Philip, thank you for enlightening us with some facts and statistics on engineering leadership. I have also posted the same topic in the PUBLIC POLICY forum where some interesting replies and discussions were shared by learned individuals.
I have had no idea that engineering majors occupy some 25% of CEO positions – more than any other! Engineering professionals responsible for turning the wheel of progress handle the very difficult task of working out workable solutions and implementing them by incorporating scientific and technological advances. They can hardly afford not to be systematic and meticulous in their approach because public trusts them (to the level of guaranteed expectations by the enforcement of licensure requirement etc.) for their welfare and safety. You are very passionate in highlighting all these aspects of engineering ethics and liability.
Yet in a broader societal context, engineers by nature of their main focus and pursuits on technical and scientific issues are a minority – therefore it is not surprising that they remain obscured from the very loud and visible public eyes. Apart from the top shepherd such as a CEO running an organization, engineering professionals take lead in planning, designs and implementation of projects to business acquisition and marketing. But perhaps these roles are more impregnated with transactional responsibilities rather than with the transformational visions of a leadership.
Not so much directly on this topic, but you can also have a glimpse of some relevant materials from some pieces of my website: http://widecanvas.weebly.com
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Dr. Dilip Barua, Ph.D, P.Eng, M. ASCE
Consultant - Coastal, Port and Marine Engineering
Vancouver, Canada
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-25-2017 16:34
From: Philip Zimmerman
Subject: Engineering Leadership
Dilip,
Interesting perspective on engineering leadership and the lack of recognition in the book you read. I've always been amazed at how often engineers are overlooked in that regard and opened a company to address the leadership issue in particular. Here are some tid bits about engineers before I comment further.
Engineers Are Trusted: Engineers are tied with doctors as the 3rd most trusted professionals. Nurses, pharmacists, occupy the first two positions.
Engineers Are Proven Leaders: 25% of S&P 500 CEO's are engineers, the most of any college major. The second most common college major is economics (17%).
Engineers Are Designers: Engineers use proven design methods to maximize function and sustainability while minimizing challenges and risk.
Engineers Are Professional: Engineers have a professional responsibility and liability to safeguard life, health and property, and to promote the public welfare.
If you work backward on that list the reason for a general lack of recognition of engineering leadership within the available leadership pool begins to come into focus. As professionals with a responsibility and liability our focus tends to be on our work and the work being conducted under our supervision rather than simply driving people where others fear to tread or have not gone before. If we under design or error in design people can die and infrastructure fail. Our focus to make sure that does happen does not attract a spot-light.
Follow that argument into the design field and you run across many of the same issues. While the architects draw amazing images and artists paint and sculpt breath taking art (the perceived leaders of community and cultural transformation), there are engineers behind the scenes who design the foundations, structures, and fastener systems that allow these imaginations to actuate, take form, and withstand the elements.
However, when leaders of S&P 500 companies are called to step forward, engineers occupy 25% of those positions; more than any other college major. In the world of oil and gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, and manufacturing it is most likely you'll find an engineer at the top. But then work back down the list and you'll see that they are over shadowed by the leaders who make something commercially appealing with what these industries produce.
Then when you get to the top of the list you see the real benefit of self-imposed humility and professionalism. That overwhelming and over arching benefit is trust within the community. In-fact, the other professions that share the top spots with engineers could similarly argue that leadership is not a word that pops into a persons mind when thinking about their profession.
So the simple take away is that when you serve others above self and look after the welfare of others you fall into the shadows of recognition and fame; often even overlooked by the ones being served. But that's just who we are; professional, designers, leaders, and trusted.
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Dr. Philip Zimmerman, PE PCC M.ASCE
President
Engineering Leadership
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
PhilipPhilip
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