Chapter 1

THE FIELD OF ENGINEERING MANAGEMENTEngineers are expected to perform a variety of tasks

depending on their specialization and joblevel. It is important to the engineer that he knows what is
expected of him to perform his jobeffectively and efficiently. The next concern will be to identify the
skills required which theengineer did not possess. As engineers, they are not directly trained to deal
with people, it isexpected that their weakness will most often be on people-based skills. This difficulty
will bemoir apparent once they are assigned to occupy management positions. It follows that if
theengineer manager would want to do his job well, some exposure to engineering
managementactivities will be necessary.THE FUNCTIONS OF THE ENGINEER Even as engineers are
currently producing solutions to many of the difficulties faced by mankind,much is still expected of
them. Their outputs, new or improvements of old ones are very muchneeded in the following specific
problem concerns:1.

the production of more food for a fast growing world population;2.

the elimination of air and water pollution3.

solid waste disposal and materials recycling;4.

the reduction of noise in various forms;5.

supplying the increasing demand for energy;6.

supplying the increasing demand for mobility;7.

preventing and solving crimes; and8.

meeting the increasing demand for communication facilities.Specifically, the functions of engineering
encompass the following areas:1.

Research where the engineer is engaged in the process of learning about nature andcodifying this
knowledge into usable theories.2.

Design and development where the engineer undertakes the activity of turning aproduct concept to a
finished physical items.
Design for manufacturability and value engineering teams
(a feature of some companies) are charged with improvement of designs and specifications at the
research, development, design, and productionstages of product development.3.

Testing where the engineer works in a unit where new products or parts are testedfor workability.4.

Manufacturing where the engineer is directly in charge of production personnel orassumes

responsibility for the product.5.

Construction this is where the construction engineer (civil engineer usually) isdirectly in charge of the
construction personnel or may have responsibility for thequality of the construction process.6.
Sales -0 where the engineer assists the companys customers to meet their needs,especially those that
require technical expertise.7.

Consulting where the engineer works as consultant of any individual or organizationrequiring his
services.8.

Government where the engineer may find employment in the governmentperforming any of the
various tasks in regulating, monitoring, and controlling theactivities of various institutions, public
or private.9.

Teaching where the engineer gets employment in a school and is assigned as ateacher of engineering
courses. Some of them become deans, vice presidents, and presidents.

10. Management where the engineer is assigned to mange groups of people performingspecific
tasks.THE ENGINEER IN VARIOUS TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONFrom the viewpoint of the engineer,
organizations may be classified according to thedegree of engineering jobs performed:1.

Level One those with minimal engineering jobs like retailing firms.2.

Level Two those with a moderate degree of engineering jobs like transportationcompanies3.

Level Three those with a high degree of engineering jobs like construction firms.
Management Skills Required at Various Levels Among the types of organizations, the engineer will have
a slim chance of becoming thegeneral manager or president of level one, unless of course, he owns the
firm. The engineermanger may be assigned to head a small engineering unit of the firm, but there will
not be toomany firms which will have this unit.In level two firms, the engineer may be assigned to head
the engineering division. Theneed for management skills will now be felt by the engineer manager.Level
three firms provide the biggest opportunity for an engineer to become thepresident or general
manager. In this case, the engineer manager cannot function effectivelywithout adequate management
skills.

ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT DEFINEDEngineering management refers to the activity combining

technical knowledge with the ability toorganize and coordinate worker power, materials, machinery,
and money. When the engineer is assigned to supervise the work of even a few people, he is
alreadyengaged in the first phase of engineering management. His main responsibility is to lead
hisgroup into producing a certain output consistent with the required specifications.The top position an
engineer manager may hope to occupy is the general managership orpresidency of any firm, large or
small. As he scales the management ladder, he finds that thehigher he goes up, the less technical
activities he performs, and the more management tasks heaccepts. In this case, it is but proper that the
management functions taught in pure managementcourses be well understood by the engineer
manager.MANAGEMENT DEFINEDManagement may be defined as the creative problem solving process
of planning, organizing,leading, and controlling an organizations resources to achieve its mission and
objectives. THE PROCESS OF MANAGEMENTManagement is a process consisting of planning,
organizing, directing (or leading), andcontrolling.Management must seek to find out the objectives of
the organization, think of ways how toachieve them, decide on the ways to be adapted and the material
resources to be used,determine the human requirements of the total job, assign specific tasks to specific
persons,motivate them, and provide means to make sure that the activities are in the right
direction.REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ENGINEER MANAGERS JOBDepending on the type of products or
services a firm produces, the engineer manager must havethe following qualifications:1.

