Our educational system is adept at equipping students with the required technical skills for a career in engineering, but student preparation for leadership roles may be inadequate. Add in the fact that although many large corporations have traditionally provided leadership training programs, most small to medium businesses may lack the resources to do so; this creates a skills gap for the engineering managers of the future that needs to be filled.
Since its formation in 2008, the Emerging Leaders Alliance, a cooperative project of nine professional organizations, has been working to meet that need. In addition to providing online resources, the alliance hosts an annual conference that provides an opportunity for upcoming engineers and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) professionals to develop the skills needed to become outstanding leaders.
What better way to learn about what the conferences have to offer than to hear feedback from a recent attendee? Melissa Butcher, a civil engineering student at the University of South Florida, shared her experience from the 2013 conference with the American Society of Civil Engineers Roundup (ASCE). Here are some of the highlights from the first day of the three-day conference, along with Melissa’s thoughts and reactions, to give you a taste of the featured activities and speakers:
Bob Heavers of Priority Management, a developer and team success mentor for 35 years, delivered dynamic sessions on “Becoming an Indispensible Leader” and “Building Highly Productive Relationships that Matter.” According to Melissa, “he employed tools, such as the social styles model, to facilitate each individual’s grasp of how those around us perceive our actions, and to shine a light on potential weaknesses with room for improvement.”
Rahul Dogra, with more than 16 years of experience managing an international software company, opened discussions on “Making the Transition from Technical to Management” and “Developing Emotional Intelligence for Success.” Melissa said of the session, “Rahul’s dynamic talks helped attendees explore the difference between a technical expert and an excellent manager. Such discussions aided audience members in exploring what it really means to have emotional intelligence.”
The highlight of day one for Melissa was the “architecture” competition. “Each group at a table made up one team. Every team member had a specific title and task. I worked as the observer. I had to look at an artfully crafted gumdrop and toothpick masterpiece and deliver a description to the runner. The runner was not allowed to ask me any questions about what I described to him. The runner then had to deliver what he got from the observer to the builder. The objective was to convey instructions such that your builder could construct an exact replica, down to the correct colors of both gumdrops and toothpicks. It was really a fascinating exercise. Some tables had finished products that looked like large buildings, others like monsters. We all learned important lessons about our own communication abilities and capacity for interpreting others.”
In summarizing her experience, Melissa said, “The viewpoints explored and relationships developed at the conference all contribute to gaining a deeper understanding of management, leadership and how to be your own personal best. I strongly encourage any young professional civil engineer involved with ASCE to apply for the opportunity to attend the ELA conference in 2014.” Judging by Melissa’s reaction and her overview, conferences like this might improve the prospects for creating the engineering managers of the future.
You can learn more about Melissa’s experiences at the 2013 ELA conference at ASCERoundup – Emerging Leaders Alliance. The 2014 conference will be in November in Reston, Va. Registration opens in April.
What about you? Have you received leadership training as part of your engineering education? If you’re currently in a management position, did your education/training prepare you adequately for that? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
For more information on the Emerging Leaders Alliance, visit their website.