Engineering Management Institute

Jeff Perry

Networking Inside Your Organization to Grow Your Career

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This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

Networking

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.” ~ African proverb

Do you even think about networking in your current organization?

One of the most common themes that has come up during my personal conversations with engineers and leaders is that many people are recognizing that they need to learn to network more effectively inside their organizations. Whether they are seeking to learn new skills, get a promotion or a team transfer, or experience mentorship, networking is the key to unlocking this.

Why We Network

Networking is an opportunity accelerant. The people in our lives that we are connected to and have relationships with can have huge impacts on our success and growth.

Networking

Here are just a few ways that networking with others in your organization can have an impact:

  • Learning about new opportunities in teams you might be interested in
  • Opportunities to participate in new projects and company initiatives
  • Getting bigger picture perspectives on what is going on in the organization
  • Mentorship to help you through various work challenges
  • Knowing more people who can help you break down project roadblocks or team siloes
  • Accelerating your path to promotion or a raise — more people who like and approve of you
  • Feeling connected to more people at work is always good!

The list above is in no way all-encompassing or exhaustive, but you can see just how life-changing this can be when you do this well!

Using Your Existing Network

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There Is an Epidemic You Probably Don’t Know About

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This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

social connection

“The most important things in life are the connections you make with others.” ~ Tom Ford  

The U.S. Surgeon General recently put out an advisory that calls for attention to an urgent public health issue.

The issue: Social connection and its importance for individual and community health.

It’s a big enough issue that he has labeled the issue as an epidemic!

You can read the entire advisory here: Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.

Briefly, I’d like to share some of my thoughts on what we can do to help each other, particularly in a professional setting!

The Consequences of Disconnection

First, let’s set forth the reality of the situation and some of the impacts. Disconnection is not good.

Here are just a few problems it causes:

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Moving From Transactional to Transformational Engineering Leadership

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This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

transformational leadership

As leaders, we have a responsibility, duty, and stewardship to take care of those we lead so they can grow and become the best they can be for themselves and the organization. In order to do this, we don’t simply want to be interacting with them in a transactional way, but want to be building something that is transformational.

In this article, I will give you an overview of four areas that constitute transformational leadership and how you can improve in each area.

Individualized Consideration

“In real life, the most practical advice for leaders is not to treat pawns like pawns, nor princes like princes, but all persons like persons.”

~ James MacGregor Burns

What does it feel like to be treated like an individual by those who lead us? When they see that we have different skills, passions, and talents than others and they want to grow that in us?

It typically feels wonderful and is one part of building a transformational leadership relationship.

When we treat each person as an individual, they feel seen, heard, and cared about. We’re driving success through the team and their strengths, and working hard to put each person in a position to succeed. We understand and spend time learning about each person’s goals, dreams, and aspirations, and we work to help them accomplish those goals.

As such, they desire to do their best for the good of the team and are more likely to heed guidance, feedback, and correction from you because they know you have their interests at heart.

Consider this: How can you connect and influence those on your team more as individuals in the way that is most optimal for them?

Idealized Influence

“Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could.”

~ Steve Jobs

Transformational leaders inspire those they lead with a clear vision of what needs to be done to succeed and set an example for how to make it happen. They clarify the “what” and the “why” of the organization, and truly “walk the talk” as a role model in the work that they do.

Transformational leaders exhibit idealized influence.

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How Engineers Can Break Through Career and Personal Development Barriers

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This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

We all have something that feels like if we could change or get over it and turn the weakness into a strength, it would unlock all sorts of progress and opportunities for us.

Uncovering what this change is and how to overcome it so we can move forward with purpose and confidence is what we are focused on today!

What Is Holding You Back?

Before you can start making changes, you first need to know what you need to change.

For me, it’s being present. With clients, with my work, and with my family. All too frequently my wife is like “Hey, be with us…” or I lose myself in the latest sports news update instead of remaining focused on the work I’m doing. Yep, there is work to do!

Additionally, here are just a few examples I have seen from people I have worked with:

  • An experienced engineer about three months into his new job at Blue Origin recognized that if he could effectively create better professional relationships, it would enable him to reach his goal of making the shift to work in a new group that is working on a project he is VERY interested in (think long-term living in space).
  • A senior data engineering leader recognized had already needed to take time off to get her health in check. She needed to figure out how to grow her team in a fast-moving startup while also staying healthy and creating boundaries for herself. Basically, not taking it all on herself and saying “yes” to everything.
  • An owner of an engineering business was taking it all on and losing himself in his work. He needed to build his team and create expectations with his clients and those he worked with while delegating and enabling his team to take on more responsibility. This would keep him from burning out (he got MAJOR sick for a while), and allow him to enjoy more time with his wife and kids.

So what’s your big change? What is the NUMBER ONE thing that would help you unlock your potential?

