TECC 161: The Power of Passion for your Profession

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The Power of Passion for your Profession

In this episode, I talk with Jane Sidebottom who is the President/Owner of Applied Marketing Knowledge about the power of passion for your profession. We discuss a framework focused on 7 questions to help you find the work you are passionate about.  The questions we discuss are from an article by Robert S. Kaplan’s in the Harvard Business Review: Two Ways to Clarify Your Professional Passions, March 30, 2015

Engineering Quotes:

Here are the seven questions discussed in this episode:

1. When was a time when you were at your best?
2. What were you doing?
3. What were the key elements of the environment?
4. What was the nature of the impact you were making?
5. Did you have a boss or were you self-directed?
6. What did you love about it?
7. What were the factors that made it enjoyable and helped you shine?

Here are the key points discussed on the power of passion for your profession:

• When you think about the times when you were at your best, you can think about the elements of the environment and that can tell you a lot about yourself as a professional.
• It is important to evaluate the environment you are in and to make sure that you are in the right place, so you can do your best at work. Start by asking yourself the following questions:
  • Do you feel that you are in an environment that allows you to be successful?
  • Are they (your colleagues) supporting your expertise and what you bring to the table?
  • Do you have a leadership structure that is supportive of your development as well as your success?
  • Are you working with people that build you up?

• Go back to a time that you were successful and try to recreate the elements of that environment.
• When making decisions in your engineering career, it is important to consider what the nature of the impact was that you were making when you were at your best and also what you want it to be.
• Make sure you understand why you are doing the work that you are doing. You have to work towards a goal of preparing yourself to be better at what you are doing right now.
• If you really hate the position you are in, you will have to ask yourself if you truly want to do that work and if you are satisfied where the core of your expertise lies.
• At the end of the day, you should make sure that you are doing what you want to do.
• Understand what your personality profile looks like as this will give you a better understanding of what opportunities will be fit for you as you move through your career.
• As a leader, it is critical to understand the personalities of the people on your team, their work behaviors, what motivates them personally, where their passions lay and what they really love doing.

More in this episode…

In the Take Action Today segment of the show, Jane will give you an actionable piece of advice on what you can do to get on the track in working within your passion.

About Jane Sidebottom

Jane Sidebottom is the President/Owner of Applied Marketing Knowledge, LLC, (AMK, LLC) a marketing and management consulting company that works primarily with companies in the US and international commercial buildings market. Jane has a passion for helping companies of all sizes grow their businesses and expand their products and services offerings in this very competitive arena.

Prior to starting AMK in 2007, Jane built a career in international marketing and general management leadership positions for several companies, including Carrier Corporation, Trane, and Sargent & Lundy Consulting Engineers. She began her career in Washington, DC as an international trade lobbyist working for The American Consulting Engineers Council and The International Engineering and Construction Industries Council (A joint AIA, AGC, ACE, NCA initiative to expand international markets for AEC industry)

Jane has a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Maryland and has completed graduate work in International Law and Business.  She has completed the leadership development program at the Center for Creative Leadership in Colorado Springs, as well as Carrier’s leadership program developed by the Darden School/ University of Virginia.  She has travelled extensively, speaks Spanish, French and Arabic, and has lived and worked in many countries around the world. In her free time, Jane enjoys Crossfit, golf, and sharing good food and wine with friends and family. She and her husband David live in Bonita Springs, FL.

Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams. – Donovan Bailey

Resources and links mentioned in this session include:

The Engineering Management Accelerator Workshop
Jane Sidebottom’s LinkedIn account
Jane Sidebottom’s Article
Two Ways to Clarify Your Professional Passions

This episode is brought to you by PPI, the leader of FE, PE, or SE exam preparations. Use promo code TECC for 20% discount at PPI2Pass.com/coach.

How important is it to have a passion for your profession?

We would love to hear any questions you might have or stories you might share on having a passion for your profession?

Please leave your comments, feedback or questions in the section below.

To your success,

Anthony Fasano, PE, LEED AP
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success