a bachelors degree ion engineering from a reputable school; In some cases a mastersdegree in
engineering or business management is required;2.

a few years experience in pure engineering job;3.

training in supervision;4.

special training in engineering managementHOW ONE MAY BECOME A SUCCESSFUL ENGINEER

MANAGER Successful engineer managers do not happen as a matter of chance, although luck is
contributoryfactor. It is very important for the engineer manager to know the various factors leading
tosuccessful management.Kreitner indicates at least three general preconditions for achieving lasting
success as a manager.1.

ability2.

motivation to manage, and3.

opportunity

AbilityManagerial ability refers to the capacity of an engineer manager to achieve

organizationalobjectives effectively and efficiently.Effectiveness, according to Higgins, refers to a
description of whether objectives areaccomplished, while efficiency is a description of the relative
amount of resources used inobtaining effectiveness. Motivation to mangeMany people have the desire
to work and finish specific tasks assigned by superiors, but notmany are motivated to mange other
people so that they may contribute to the realization of theorganizations objectives.John B. Miner,
developed a psychometric instrument to measure objectively an individualsmotivation to mange. The
test is anchored to the following dimensions:1.

Favorable attitude toward those in positions of authority, such as superiors;2.

Desire to engage in games or sports competition with peers.3.

Desire to engage in occupational or work-related competition with peers.4.

Desire to assert oneself and take charge.5.

Desire to exercise power and authority over others.6.

Desire to behave in a distinctive way, which includes standing out from the crowd.7.

Sense of responsibility in carrying out the routine duties associated with

managerialwork.OpportunitySuccessful managers become possible only if those having the ability and
motivation are giventhe opportunity to mange. The opportunity for successful management has two
requirementsnamely obtaining a suitable managerial job, and finding a supportive climate once on the
job.Questions for Review and Discussion1.

Why engineers are considered an important segment of the society?2.

What are expected of engineers in general?3.

In what current concerns are engineering out puts needed?4.

In what areas are engineers currently involved?5.

How many organizations be classified according the engineering jobs performed?6.

Which organization level requires the highest management skills for engineer managers?7.

What is engineering management?8.

How one may define management?9.

What qualifications must an engineer manager have?10.

How may one become a successful engineer manger?SUGGESTED ITEM FOR RESEARCH1. Prepare a list
of ten engineers who became president or general manger of a large company.

List of engineers

1. Moshe Arens M.S. '53 (Mechanical Engineering), Awarded 1980.

Moshe Arens, president of Cybernetics, Inc., in Savyon, Israel, attained major achievements in
the diverse areas of engineering and politics. As vice president of engineering for Israeli Aircraft
Industries, he played a dominant role in the development and production of the Gabriel missile,
the Westwind executive aircraft, and the Kfir fighter, an outstanding engineering
accomplishment. Arens left the company in 1971 to found his own consulting firm and to enter
the political arena. In 1973 he was elected to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, and served as
chairman of its Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Eventually he achieved the rank of
Minister of Defense and also served as Israel's ambassador to the United States.
2. Andrew N. Liveris is President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Dow Chemical
Company, a global technology company focused on developing innovative solutions at the
intersections of the physical, materials, polymer and biological sciences with 2013 annual sales
of more than $57 billion.

3. Marvin R. DeVries, M.Eng., P.Eng.

Marvin is the President of Trojan Technologies. Under his leadership, the Trojan business has

grown at > 12.0% CAGR since 2003.

