There is always an awkward moment when meeting people for the first time and the conversation turns to “What do you do ?”. I am thrown into a dilemma: do I include in my reply that I am an Engineer ( or worse a Systems Engineer! ). When I blurt out something about being an Engineer their reply is usually along the lines of “Good we need lots of Engineers to get us out of this recession” and then they quickly move onto the price of houses or the weather.
However, the situation is changing. In a recent Harvard Business Review about the Best-Performing CEO’s in the World an interesting result emerged: 24 out of the top 100 CEOs are Engineers. The results also show that Engineers can head up non-technical companies. Not bad for a profession that has a public perception of repairing things!
An Engineer, can bring many qualities to business leadership. By the very nature of their profession, an Engineer takes a practical approach to problem solving. They break down complex problems into their component parts and then rebuild a new solution. They are restless in improving the performance of whatever they are working on whether it is making a car faster, safer or more fuel efficient. This urge to improve can best be summarised by one of my old lecturers who observed: “if you want to maintain the status quo – don’t get an Engineer involved. The first thing they will do is take it apart to understand how it works then put it back together in a way that makes it better” How many businesses can afford to maintain the status quo ?
Change is at the heart of any business, whether it is driven by competition, technology or legislation. An Engineer can apply their capability in taking a systems view to a business, and with their analytical skill, they can make decisions about parts of an organisation that will improve a businesses overall performance. Also, they instinctively take into account the risks and include safety margins to ensure successes. However communication is key in any change in a business and because an Engineer usually has worked their way to the top they understand the intricate workings of a business and can communicate effectively to different levels. All this adds up to successfully managing change.
Finally engineers can be both detailed and yet take a broader view of the environment that the business is working in. History is held together by many examples: Isambard Kingdom Brunel who changed the shape of a countries transportation system which increased its wealth, Henry Ford introduced techniques of mass production that are still followed today, and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos who continues to revolutionise how we shop.
I am now looking forward to meeting new people and when the awkward point in the discussion comes I will confidently add to my reply “ … and one of the fastest growing professions in business leadership!”