Engineering Management Institute

patience

Why You Need a Coach

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This is a guest blog by Mickey Addison, MSCE, PMP

Need a CoachI need a coach. Anyone can trudge through a task or lesson on their own, but if I truly want to get better, I’m in need of a coach. 

I’ve been an athlete all my life. I started soccer at age 6, baseball at age 8, and I lettered in both football and track in high school. Attending a senior military college and then entering the Air Force afterward meant intramural sports, physical training, and annual physical fitness tests from the age of 18 until my retirement from the service in 2017. Of course, we lead active lives in our house as well: hiking, cycling, CrossFit, surfing. Well, you get the idea. I’m not a couch potato. 

The reason for that self-absorbed preamble is to establish that at 55 years, I’m not a novice to physical fitness or the gym — and despite all that experience, I STILL need a coach! 

Successful People Are Lifelong Learners 

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TECC 210: Business Development Skills for Engineering Professionals

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

In this episode, I am taking you with me on a road trip to the offices of Burns Engineering in downtown Philadelphia where you will listen in on a conversation between myself and Laura Hughes. Laura practiced as an engineer earlier in her career but is now the Director of Business Development at Burns Engineering, Inc.  In the interview Laura provides strategies engineers can take to improve their business development skills. One example — she discusses why listening and leaving space in conversations is important instead of insisting on what you think they need. You can also view this episode on YouTube.

Engineering Quotes:

Business Development Skills

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About Business Development Skills:

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Why Communication for Engineers Is so Important

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Why Communication for Engineers Is so Important is a
guest blog by Thomas A. Anderson, P.E:

Communication for Engineers

Do you remember the telephone game?

In school, you and your classmates tried to pick a phrase and “pass it on” by whispering it to the person next to you. Then the phrase was passed from person to person until the last person announced the phrase. How much did the phrase change during the game? As people relay message from one person to the other, the message will often be distorted.

While the game is a lot of fun. It also teaches us important lessons.

  • If you do not receive information from a reliable source, you may not get the correct information. It turns into gossip.
  • If you do not produce information properly, it will not be received as planned

Communication skills are vital to success in your personal life and your engineering career. Poorly delivered messages can turn into misunderstanding, frustration, or even a disaster.

By practicing communication, you will understand more of what people say. Your family, friends, and co-workers will have the confidence to come to you when they find themselves in need.

What are the keys to clear communication?

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What’s An Ambivert? It’s How To Move Others Throughout Your Engineering Career

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TECC 150907 - AmbivertFor the longest time through my engineering career I labeled myself an ‘introvert’.  You know, the typical engineer stereotype: reserved, shy, maybe a bit nerdy.  OK, maybe seriously nerdy. In any case, I just considered myself the stereotypical engineer introvert.

This was despite the fact that I was leading people, talking in front of groups of peers, and working in project teams.  In each of these situations, I was actively communicating with other people and doing so with a specific intent: to move them.  Move them to do something.  Change a behavior, react to tasks they were assigned, maybe help me accomplish a co-goal.

In reality, I wasn’t just an introvert.  I was bit more than that.  But I wasn’t an extrovert either.  So what was going on? [Read more…] about What’s An Ambivert? It’s How To Move Others Throughout Your Engineering Career