 4. Mr. ANGELITO D. BERMUDO is the President and Chief Executive Officer of MIESCOR and
subsidiaries- Miescor Builders Inc. (MBI) and Miescor Logistics Inc (MLI). Concurrently, he is the
Senior Vice President of MERALCO.
Lito, as he is more commonly known, has over 30 years experience in construction. He brings
with him institutional memory of AG&Ps proud 112-year history. He was the former President
and CEO of AG&P Company of Manila and had prior engagements with AG&Ps former owner,
DMCI, as Director of several affiliated companies.
Prior to AG&P and DMCI, Lito worked with Linde Arabian Contractors in a number of key roles,
including Marketing and Business Development, Senior Contracts Manager and then, Deputy
General Manager of Lindes Middle East operations.
Lito is a licensed mechanical engineer and a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical
Engineering from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. He also holds a
Masters degree in Business Management from the Asian Institute of Management in Makati
City.
5. Mr. ROGER M. MURGA is a graduate of BS Mechanical Engineering from the University of
the Philippines (Diliman). He has more than thirty (30) years of experience in Engineering
and Construction as Engineer and Professional Manager.
He completed the International Senior Managers Program, an off-campus management
program of Harvard Business School and attended various management programs and
seminars in the Philippines and abroad.
He started as Production Manager in EEI Corporation and subsequently elected as President
and Chief Operating Officer and retired as Vice Chairman. He also became President and
Chief Executive Officer of National Power Corporation. Currently, he sits as an independent
director of MIESCOR and Chairman of Private Infra Development Corporation.

6. Hadi Abu-Akeel

Engr. Hadi Akeel is president of his consulting company, American Technology and Engineering Corp.,
AMTENG, providing technical consulting and expert witness services in the field of robotics. He retired
from FANUC Robotics America, the world leading Industrial Robot developer and manufacturer, in 2000
as Senior Vice president, Chief Engineer and Director. Dr. Akeel received his BS-ME degree from Cairo
University in Egypt in 1959, his MS Degree from UCLA in 1963 and his Ph.D. degree from UC Berkeley in
1966.

7. Engr. Brad Edgar is the President and Chief Technology Officer and founding member of Cleaire
Advanced Emission Controls. Cleaire makes products that reduce diesel emissions by up to 99
percent, make old equipment as clean as new, and maximize the useful life of an engine for a
fraction of the cost of a new one. The company has been in business since 2001 offering a
portfolio of products that allow trucks, buses, and off-road machines to meet the nations most
stringent emission requirements. Cleaire products provide compliance with health-based
regulations, reduce particulate matter and black carbon that contribute to global warming, and
create green jobs. Brad attended the University of California, Berkeley where he received his
bachelors, masters, and PhD degrees from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Additionally, he was engaged in a post-doctoral program at the University of Stuttgart,
Germany.
 8. Bezhalel Machlis
President and Chief Executive Officer
Bezhalel Machlis was appointed as the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April
2013. From January 2013 until his current appointment, he served as executive vice president
president and CEO designee. From 2008 to 2012, he served as executive vice president and general
manager land and C4I division after serving as corporate vice president and general manager land
systems and C4I since 2004. In 2003, he served as corporate vice president and general manager
ground, C4I and battlefield systems. From 2000 until 2002, he served as vice president battlefield and
information systems. Mr. Machlis joined Elbit Ltd. in 1991 and held various management positions in
the battlefield and information systems area. Prior to that, he served as an artillery officer in the IDF,
where he holds the rank of colonel (reserves). Mr. Machlis holds a bachelor of science degree in
mechanical engineering and a bachelor of arts degree in computer science from the Technion and an
MBA from Tel-Aviv University. He is a graduate of Harvard University Business School's Advanced
Management Program.

9. Brian joined SunEdison, formerly known as MEMC, in 2007 and was appointed Executive Vice
President and CFO in May 2012. Before this, Brian was Vice President and General Manager at
Balance of System Products.

