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

December 5, 2018 By Anthony Fasano

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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:

Delivering Stellar Client Service to Engineering Clients

September 10, 2018 By Christian Knutson, PE, PgMP, PMP

Every A/E firm talks about delivering stellar client service and many deliver to that mark. Why? Well, before I can provide my opinion let’s set the definition for what constitutes stellar client service.

From my foxhole, stellar client service = responsiveness, collaboration, and establishment of crystal clear expectations. Without these three elements, you will certainly not develop stellar anything, let alone client service.

Thirty years ago, I learned what delivering stellar client service was as a bus boy, then as a waiter, in a posh restaurant. We in the A/E industry can learn a lot from the hospitality industry when it comes to client service and “delivering an experience”. From my time servicing clients on two-tops, then four-, six- and eight-tops, I learned how to gauge what our guests (i.e. clients) wanted and when. How to read body language, how to interact with the guests to establish rapport beyond a transactional relationship, and how to ensure they left with an experience, not just a meal.

In short, I learned how to turn eating into an experience. I also learned that when it’s done correctly, your fees (i.e. tips!) go up.

Delivering stellar client service in the A/E industry requires engineers to transform the technical act of engineering services from the technical stuff many clients don’t understand (or want to), into an experience. This is much like the transformation of eating dinner from a biological requirement into a memorable experience.

The 6 Ingredients for Stellar Client Service

5 Reasons Why an Entrepreneurial Mindset Is Essential for Business

March 7, 2018 By Anthony Fasano

This is a guest post by Johanna Cider

Note from Founder: Hello this is Anthony Fasano, P.E., founder of the Engineering Management Institute (EMI). At EMI we are focused on helping engineers become more effective managers and leaders. In this post, guest author Johanna Cider talks about the importance an entrepreneurial mindset can have when growing a business. Well, I believe that this mindset can also help you in growing a successful engineering career and becoming a partner/owner in your engineering company. Enjoy the article, and please consider implementing some of the recommended strategies, whether you’re a student or an owner…

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If you’re starting out in the business world, you might feel a little overwhelmed with all of the information out there. You’ve probably been doing plenty of research, and you might’ve come across the idea of an entrepreneurial mindset, which is, above all, a mindset that will help you to succeed in the world of business. The essentials of an entrepreneurial mindset are, among other characteristics, the lack of fear when it comes to innovation and taking risks, and the ability to take failures into stride. If you consider yourself an entrepreneur, it’s important to know why entrepreneurial mindset is important for business.