We all go to school expecting to learn the skills we need to succeed in the real world. As engineers, we probably felt confident that would end our degrees equipped with everything we needed to build strong careers and climb the ranks. Armed with knowledge of AutoCAD and second-order differential equations, there would be nothing we couldn't handle.
For anyone who's been in the workforce for any length of time knows, however, is just how far that is from the truth. That's why author, engineer, CTO and veteran MIT instructor Mark Herschberg wrote The Career Toolkit: Essential Skills for Success that No One Taught You. After teaching in MIT's Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program for nearly 20 years, combined with senior leadership experience in startups and fortune 500s, Mark learned exactly what skills engineers needed to thrive and how to teach them.
In today's episode, I interview Mark to learn more about:
See the full show notes at https://www.engineeringandleadership.com/episode24
Download our free guide to leadership for engineers - Engineering Leadership 101: Practical Insights for Becoming an Engineering Leader at Any Stage
In today's episode, I speak with Andrew Hinkelman, leadership coach and former CTO of Parametric, a fintech startup recently acquired by Morgan Stanley, about leadership and management in the technical world, and how to set yourself up for success as a leader in tech.
See the full show notes at https://www.engineeringandleadership.com/episode23
In today's episode, I interview Dr. Katrina Burrus about the challenges technical experts face when moving in to management, the importance of cultural fit, and the kinds of skills you need to succeed as a manager.
See the full show notes at https://www.engineeringandleadership.com/episode22
In this week’s episode, I interview Josh Mathias, the Managing Director at the Hythe Group, a multi-disciplinary engineering firm from the UK on leadership, management, and his ascent from the shop floor to the corner office.
See the full show notes at https://www.engineeringandleadership.com/episode21
In this week’s episode, I share five things that nobody tells you when you transition into engineering management. It's a summary of the biggest lessons learned in my own career, and how to put them to work for you.
See the full show notes at https://www.engineeringandleadership.com/episode20
In this week’s episode, I share three strategies for future-proofing your career so that you can move forward with confidence, even in a pandemic. You’ll hear advice on gaining career clarity, beating impostor syndrome, and establishing yourself as a leader, along with my co-host Jeff Perry.
See the full show notes at https://www.engineeringandleadership.com/episode19.
In this week’s episode, I Interview Steve Foran, a professional engineer whose career took a major turn nearly 15 years ago, when he launched a company to help make people happier through gratitude. Steve’s mission is simple, yet incredibly daunting: Make 1 Billion Happier People. I ask Steve about the importance of his mission, how gratitude helps leaders, and what engineering managers can do today to start practicing gratitude each and every day.
See the full show notes at https://www.engineeringandleadership.com/episode18.
In this episode, I explore a WWII-era guide to "Simple Sabotage" published by the CIA's predecessor, the Office of Strategic Services. It explains how disgruntled citizens of foreign nations can do little things to be disruptive and cause trouble.
As it so happens, the section on disrupting the way organizations work reads like a modern organization's playbook. Without realizing it, the modern workplace looks almost designed to disrupt the normal operations of a business.
I focus on five of the most common sabotaging behaviours that I see in the workplace today and offer ideas on how to avoid them.
See the full show notes at https://www.engineeringandleadership.com/episode17.
In this episode, I interview Pam Scott, Founder of MentorLoft.com, about feedback. We discuss common problems that she sees in her coaching practice and gives practical guidance on how to address those problems.
See the full show notes at https://www.engineeringandleadership.com/episode16.
In this episode, I give a sneak peak into my engineering productivity course and give away five of my best tips to help engineers prioritize their work. If you'd like to learn more, see the show notes at
In this episode, I have a conversation with Matthew G. Dick, author of SEED: A Hard Science Fiction Novel about Survival, Colonization, and Leadership. Matthew is an experienced engineering manager who recently completed his first novel. He shares his experience writing the book, how he balanced work with a major side project, and how he has developed his own leadership skills through the experience.
See the show notes at https://www.engineeringandleadership.com/episode14 for more information, links, and free downloads.
In this episode, I interview Sol Rosenbaum of theengineeringmentor.com about strategies for finding your next engineering job, especially during a pandemic. We cover modern job search techniques, networking, using LinkedIn, interview skills, and much more.
Find all the links and resources mentioned in the show, as well as a full transcript at https://www.engineeringandleadership.com/episode13.
In this episode, I provide 8 of the specific strategies I use to process email, keep my inbox clean, and focus more time on what really matters - getting work done.
Show notes, transcript, and links: https://www.engineeringandleadership.com/episode12
Free Productivity Guide
Need more time in your week? My free guide, Finding the 6th Day An Engineer's Quick Guide to Making More Time Now is a productivity guide built specifically for engineers to create 8 hours of productive time this week.
In this episode, I discuss impostor syndrome with Jeff Perry from morethan-engineering.com. We dig in to what it is, how it affects engineers, and how to manage it if you're ever faced with it in your own career.
In this episode, I discuss the the importance of recognition, how it can influence your engineering team for the better, the risks of not recognizing your engineers, and simple - yet effective - ways to recognize people, even during a pandemic.
In this episode, I discuss the value of disconnecting and getting away. Disrupting your normal work habits to make time and space to think deeply can yield wonderful results in terms of generating new and innovative ideas. Everyone needs time away from the office.
In this episode, I explore the importance of saying no in order to focus your attention on what's most important - your goals. Effective work - work that actually helps you achieve your goals - is reliant on being able to say no to things that don't line up with those goals. The episode also gives some concrete advice on how to deliver a "no" while still being professional.
In this episode, I explore leadership, what it is, what it isn't, and how engineers at every level can exhibit leadership and make a difference in their organization.
Get re-acquainted with the Engineering and Leadership Podcast and hear about what I have in store for the next season. You'll hear about what's been going on with host Pat Sweet, the show format, and about some of the episodes that will be released in the coming weeks.