At MEMC, he has also served as Vice President, Solar Wafer Manufacturing, Vice President of
Financial Planning and Analysis, and Vice President Operations Finance. Before joining, he was Vice
President and CFO of Honeywell's Sensing and Controls Business and before that spent ten years at
the General Electric Company in various senior finance and operations roles in multiple businesses
around the world.

Brian holds a Masters in Business Administration from University of Southern California, Marshall
School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of
Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

10. Lorenzo Donadeo, P.Eng. Chief Executive Officer & Director

Experience: More than 30 years experience in the oil and gas business, including mergers and
acquisitions, gas marketing, production, exploitation and field operations in western Canada and
internationally in Australia, France, the Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago. Lorenzo was a co-founder of
Vermilion Resources (1994), now Vermilion Energy Inc. and currently serves as Chief Executive
Officer. From 2003 to March 2014, Lorenzo served as President and Chief Executive Officer. Lorenzo
served as the Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Vermilion when the company
made its initial international forays into France (1997) and later Trinidad and Tobago (1999) through
Aventura Energy Inc. Lorenzo was President and CEO of Vermilion when the company founded Verenex
in 2004, a company that was subsequently active in Libya. Prior to Vermilion, Lorenzo worked at Dome
Petroleum and Amoco Canada, as well as a private oil and gas company.
Education: B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering (Honours), University of Alberta, 1981
A.

1. Why are engineers considered an important segment of the society?

- Because computers exists thanks to them , houses exists thaks to them and almost all the things we
have now and without them , it won't be the same. lmost everything that you used every day has either
been designed by an engineer, or built using machines or tools designed by engineers.

The study of Engineering is the study of how to design things while always considering safety,
usefullness, aesthetics, profitability and reliability. enginneers r considered an imporatnt segment in
the society bcoz they develop technology which is very neccessary in developing an nation's
economy. Engineers are an important in society because they are the ones who build residences,
buildings, bridges and other infrastructures that make life easier. Almost all of the things used today
in the modern world, especially computers, are created by engineers.
- Engineering is an important and learned profession. As members of this profession, engineers are
expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Engineering has a direct and vital
impact on the quality of life for all people. Accordingly, the services provided by engineers require
honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity, and must be dedicated to the protection of the public health,
safety, and welfare. Engineers must perform under a standard of professional behavior that requires
adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct. - See more at:

2. What are expected of engineers in general?

- Engineers are expected to find solutions to technical problems

they are equipped with various theories,methods, principles that identify a problem, find the cause, and
make a solution

problems are challenges for engineers, success and failures add up to the knowledge and skills making
him/her a better engineer

Engineers put the theories into actual and tangible objects.

engineers will always be the medium for modernization but unfortunately will not be hailed as a hero.

engineers are not the front liners, they are the backbone.a silent contributor to an ever changing world

that is why an engineer's career path is slow. but eventually engineers are the best managers because
they know all the aspects and operations

- Engineers are expected to perform a variety of tasks depending on their specialization and job
level. It is important to the engineer that he knows what is expected of him to perform his job
effectively and efficiently. The next concern will be to identify the skills required which the
engineer did not possess. As engineers, they are not directly trained to deal with people, it is
expected that their weakness will most often be on people-based skills. This difficulty will be
moir apparent once they are assigned to occupy management positions. It follows that if the
engineer manager would want to do his job well, some exposure to engineering management
activities will be necessary.
- One thing would be the pursuit and adherence to the concept of social responsibility. That what
they do impacts on society (nationally, state, and local communities), and that engineers will work
under that understanding that not only benefits the organization they work for, be society as a whole.

3. In what current concerns are engineering output needed?

- Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineers

design, develop, build, and test mechanical and thermal devices, including tools, engines, and
machines.
-research in making cheaper,good in quality

4. In what areas currently engineers involved?

- Engine, which can run anything like automobile,shipping,software,hardware

Manufacturing of engine,buildings,rocket,automobile,road,... medical equipment
Power generation,automation,architecture etc engineers are everywhere. :)

- research & development,manufacturing plant

- Mechanics, energy and heat, mathematics, engineering sciences, design and manufacturing
form the foundation of mechanical engineering. Mechanics includes fluids, ranging from still
water to hypersonic gases flowing around a space vehicle; it involves the motion of anything from
a particle to a machine or complex structure.

