I recently received this question during a webinar I was conducting for ASCE on the topic of preparing for your annual performance review.
First, I will say that your transition from civil engineer to manager may have nothing to do with being ready. It may depend on when your company needs you to make that transition – which means you should always be ready.
However, in...
How do you motivate engineers so that they want to step up and take ownership of their work, instead of being content with just being along for the ride?
This was a question I received recently while serving as the lead instructor for the inaugural ASCE Power Skills series, a new series of live leadership training sessions being provided by ASCE for members nationwide. For...
Before I dive into an answer to this question, let’s take it one step at a time for those civil engineering professionals who aren’t clear on what advocacy means.
From a basic level, we find the Dictionary.com definition of advocacy being the act of pleading for, supporting, or recommending; active espousal.
Wikipedia gives a more complete definition, related to politics:
Advocacy is an activity by an individual or group which aims to...
This is a question that I get from civil engineering students almost daily. Should they seek full-time employment immediately after completing their undergraduate studies or pursue a master’s degree?
Let me preface my answer with two statements. First, graduate school and professional engineering licensure are invaluable tools for any civil engineer – as noted in ASCE’s Engineer Tomorrow initiative – but, as with any career, it’s more...
“The devil’s in the detail” is an idiom that is very relevant to civil engineers, and one to think about as you plan for the new year. In the world of civil engineering projects and technical design, details matter, and you should spend your time ensuring that those details are correct. However, when it comes to your professional development plan, the opposite may be...
We all know the joke about the difference between the extroverted and the introverted engineer when they talk to someone. Introverted engineers look at their shoes, and extroverted engineers look at your shoes. Funny, unless you’re an engineer trying to break away from this career stereotype like I did.
An introvert is defined as a shy, reticent person. Engineer or not, these characteristics do pose...
I recently provided management training for a civil engineering firm and this question came up multiple times. Civil engineering managers struggle with delegation for many reasons, but when they do actually start to delegate, a huge challenge they face is balance. How do you find the balance between not checking in enough with your staff, and micromanaging them?
Here are three specific actions you can...
I have received emails from many civil engineers who are just starting their careers. They often ask me about their first job. Some of their questions are …
• What if I take a first job and then realize I don’t like what I’m doing?
• What if I decide I want to work for a different company?
• Should I take the first offer I get...
I look at my to-do list at the end of the day and see a lot of tasks crossed off, and it makes me feel good. I feel accomplished, like it’s been a good day.
That was before I discovered and started living by the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 Rule, both at home and work.
If you are not familiar with it, the...
These days there are lots of differing sentiments around the subject of meetings. Some say they’re critical to effective teams and successful engineering projects. Others say meetings are a waste of time. What’s your opinion?
In my opinion, like everything else in life, the effectiveness of meetings is related to what you put into them.
I remember when I was a young civil engineer learning how...
