Some of the discussion I've seen on the last few posts has started me wondering if I am treating two separate things as if they are one. I am very passionate about leadership and engineering, and to me, they have always been closely linked. Now I'm beginning to question if this is my own personal construct, or if there are objective reasons to think of them as related, or at least complementary.
The case for engineers as leaders should be self-evident. We've received the education and training to think critically and logically in all situations, and often we are in the best position to determine the optimum course of action. At the same time, I can't deny that many engineers maintain such a narrow focus that they can't make judgements that affect anything outside their own area. Additionally, we are notorious for ignoring anything we can't quantify, leaving us with potentially fatal blind spots.
So to be fair, I have to admit that I see a lot of engineers that don't seem to have what it takes (or any interest in) being "traditional" leaders. By "traditional," I mean the kind of leaders that we usually think about when we hear the term: Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Theodore Roosevelt, Steve Jobs. But that's not the whole story, because I believe everyone has the potential (and obligation) to lead themselves. But I don't think we are doing a great job in that arena. This is where we can take greater responsibility for our own work: cost, schedule and quality.
Personal ownership equals self-leadership. I think everyone can and should live and work this way, and I see a lot of room for improvement in this area within our profession, especially we more experienced engineers. What do you think? Do you see anything similar in your work? Should all engineers be leaders? Self-Leaders? Or is it acceptable to be a "technical expert" that needs to be told every priority, and managed constantly?
2 comments:
Very interesting. You bring up some good points. Of course you know I always got along great with the engineering depts.
Seriously, there is no reason engineers can't be both good at engineering and management. There have been many cases that proved that. I do remember in the mid 70's when engineering ran many aero companies, including "XYZ". It did not end up well but I think that was more a function of the personality of the leader, not the fact that he was an engineer. Back in the day my observation was the inability of many (not all) engineers to admit to being wrong even in the most obvious situations. And the loyalty between engineers was only outdone by the medical profession. This characteristic made for difficult problem solving and C/A.
I think every professional (engineer or not) needs to have some level of competency with management. At minimum, anyone should be able to manage their own work and priorities to a degree. In my 5 years of engineering experience, this has been my biggest pet peeve with many of my co-workers! So many people can't or won't make a judgement call on priorities or technical issues even when there is a clear answer without going to a manager/lead. This forces me to go to my or their manager/lead to make something happen.
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