Analysis, design, and synthesis are the key functions of mechanical engineers. The question is
often how devices and processes actually work. The first step is to visualize what is happening
and clearly state the problem. A mechanical engineer will then use computer-based modeling,
simulation, and visualization techniques to test different solutions.

Design is one of the most satisfying jobs for a mechanical engineer. To design and build a new
car, you must reckon with power, weight, size and shape, materials, reliability, and safety.
"Synthesis" is when you pull all the factors together in a design that can be successfully
manufactured. Design problems are challenging because most are open-ended, without a single
or best answer. There is no best mousetrap -- just better ones.

- The field is notable for emphasizing versatility. A mechanical engineering education is an

excellent foundation for work in other fields. Some mechanical engineers work on medical
problems, such as the mechanics of bones and joints, or the fluid dynamics of the circulatory
system. Mechanical engineers deal with economic issues, from the cost of a single component, to
the economic impact of a manufacturing plant. M.E.'s can be found in sales, engineering
management, and corporate management. Versatility is a decided asset in a world that is
undergoing constant economic, political, industrial, and social change. Mechanical engineers are
educated and positioned, not only to adapt, but to define and direct change.

The diversity of the field of mechanical engineering is represented in the following areas of
involvement.

- Fundamentally, mechanical engineers are involved with the mechanics of motion and the
transfer of energy from one form to another or one place to another. Mechanical engineers
design and build machines for industrial and consumer use -- virtually any machine you
find, had a mechanical engineer involved with its development and production. They
design heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to control the climate in homes,
offices, and industrial plants, and develop refrigeration systems for the food industry.
 Mechanical engineers also design heat exchangers, key components in high-tech
mechanical and electronic computer equipment.
- Energy Conversion
We live in a world of dependent on the production and conversion of energy into useful
forms. Mechanical engineers are involved in all aspects of the production and conversion
of energy from one form to another. We design and operate fossil fuel, hydroelectric,
conventional, nuclear and cogeneration power plants. We design and develop internal
combustion engines for automobiles, trucks and marine use and also for electrical power
generation.
- Energy resources Mechanical engineers are experts on the conversion and use of
existing energy sources and in developing the equipment needed to process and transport
fuels . At the same time, mechanical engineers are active in finding and developing new
forms of energy. In that effort, mechanical engineers deal with the production of energy
from alternate sources, such as solar, geothermal, and wind.
- Systems & Design
Most mechanical engineers work in the design and control of mechanical,
electromechanical and fluid power systems. As a mechanical engineer functioning as a
design engineer it is likely that you would be involved with one or more technical
specialties, for example: Robotic System Design; Computer Coordinated Mechanisms;
Expert Systems in Design; Computer-Aided Engineering; Geometric Design; Design
Optimization; Kinematics and Dynamics of Mechanisms; Cam Design/Gear Design; Power
Transmission; or Design of Machine Elements. Design engineers take into account a truly
wide number of factors in the course of their work, such as: product performance, cost,
safety, manufacturability, serviceability, human factors, aesthetic appearance, durability,
reliability, environmental impact and recycleability.

5. How many organizations be classified according to the engineering jobs performed?

- there are more than 5. SPE, AADE, ASME, IEEE, API, ANSI, SWE
- The International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) is an International
Labour Organization (ILO) classification structure for organizing information on labour and
jobs. It is part of the international family of economic and social classifications of the United
Nations.[1] The current version, known as ISCO-08, was published in 2008 and is the fourth
iteration, following ISCO-58, ISCO-68 and ISCO-88.
-

6. which organizational level requires the highest management skills for engineer managers?

-Management can be defined as business and organizational activities is the act of getting people
together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and
effectively. The management helps people to manage the work and other resources in their day to
day activities. So every people not only engineers want management to succeed in their career. So it
is more important to develop management skills in their career. In this report mainly concerned
about how the management concepts and skills help engineers to succeed in their career.

