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Jeff Bezos. Angla Merkel. Sundar Pichai. Jimmy Carter. Jack Ma.
Do you know what all of these famous people have in common? They were all great leaders. They were also all graduate engineers.
There seems to be an inexplicable link between the worlds of engineering and leadership. When they collide, great leaders are born. In this article, we will explore the potential reasons behind this interplay and highlight some skills that engineers, whether they be PhD candidates, graduates or students pursuing an online Master of Engineering inherently possess by honing their craft:
1. Problem Solving
A manager has to douse several figurative fires within a day. It could be a conflict between two team members. Or an urgent task that has to be completed quickly. Whatever the issue, a manager is usually the person people look up to in times of crisis. This makes problem-solving a rather core skill set of a competent manager. Problems faced by engineers can be innocuous or massive in scale and size, just like a manager.
For instance, a structural engineer could face the high-stakes problem of determining whether a creaking and excessively moving newly constructed highway bridge has an issue of shifting foundation, poor materials or simply overloading. With lots of lives on the line, the decision can be a rather important one. On the other hand, a software-developing engineer could also face the simple task of debugging the issue of a dating app signup. Not a world-changing problem, but a problem to solve nonetheless. The solution-oriented job of an engineer steadily inculcates the skill of dissecting problems and analysing potential solutions.
2. Thinking Outside The Box
Many business challenges need the leadership team to have a differential approach, forcing them to ditch the safe options and think outside the box. This could be a moonshot opportunity to innovate. Or a chance to acquire a competition. Or even formulating a plan to turnaround a struggling company. In such conditions, thinking outside the box becomes the norm. Leaders who possess the ability to do the same can be a great asset to the company.
Engineers often have to indulge in out-of-the-box thinking to solve a myriad mix of problems. For instance, a telecommunications engineer could face the challenge of providing internet access to a remote rural community without laying any underground cables. The engineer then could think about unconventional options like designing a system using solar-powered wireless towers that connect to satellites, providing coverage at a fraction of the usual cost and also without laying any cables.
Similarly, a software engineer working at an early-stage startup could be tasked with speeding up a web app but without upgrading the servers due to cost constraints. The engineer could try to rework the way data is processed using caching, optimised queries, and background tasks with the aim of speeding up the app without adding any costly computing power. These situations are one of the many complex ones that engineers routinely face in their profession, proving their ability to think outside the box.
3. Attention To Detail
In the large scheme of things, it is often the smaller details that matter. While attention to detail is an underrated skill, it is a competency that is highly valued by Australian recruiters. Having a strong detail-oriented workflow can help in avoiding mistakes, saving time and improving overall efficiency. With leaders often having a supervisory and admin function in their role, this skill set can be very helpful in detecting errors.
Engineers are routinely required to stay vigilant and be on the lookout for potentially costly mistakes. It could be a coder fixing that one line of code causing app malfunction, a cybersecurity expert observing an unusual pattern in the traffic log or an aerospace engineer spotting a hairline crack on a turbine blade.
4. Strategic Thinking
People who can see the big picture, spot lucrative opportunities, anticipate potential challenges and make strategic decisions swiftly can make great leaders. Engineers approach problems with a ‘systems mindset’, considering how different components interact within a larger structure and gel together to create synergies for success. This is a great feature for all engineers who have a habit of first studying things in silos and then placing them in the general environment to contemplate as to how things might pan out.
A civil engineer understands that rapid urbanisation could increase the risks of flooding and incorporates permeable roads, green spaces and underground reservoirs in the city plan. An automotive engineer designing a new-age EV also looks at factors beyond battery performance like supply chain optimisation, vehicle platform and existing partnerships to account for all future challenges. This ability of engineers to look beyond the present-day challenges and give more than a just quick fix elevates them to the category of high-quality leaders.
Engineers have time and again demonstrated their ability to be competent leaders. They have thrived and flourished in circumstances when the chips are down or when radical innovation is the need of the hour. Their ability to solve problems, think outside the box, look at the minute details and be a strategic thinker can give them a good headstart in their leadership journey.
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