Engineering Management Institute

Jeff Perry

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?

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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Breaking Down Impostor Syndrome for Ambitious Engineers

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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 

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TECC 265: Finding Career Fulfillment in Your Engineering Career

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Finding Career Fulfillment in Your Engineering Career

In this episode, Jeff Perry, MBA talks about how you can find career fulfillment. He shares a framework that will help you on your journey and some actions that you can start taking right away to get on the path to engineering career fulfillment.

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About Finding Career Fulfillment:

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Effective Strategies in a World of Remote Work

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This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

Remote WorkI’ve always been a pretty big fan of flexible work options and remote work. It’s been nice to have the ability to do it when I’ve been sick, traveling, or taking care of other business. While not possible for all job roles, remote work can have a lot of benefits. 

With the coronavirus and its many effects on the working world, we will need to adapt to increased and accelerated remote work. Some people love it, others don’t.

No matter your personal feelings, embracing the advantages of remote work and learning how to effectively communicate in remote settings will become increasingly important for career success.  

Benefits of Going Remote 

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As a Leader, You Must Extend Trust to Earn Trust

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This is a blog by Jeff Perry, MBA

Can you ever write and talk enough about trust? Probably not. Its power is huge at work, at home, in communities, and more.  

Without trust, things just break down. Yet trust doesn’t just happen or magically appear. It is built and shaped over time in relationships by making and keeping commitments to each other.  

But where does it begin?  

With you. 

A Leader’s Job Is to Lead 

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Is Conflict Always Bad? The Answer May Surprise You

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This is a blog by Jeff Perry, MBA

conflictMost of us, when we think about conflict, consider it a bad thing we should avoid. That’s not exactly true.

The right kind of conflict can actually build trust and increase performance in teams! In fact, I would say that one of the best indicators of a team that trusts each other is the amount of conflict in the team.

Positive, healthy conflict happens when we can challenge each other in real ways, be open and honest, and collaborate more effectively.

conflict

Disagreements Are Normal and Should Be Encouraged

There is no situation or team that is going to sail through all projects and tasks without ever disagreeing with each other. Yet one of the things that can build divisions and trouble in a teams faster than anything is when people don’t feel heard and able to express disagreements, especially with leaders.

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Find Your Genius Zone: The Ultimate Personal Brand

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This is a blog by Jeff Perry, MBA

Personal BrandPersonal branding is getting more and more attention as a piece of building our careers, yet many people ignore it or do not even know what it is. Whether you do it intentionally or not, you are putting off a personal brand — but is it the one that you want to have?

Let us dive deeper into how you can take charge and help others perceive you in the way you want to be known.

What Is a Personal Brand?

Put simply, a personal brand is how you promote yourself. It’s the amount of “who you are” that you allow the world to see. It’s your opportunity to tell your story and differentiate yourself from others.

Personal Brand

An easy way to think about a personal brand is to imagine a simple Venn diagram. In one circle are all of the attributes, skills, personality traits, interests, and experiences that you have. In the other circle are all of the ways you show that to other people — online, in a resume, on LinkedIn, personal websites, and more. The intersection of the two circles is your personal brand — how much people actually see of who you truly are.

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