Leadership is one of the management skill required to develop by an engineer to succeed in his
engineering career. When a person recruits as an engineer by a company, he will not in that position
forever. In future he will be a manager in that company and he should do the manage ring job in that
company. So he should have the leadership quality to handle the job of the manager. As a project
manager he has to enroll lot of projects, thus leadership quality is more important.

Communication skills such as writing, listening and speaking are concerned as management skills.
Person who is in a management level should have these qualities. So as an engineer, person should
improve these communication skills to succeed in their career. Because as an engineer, he should
be able to speak clearly to the technical people in the organization. This makes the job work very
effective and efficient. People who are effective speakers come across as more comfortable
with themselves, more confident, and more attractive to be around.

An engineering manager has four main field of responsibility, that is, supervising engineers or
technicians, project management, interacting with clients, and offering suggestion and representative
as a resourcefulness. An engineering manager should be a completely permit and specialized. All
job seeker must finish a university undergraduate degree in engineering. Engineering management
is the field involved with the application of engineering principles to the planning and manipulative
management of manufacturing and industrial organizations. Engineering managers requires an
integration of technical skills, soft skills, and conceptual skills as well.

Technical skills are the elementary type of skills. Engineering manager is a leader of the team;
normally consist of a group of engineers, technicians and workers. Engineering managers should
have a unique skill in a specific area which can leading them to stand out among the public. Along
with the proficient of technical skills, the engineering manager will able to understand the
requirement and specification of the whole project. Beside that, engineering managers should have
self-confidence while leading the group. Show the ability that can resolve the technical problem and
hence the employees might convinced to him. As an engineering manager, the continuing study and
upgrading the knowledge is required. This will help them in solving the specific problem.

7. what is engineering management?

- Engineering Management is a specialized form of management that is required to

successfully lead engineering or technical personnel and projects. The term can be
used to describe either functionalmanagement or project management.
- Engineering Management is a specialized form of management that is concerned with the
application of engineeringprinciples to business practice. Engineering management is a career that
brings together the technological problem-solving savvy of engineering and the organizational,
administrative, and planning abilities of management in order to oversee complex enterprises from
conception to completion.
-In the past, management engineers have designed systems for control. Today they are designing
systems that support change. With this shift, there is also a switch from a project or department focus to
a systems focus that inevitably involves multiple departments and disciplines. Management engineering
utilizes industrial engineering knowledge and skills to provide internal consulting services for all
departments in an organization in order to develop, implement, and monitor more efficient, cost-effective
business processes and strategies.
-

8. How one may define management?

- Management in business and organizations is the function that coordinates the efforts of people to
accomplish goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively. Management
comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization to
accomplish the goal. Resourcing encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human
resources, financial resources, technological resources, and natural resources. Management is also
an academic discipline, a social science whose objective is to study social organizations.

- The organization and coordination of the activities of

abusiness in order to achieve defined objectives.
Management is often included as a factor of productionalong
with machines, materials, and money. According to the management guru Peter
Drucker (1909-2005), the basic task of management includes
both marketing andinnovation. Practice of modern management originates from the
16th century study of low-efficiency and failures of certain enterprises, conducted by
the English statesman Sir Thomas More (1478-1535). Management consists of the
interlocking functions of creating corporate policy andorganizing, planning, controlling,
and directing anorganization's resources in order to achieve the objectives of
that policy.

9. What qualifications must an engineer manager have?

- Engineering managers are normally required to have professional experience as an engineer before
becoming managers. Engineers typically earn a bachelor's degree in engineering, and engineering
managers may also hold a master's degree in engineering management.

- Step1: Earn a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering

Step 2: Begin the Licensure Process
Step 3: Complete Training and Licensure
Step 4: Gain Experience as a Professional Engineer
- Qualifications of an engineering manager:

Basically job applicants should have a Bachelors Degree in the field of engineering, engineering
manager should have good interpersonal skills, decision making skills and job seeker must have good written
skills.Normally to get a successful job Experience of 3 to 5 years in engineering disciplines.

