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...
You may be thinking, or have already decided, to take the management track.
But how do you get there and what kinds of skills do you need to succeed?
As more young civil engineers enter the workforce, the demand for versatile managers increases as well. Soft skills are as important as technical skills when navigating management duties within your company.
According to Wonderlic, 93 percent of employers...
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...
I recently had the honor of serving as one of the keynote speakers for a luncheon at the ASCE Environmental and Water Resources Institute Congress, which was held in Minneapolis earlier this month.
I spoke on the topic of successfully transitioning from civil engineer to manager, and included tips for building strong managerial skills.
Some of the skills I touched on were communication (with colleagues and...
New technology often saves you time, ensuring that your projects remain as profitable as possible. But with the rapid advancements in today’s world, how is it possible to stay current?
I get this question often from civil engineers who understand that in order to progress in their careers, they’ll need to take on more client communication, but are not sure how to prepare for doing so.
In this article, I’d like to share a few actions you can take to either prepare for communicating with clients, or start doing so today.
1. Ask your supervisor if...
I recently had the honor of interviewing ASCE President Kristina Swallow, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE, for an infrastructure series we are running on the Civil Engineering Podcast, and afterward was able to ask her a few career-related questions to share with ASCE members here online at ASCE News.
This article is longer than usual, but it’s filled with great advice from Kristina, including a secret...
Who do you picture when you think of a civil engineer? Did you picture a woman in the profession?
Studies show that only 14 percent of the civil engineering workforce is composed of women. About 40 percent of women who have engineering degrees never enter the workforce or drop out.
