Engineering Management Institute

engagement

15 Minutes of Preparation Can Save Hours for Your Engineering Team

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Our next live Civil Engineering Collective training session will focus on maximizing engagement and effectiveness through virtual interactions.  Something that must be top of mind for all professionals today, especially those in the civil engineering world, who work on complex projects with many moving parts.

Let’s be honest, we’re not getting away from remote work any time soon, and most likely, we’ll never go back to as much office time as we used to have pre-COVID-19.  With most great teams, when the rules of the game change, they adjust and continue in their winning ways.  One way that your team members can adjust is to become superstars in terms of their virtual work productivity.

One of the biggest areas for improvement in this arena is virtual meeting productivity.  I’ve been involved in many virtual meetings over the past six months, and it is clear to me that the person leading the meeting has the most impact on the productivity of that meeting.  More specifically, their preparation prior to the meeting, which I believe has the most impact on meeting productivity.

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TSEC 26: Updates to the 2020 NCSEA SE3 Survey

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In episode 26 of The Structural Engineering Channel, we talk to Rose McClure PE, SE, LEED AP, a senior consulting engineer at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. Rose talks about SE3, an NCSEA Committee that works to improve engagement and retention of structural engineers. She provides us with the latest updates on the SE3 2020 survey, the state of engagement and equity in the SE profession, and the future of the profession from the perspective of a younger engineer.

Engineering Quotes:

SE3 Survey

SE3 Survey

SE3 Survey

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Rose McClure in This Episode:

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Effective Delegation Techniques for Engineering Professionals

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Effective Delegation Techniques for Engineering Professionals is a guest blog by Mary Jane Riccardi

Effective DelegationIn my 10+ years working as a learning and development professional in an engineering consulting firm, there was one skill that I heard frequently was lacking for both project managers and organization managers. That skill was delegation. On the surface, effective delegation sounds pretty easy. However, in reality, it can be very difficult and uncomfortable. Delegation is the assignment of responsibility to another person to carry out a specific activity. [Read more…] about Effective Delegation Techniques for Engineering Professionals

TCEP 106: The State of Employee Engagement and Why Organizations Have Been Looking at Engagement All Wrong

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Employee Engagement

In episode 106 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk with Bob Kelleher who is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and consultant. We talk about the importance of employee engagement and Bob also provides some great tips on having empathy in the workplace, and how by doing so, you can help with the overall success of your engineering organization.

Engineering Quotes:

Here are some of the questions I ask Bob:

  • What is your definition of engagement?
  • Why do you need to engage the WHOLE person?
  • How do you utilize empathy?
  • Talk about this idea of selecting and developing the first line leader?
  • Tell us about the challenge of engagement and the different generations?

Here are some key points discussed in this episode about employee engagement:

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TECC 185: Lean Six Sigma Concepts for Engineering Industries

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Lean Six Sigma Concepts for Engineering Industries

In this episode, you are going to listen in on a conversation between me and Joshua Plenert, MBA, MS, PE a licensed professional engineer who’s an expert in applying Lean and Six-Sigma concepts to the architectural, engineering and construction industry.  As a structural engineer practitioner himself, he’s not only theorizing about what he talks and writes about – he’s putting it to practice in his work, which you will learn more about in this episode.

Engineering Quotes:

Lean Six Sigma

Here are some of the key points discussed about Lean Six Sigma concepts:

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TCEP 019: Riding The Wave of Change As a Civil Engineer Leader

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Civil Engineer Leader

In episode 019 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, Mickey Addison, a career military officer, author, civil engineer and senior leader, teaches us what it takes to lead in a senior level position, how to handle organizational changes, and the role of mentoring and coaching in civil engineering leaders.

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed About Riding the Wave of Change as a Civil Engineer Leader:

  • On time management:
    • Block time off to allow yourself to get off the desk
    • Be present to the people around you
    • Take personnel actions (things that affect one’s career)
  • The more energy that you put in to being present to the people that you lead and work with, the higher performing team it becomes.
  • When the leaders are engaged, the people are engaged.

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