10. How may one become a successful engineer manager?

1. Be confident in your ability to lead. While I may be stating the obvious here,
confidence in your ability to lead is the most important aspect of
leadership. Why? If you dont trust yourself, your staff will sense your lack of
 confidence, and they wont have confidence in you either. Trying to lead a staff
that doesnt believe in you is pretty much mission impossible.
2. Consistently develop your non-technical skills and facilitate the development
of your staffs non-technical skills. If you have read my blog at all (or my book
Engineer Your Own Success) you know that I am a big proponent of engineers
developing their non-technical skills for many reasons. However, while its
important to continue your development, it is also important to encourage your
employees to develop theirs and try to encourage the company to provide
financial support towards their development (as much as possible). Not only will
your staffs development help your team to become more successful, but the
financial support that you are campaigning for will show your staff that you truly
care about their development and that will motivate them to work hard for you.
3. Become a dynamic public speaker. Successful engineering managers make
presentations all of the time. Whether it is a presentation in front of a Town
Board for an approval or in front of a group of prospective clients, your ability to
present in front of people is directly related to your career success, especially in
engineering management. In my opinion, your quickest route to becoming a
better public speaker is to join your local chapter of Toastmasters
International. Toastmasters is an international organization which helps
individuals become better public speakers and improve their confidence and
communication skills in the process.
4. Let your team decide on how to solve the problems. In my experience working
with engineering managers and developing engineers, I have found that great
engineering managers let their team develop their own solutions. Instead of
saying, We have to design a stormwater system for this project. I think we should
use a subsurface system, what do you think, try saying, We have to design a
stormwater system for this project. What kind of system do you think we should
use? If your team can come up with their own solution, they will be much more
engaged in the design, because after all, it was their idea. Now of course, if you
think there is a better solution, you must say so as the manager, however you can
do so in a way where you can still utilize parts of their idea. This may be the single
most important aspect of being a successful engineering manager.
5. Always give credit to your team when things go right and always take the
blame when things go wrong. This is one of the most difficult things to do, but
critical in my opinion, to becoming a successful engineering manager. In the
engineering world, things go wrong on projects; someone does a wrong cut and fill
 calculation, the printer breaks, MS Word freezes and specifications are lost,
etc. Regardless of what goes wrong on a project and who messes up, it is your
responsibility as the manager to take responsibility for what happened. You
shouldnt tell the client or your supervisor that John or Mary messed everything
up. Instead, you should say, this is my fault and well make sure this doesnt
happen again. This again, gets more buy-in from your team members and will
really help you to earn their respect. After all, you are the manager, so everything
that happens under your watch is your responsibility. In addition to accepting
responsibility, when the project goes right, you should immediately deflect all of the
praise to your team. Derek Jeter, captain of the New York Yankees, is great at
doing this. I remember once he hit a home run to win the game, and when the
reporter asked him about how it felt to win the game for you team, he immediately
deflected the praise to the pitchers that day saying how they kept them in the game
and gave him the chance to win the game. This isnt an easy thing to do, but then
again either is becoming a successful engineering manager; if it were I wouldnt get
this question e-mailed to me once per day!

- Instructions
o 1
Get a bachelor's degree in engineering. According to the BLS, almost all engineering managers
have a bachelor's degree in an engineering specialty. A bachelor's degree takes about four years
of undergraduate schooling.

o 2
Gain experience. Most managers begin as engineers, according to the BLS. Engineering
managers advance to management positions after many years of being engineers. Leaders must
understand their subordinates' duties, which occurs after having previously been engineers
themselves.

o 3
Become eligible for advancement. According to the BLS, engineers sought for engineering
manager positions showcase communication and administration skills, technical knowledge and
leadership abilities.

o 4
Get a master's degree. According to the BLS, consider a master's in business administration
(MBA) or engineering management (MEM), before or after advancement into management
positions. Gain business and management skills by completing a master's degree program. Some
employers pay for training. Some large firms offer on-site courses required in degree programs.