That Matter When Leading People

By

This is a guest blog by Patrick Sweet, P.Eng., MBA, PMP, CSEP

professional development goalsOf all the lessons that I’ve learned over the course of my career, one stands out as possibly the most important and impactful: 

The successful manager manages performance, not the person.  

An engineering manager is responsible for the performance of the team. Projects still need to be completed on time and on budget. Work outputs need to be high quality. This is where management of performance comes in. A successful engineering manager must take great care to establish clear performance expectations so that the team understands what is expected of them and how their work will be evaluated.  

Measuring Performance 

[Read more…] about Two Types of Goals That Matter When Leading People

3 Essential Skills for Engineers to Become Proficient at Selling

By

 

This is a guest post by Tiffani Teachey

Become Proficient at SellingMany engineers are incredibly smart, skilled people who can figure out how things work and fix them when they break down. A well-spoken engineer can sell their products or services like nobody’s business. It doesn’t matter if they are pitching an idea or defending the work they’ve done on behalf of their company in front of clients and investors. Unfortunately, not all engineers know how to sell themselves or their ideas well enough for them to succeed in business today. I want to help change that with these three essential sales skills engineers should have if they want their product/idea/service bought by consumers today and to become proficient at selling. 

[Read more…] about 3 Essential Skills for Engineers to Become Proficient at Selling

3 Ways Engineering Leaders Can Manage Emotions in the Workplace

By

This is a guest post by Nader Mowlaee

EmotionsMany factors can contribute to how we can handle stress in the workplace. These include our personality and position in the organization, heavy workload, exclusion, and bullying among co-workers. Therefore, one of the most impactful elements of an engineering leader’s success is their ability to manage the engineering team’s moods and emotions. 

emotions

Successful management of your team’s emotions is of great importance in handling stress, improving performance, continuous learning, creativity, and general well-being, as well as mental and physical health. Ineffective management of emotions can result in employees hiding their feelings or suppressing their ideas, leading to burnout or workplace stress, and in the worst cases, high blood pressure and cardiovascular conditions. 

Engineers regularly make logical decisions when designing a system or implementing a technical solution; however, much of our behavior is driven by emotion when it comes to interactions in the workplace or among colleagues. An engineering manager’s responsibility then is to establish the emotional tone for the team to avoid conflicts and instead encourage camaraderie among team members.  

This is why mood management is one of the most critical components of leadership in all career types. However, controlling a team’s emotions can be like stopping the common cold or an endemic disease. People’s moods are like viruses; they spread from one person to another through a process known as “emotional contagion.” 

Once you get infected, you begin to mimic your co-worker’s facial expressions, body language, and even tone of voice. What started as one person having a bad day can lower the whole team’s morale, influencing judgment and decision-making. 

Here Are Three Ways You Can Be an Effective Engineering Leader So You Can Successfully Manage Your Team and Avoid Burnout on the Job:  

[Read more…] about 3 Ways Engineering Leaders Can Manage Emotions in the Workplace