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Two Types of Goals That Matter When Leading People

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This is a guest blog by Patrick Sweet, P.Eng., MBA, PMP, CSEP

professional development goalsOf all the lessons that I’ve learned over the course of my career, one stands out as possibly the most important and impactful: 

The successful manager manages performance, not the person.  

An engineering manager is responsible for the performance of the team. Projects still need to be completed on time and on budget. Work outputs need to be high quality. This is where management of performance comes in. A successful engineering manager must take great care to establish clear performance expectations so that the team understands what is expected of them and how their work will be evaluated.  

Measuring Performance 

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The Ways Technology Maintains Productivity of Teams That Work Remotely

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This is a guest blog by Brian T.

TechnologyWondering how advanced technology can assist businesses in making their teams productive? In this article, I will discuss several ways how technology has already optimized the work of remote employees! 

Last year, businesses witnessed a fundamental transformation of the traditional office due to the havoc caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in a kind of “remote-work economy,” which is presumably to be a foundation even after the pandemic is long since passed. 

The above-mentioned became a new issue for businesses as well as staff because remote work has become a common practice. However, the growing access of super-fast internet, side-by-side with the development of cloud computing, has enriched present businesses with the infrastructure that is necessary to promptly adjust to multiple remote work challenges. 

As a result, according to Statista, small and medium-sized enterprises are expected to invest more than $100 billion on teamwork tools, cloud-based apps, cybersecurity platforms, and many other remote digital services during 2021-2023. Online business-to-business (B2B) marketplaces like Engre are also gaining momentum. This innovative technology has turned out to be an integral part of business daily routines. Offices, educational establishments, and even hospitals count on contemporary tech to guarantee that business processes function as usual. 

Nowadays, people are free to work from anywhere, partner with each other seamlessly, optimize client care, and gain new skills and competencies online. Let’s explore how technology maintains the productivity of employees who work remotely. 

Technology Reconsiders Remote Work Culture 

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TWiCE 01: Welcome to This Week in Civil Engineering (TWiCE)

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TWiCE

Welcome to This Week in Civil Engineering (TWiCE), the first weekly audio and video podcast covering weekly news stories and events related to civil engineering and its sub-disciplines. In this introduction episode of TWiCE, I explain how this show is going to work, introduce you to our four hosts for the show, and also provide you with a sample news story featuring some of the latest industry news and updates in the civil engineering industry. Our first complete episode will publish next week on 9/17 featuring Khamini H. Fennelly.

Everyone should be up to date with what is going on in your industry because it can really have a lot of implications on you, your career, and your company’s growth. With This Week in Civil Engineering, our goal is for you to be able to listen to this podcast, or watch the video version every week for 10-20 minutes and get updated on industry happenings.

The show will be hosted by four co-hosts, Khamini H. Fennelly, Geoff Smith, PE, LEED AP, Danny Luu MEng (Hons) CEng MICE, Luis Duque, EIT, A.M. ASCE, SEI.

We will dive into topics that will include, but are not limited to:

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Meet Danny Luu MEng (Hons) CEng MICE: Co-Host of This Week in Civil Engineering (TWiCE)

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The Engineering Management Institute is thrilled to announce that Danny Luu MEng (Hons) CEng MICE, a Chartered Civil Engineer from London and the founder of  Civil Engineering Mentor will serve as one of the co-hosts of our new show – This Week in Civil Engineering (TWiCE). TWiCE will be a short weekly show published to provide civil engineering professionals with the most important industry updates. The first episode will publish on 9/17 and Danny’s first episode will be publishing on 10/01.

Joined by his knowledgeable and experienced co-hosts, they will dive into topics that will include, but are not limited to:

• The latest news in the world of civil engineering, national and international,
• Information on government funding as it becomes available for civil related projects,
• Technical information related to new products that might improve project performance,
• Professional development tips for individuals and firms.

Danny believes that it’s important to put your ego aside and work as a team, as teamwork makes the dream work, and that you should think positive and make good use of your time.

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Meet Geoff Smith, PE, LEED AP: Co-Host of This Week in Civil Engineering (TWiCE)

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The Engineering Management Institute is thrilled to announce that Geoff Smith, PE, LEED AP, a practicing engineer and associate at Silman will serve as one of the co-hosts of our new show – This Week in Civil Engineering (TWiCE). TWiCE will be a short weekly show published to provide civil engineering professionals with the most important industry updates. The first episode will publish on 9/17 and Geoff will be the host of the episode publishing on 9/24.

Joined by his knowledgeable and experienced co-hosts, they will dive into topics that will include, but are not limited to:

• The latest news in the world of civil engineering, national and international,
• Information on government funding as it becomes available for civil related projects,
• Technical information related to new products that might improve project performance,
• Professional development tips for individuals and firms.

