3 Tips to Guide Engineers in New Leadership Roles

This Professional Engineers Day, we at Actalent are celebrating all the hard work that our talented engineers put into getting their PE licenses. Yet as we reflect on their accomplishments, this is also a perfect opportunity to look to the future, at the next step in their career journey: leadership roles.

For an engineer, stepping into a leadership role for the first time can feel like taking your first road trip—exciting to be at the wheel, but a little daunting, too. That's because it requires a different skillset, one that's interpersonal rather than technical. According to the Center for Creative Leadership,

• More than a quarter of new managers feel they're not ready to lead others.
• Nearly 60% say they never received any training when they transitioned into their first leadership role.
• One in five first-time managers are doing a poor job, according to their subordinates.

Luckily, just like the knowledge needed to earn a PE license, leadership skills can be acquired. Having a mentor in the passenger seat can make all the difference, since an experienced leader can offer directions, support, and even help fix proverbial flat tires along the way.

As a team lead in the engineering field for more than fifteen years, I can attest to the powerful impact of such mentorship. I wouldn't have achieved what I have in leadership roles without the sage advice of my current and former bosses, and it has been a privilege to help others on my team grow into their first-time leadership roles.

As more engineers step into these positions for the first time, here are three key lessons that mentors to new leaders should prioritize to set them up for success.

Prepare first-time leaders for new rules of the road

When an employee takes on a new role on the same team, you might think they know what the team needs. After all, they've been working with these colleagues for years.

But the truth isn't that simple—just think about driving in rural America compared to the streets of Rome. As my wife and I learned back on our first trip to Europe, the basic mechanics of driving might be the same, but the rules and expectations couldn't be more different.

In fact, supervising people you already know can be one of the toughest challenges for a new leader. New-found authority can change a person’s relationship with colleagues in uncomfortable ways, and just because they were already on the team doesn't mean they were privy to all the behind-the-scenes dynamics that are now their responsibility.

At this pivotal intersection, it's important to help an employee understand how—and why—this role is different from the ones they've held previously. Namely, that they'll be evaluated differently, with new metrics and benchmarks for success. As a front-line employee, success was measured by individual performance. As a leader, it's all about how the team performs, which requires a complete change of perspective.

They'll also face new expectations (sometimes unspoken) about discretion, responsiveness, and office etiquette. I'll never forget when I witnessed a newly promoted engineer, a first-time leader, rattle off his usual complaints in a big meeting. He didn't realize that complaining loudly in that setting as a leader would now cause his employees to quote his words as department policy. He didn’t understand that the etiquette rules had changed with his new title.

Sharing best practices and templates for managing a busier calendar, demanding client correspondence, employee benchmarking, and other new responsibilities is crucial during this transition. Even providing common HR resources and letting them shadow you during client meetings can have a real impact. Most strong companies have great HR job aids for leadership, but sadly some never see them until they are years into their first leadership role.

Being a great mechanic doesn't mean you're a good driver

A friend of mine is a skilled mechanic who knows nearly everything there is to know about cars—except how to drive safely. That's because operating a car is different from repairing it, just like how engineering a project and leading people are different skillsets. In fact, I often repeat the mantra “people are not projects" (borrowed from a previous mentor) before I enter any charged interpersonal discussions.

For instance, engineers who easily understand what's happening "under the hood" of a client project may struggle when faced with managing an underperforming supervisee or smoothing over tension between two engineers who don't get along. Before entering that employee discussion, they may have to ask themselves, “Am I ready to switch gears and deal with this situation at the personal level?” 

Our Managing Director stresses to our leadership team to "separate the job from the role." He reminds us that the job is black and white; however, the role of a leader is more nuanced. A leader should put the team above self. Be empathetic, not sympathetic. Coach, rather than tell. Lead instead of direct.

Offering a new leader tips on how to delegate appropriately, manage interpersonal challenges, and excel in both the job and the role can help them earn and keep their team's respect as they embark on a new leadership journey.

Even if you have a license, a driving class can always help

We've all seen it before: People who appear to be "natural" leaders that don't need coaching. But the reality is that leadership isn't an instinct or personality trait. No one is born a perfect leader—rather, it's a skill that develops over time through mentorship, observation, and formal instruction. Even just sharing a list of books that have helped you as a leader can prove useful.

Our Power Delivery Engineering management team is challenged to reflect on and live by the insights of these books, in this order: "What Color is Your Parachute?"; By Richard N. Bolles, "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz, "Emotional Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey, and "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle.

I also encourage my mentees to take advantage of engineering leadership training programs. While most companies offer such leadership development programs—Actalent offers a Leadership Foundations course that I found exceptionally useful—this is often something that falls by the wayside for a new leader, either because they feel they don't have the time or doubt its usefulness. A little nudging can help them see the value these programs hold.

New leaders need strong mentorship to increase their self-awareness and, in turn, properly develop themselves. Ultimately, the most successful leaders are those who know that engineering leadership development is not a destination, it's a never-ending journey. Let's help each other along the way.