Engineering Management Institute

Emotions

The Truth About Selling

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This is a guest blog by Pamela A. Scott


“I hate sales!” “I could never sell anything!” I wish I had a dime—maybe a dollar—for every time I uttered phrases like that.  

My first business coach helped me break that thought pattern. Here is how the thinking goes:  

  1. You are an engineer who excels at (fill in the blank). 
  2. You happen to meet Chris, whose company does (fill in the blank). 
  3. Chris mentions that he/she really needs help filling a client’s request for (what you provide). 
  4. Upon hearing that, you say, “I/we can help you with that.” 
  5. Chris says, “I’d like to learn more. Call me.” 

Did you sell anything? No. 

Did you tell Chris you could help with the problem? Yes.  

Did you have to take Chris down some long sales conversation to get his/her interest? No. 

Will you close the deal? The likelihood is high.  

Change Your Thinking 

Selling isn’t about selling in that icky, slimy way that you have perceived it. Selling is about you providing a friend/client/stranger with a solution to the problem they’re trying to address. In return for your help, you get paid.  

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3 Ways Engineering Leaders Can Manage Emotions in the Workplace

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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:  

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