Why You Haven’t Made the Change

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The Challenges and Opportunities of the Great Resignation (for Engineering Leaders)

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This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

Great ResignationThe last few years have brought a lot of commotion and shakeup in the employment world. From mass layoffs to record unemployment and everything in between, “volatility” is certainly the word that comes to mind. One phenomenon that was coined during this time was the “Great Resignation.” 2021 saw the highest levels of quitting and resignations in decades, and they stayed relatively high in 2022 as well.

This created challenges for many employers and leaders, but it also presents opportunities as we move into this new year.

The Opportunity of the Great Resignation

“To some, the pandemic exposed how much work had become like adult daycare. Everyone is expected to be in at a certain time. They’re expected to stay till a certain time. And it’s best to look busy in between.” ~ Russ Hill

One question to ask is: WHY have so many people been quitting their jobs, while at the same time levels of overall employment remain high?

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3 Keys to Effective Communication for Successful Engineers

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This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

effective communication

“The art of communication is the language of leadership” ~ James Humes

Are you an effective communicator?

Pause a moment before you answer that.

If your instinct is to say “yes,” let me ask another question: Do those you work with believe you are an effective communicator?

It might be worth asking them! If they are honest with you, even if you are doing well they will share opportunities for you to improve your communication approach.

In many ways, effective communication is a HUGE key to your personal and professional success. So let me share three keys to effective communication that can help you in your career!

1. Simplify Communication

“Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.” ~ Albert Einstein

Engineers work on remarkably complex products, processes, and systems. Many go deep into learning and applying specialized technical knowledge. They need to learn new programming languages, understand complicated technical details, and put it together into something that is great for end users.

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3 Traits Every Engineering Manager Needs to Develop

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This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

DevelopManaging a team of engineers is an awesome opportunity, but one that needs to be done well. In order to succeed, there are many traits you will want to develop so you can do the job effectively.

In this article, we will focus on three key traits that, if you can develop as strengths, will set you and your teams up for great success!

Note that these are skills that seem easy to understand, yet sometimes they can be harder to develop. Ask your team for feedback, find mentors or coaches who can help you, and practice, and be patient with yourself!

You can do it – let’s dive in!

Listening

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” ~ Stephen R. Covey

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Embrace the Power of Networking to Unlock Opportunities and Insights

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This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

Networking

“Networking is not about just connecting people. It’s about connecting people with people, people with ideas, and people with opportunities.” ~ Michele Jennae

Networking and its validity or importance is written and talked about extensively — but what do you actually do about it?

While I am a proponent of networking both inside and outside your organization, this article will be mostly focused on networking with those you don’t work with currently. You need to look outside and learn from people who are in different companies, roles, and environments from you.

Networking

Doing so will expand your insights, understanding, and opportunities beyond what you can do if you are only creating connections inside your current organization.

Networking on the Outside

Let’s look at a few reasons why establishing your network outside of your organization can be helpful. Reasons include, but are not limited to:

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Focusing on Your Frustrations Slows You Down – Focus on This Instead to Make Progress

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This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

The Gap and The Gain“You are your own worst critic.” We hear this a lot, but does it have to be true? Do we always have to be so hard on ourselves as we try to make progress and reach new goals? Find out the distance between the gap and the gain

Goal setting, resolutions, making progress, and reflection are things many people do at the turn of a new year. Yet many people set goals only to not reach them, and get demoralized and stop trying.

So how do we actually find happiness in our lives and careers?

The answer: Lack of happiness, frustration, burnout, and dissatisfaction are driven mostly by focusing on The Gap — the difference between where we are now vs. the ideal that we want to be true. This focus gets us spending so much time feeling that sense of lack — “I’m not good enough, I don’t have enough, things will never be how I want them to be…” And on and on.

So how do we turn it around?

Focus on The Gain — the progress we’ve made, how we have improved, feeling gratitude, and more.

What Are The Gap and The Gain?

“The way to measure your progress is backward against where you started, not against your ideal.”
~ Dan Sullivan

The idea for The Gap and The Gain first came from Dan Sullivan, founder of the Strategic Coach, who has recently partnered with Benjamin Hardy to create a book about the concept.

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The Power of Building Accountable Teams for Excellent Performance

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This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

When executives are asked what leadership skills they wish their leaders were better at, one of the most common responses is the ability to hold their people accountable. This indicates a red flag, as it is an indicator that the organization as a whole is not very accountable. Rather than a focus on holding others accountable, we should instead be making the shift toward developing people who are accountable.

accountable teams

Wait, What Do You Mean?

Let me explain myself by asking a few simple questions for you to ponder:

  • How would you describe someone who is accountable?
  • How do we hold someone else accountable?
  • How do we hold ourselves accountable?

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