Great Engineers
Engineering is more than just inventing and coming up with solutions. Like a fruit that ripens and releases its seeds to the soil, an engineer must also build fellow great engineers.
Though not stated in his job description, a great engineer must inspire his peers in the field to excel at what they do.
An engineering firm can only endure through its products, be it devices or services. And the tailors of these commodities are none other than the undaunted engineers themselves.
A firm’s survival is determined not only by its sales, but by its employees as well.
Engineering as a culture
A firm that acts in the way of the engineering culture has employees that think and act like engineers.
This culture does not cease even if an employee emerges to the peaks of management.
The tasks change form, but the rationale of thinking remains. This can occur in two ways for any employee.
First, entry level engineers are expected to apply engineering practices they have learned from school onto the workplace.
Second, executives must be able to sort their subordinates to roles that will maximize their talents.
In a way, this too is a practice of engineering since the best outcome must be met with only a limited amount of resources – the workforce.
And it is through the pieces in his chess board that an executive can carry his entire team to greatness, the steps he took to do so done by no other than the craft that is engineering itself.
How can we differentiate employees who exhibit engineering in every aspect from those who don’t?
Those who do are interested in finding the solution even if the problem does not originate from his line of expertise. Those who don’t merely brush these problems aside, letting someone else do the dirty work.
Building Engineers
How does one nurture engineers in any firm?
- Instill the mind of an engineer from the moment they begin their training.
- Do not merely instruct. Rather, assign responsibilities and metrics of success to them.
- It is impossible to be an engineer overnight. Train your subordinates to think like an engineer one problem at a time. Of course, you must also be open to their mistakes along the way.
Do you wish to maintain being an engineer in your career? You can try these simple steps.
First, do not be daunted from the truckload of things to learn as you embark on your career.
Everyone’s been there and you, like them, will be successful. Second, never stop the mind-set of being an engineer as you embody the firm’s culture and philosophy.
Innovators are always rewarded in engineering companies and they are the ones usually taking the higher seats.
Are you ready to become a great engineer? Remember, the title never drops from one’s mind-set regardless of how far our careers take us.
Written by guest writer Francis Bautista