Geoff believes that it is important to just be yourself, as being you is something that no-one else can do.  In his own words, his goal as co-host of this show is that:

“TWiCE will help busy civil engineering professionals stay up to date with technical news in just 10-15 minutes each week.” 

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Meet Khamini H. Fennelly – Co-Host of This Week in Civil Engineering (TWiCE)

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The Engineering Management Institute is thrilled to announce that  Khamini H. Fennelly, a practicing civil engineer will serve as one of the co-hosts of our new show – This Week in Civil Engineering (TWiCE). TWiCE will be a short weekly show published to provide civil engineering professionals with the most important industry updates. The first episode will publish on 9/17 and Khamini will be the host of the episode. 

Joined by her knowledgeable and experienced co-hosts, they will dive into topics that will include, but are not limited to:

• The latest news in the world of civil engineering, national and international,
• Information on government funding as it becomes available for civil related projects,
• Technical information related to new products that might improve project performance,
• Professional development tips for individuals and firms.

Khamini believes that civil engineers should embrace failure as it presents learning opportunities which lead to growth and ultimately success. In her own words, she believes that TWiCE will fulfill in the industry, Khamini says:

“TWiCE will be a centralized digital news outlet covering topics in civil engineering and infrastructure that you can listen to on the go.” 

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TECC 217: How to Support the Professional Development of Your Engineering Team

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Engineering TeamIn this episode of The Engineering Career Coach Podcast, our second episode in a series about the four key drivers of great engineering managers, we dive into the key driver of providing your engineering team members with career growth opportunities. In this episode, we talk to Sam Tilakasiri CEng, an integrated project team leader for a large aerospace engineering company. Sam provides us with four action items that he takes to support his engineering team that have not only made him better, but also in the process made him a better manager. 

The four key drivers of successful engineering managers, based on research we have conducted at the Engineering Management Institute through the design of a diagnostic tool we are building called the CMAP (Current Management Ability Potential) Diagnostic Tool, include:

C: Career Growth Opportunities

M: Management Style That’s Inclusive

A: Ability to Manage Projects

P: People or Interpersonal Skills

Engineering Quotes:

Engineering Team

Here Are 4 Action Items You Can Take to Support the Professional Development of Your Engineering Team:

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TCEP 124: Technology, Innovation, and Smart Cities – What Civil Engineers Need to Know

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In episode 124 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I will be taking you with me to Philadelphia where we will be visiting the offices of Pennoni to talk to Joseph Viscuso, PE, PLS, ENV SP who serves as Pennoni’s Senior Vice President and Director of Strategic Growth. We will be talking about smart cities and specifically about understanding how important it is to embrace technology and to be innovative in your career. Viscuso also elaborates on the next wave of technology which is heavily reliant on the 5G network and also the threats that cyber security has on smart cities. You can also view this episode on YouTube. You don’t want to miss this one!

Engineering Quotes:

Smart Cities

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Joe:

  • I know that you spend a lot of your time traveling to different cities and venues to discuss innovation and technology—why do you think that is important for the future of firms like Pennoni?
  • How do you see innovation/technology changing the everyday landscape in the engineering profession?
  • If I gave you a crystal ball, what would you see about the future of smart cities?
  • If I gave you a magic wand, how would you use it to increase smart city momentum?
  • We have heard a lot about cyber security threats – how can this impact smart cities?
  • What are some of the challenges for cities to adopt smart technologies?
  • What can residents do to move the conversation further on smart city solutions?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Smart Cities, Technology and Innovation:

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TSEC 06: The Emotional Side of Structural Engineering

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Emotional Side of Structural EngineeringIn episode 06 of The Structural Engineering Channel podcast, we talk to Zohaib Alvi, P.E. who is a civil, structural, and forensic engineer and principal of za/engineering. We talk about sustainability in structural engineering and more specifically about the emotional side of structural engineering and how important it is to embrace and understand it as an engineer.

Engineering Quotes:

Emotional Side of Structural Engineering

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

  • Where did your interest in sustainability come from?
  • In terms of policies, guidelines and regulations – has it been reflected in codes and guidelines in the recent history?
  • Can you give us an example of how resiliency needs to start with us?
  • How does smart technology play into all these trending issues?

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About the Emotional Side of Structural Engineering

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TECC 207: How to Avoid Becoming a Frog in Boiling Water in Your Engineering Career

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Frog in Boiling WaterIn this episode, I will explain how you can avoid becoming a frog in boiling water in your engineering career. Nobody can predict the future and disaster can strike at any time in your career and that is why you should always strive to minimize risks in your career by being prepared for the absolute worst.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are 5 Action Steps You Can Take to Avoid Becoming a Frog in Boiling Water:

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