Professional and Career Topics

Hello fellow professionals,

I wanted to open a discussion around a career journey that is not often talked about in detail-the transition from a practicing engineer to the role of CEO in the engineering consulting space.

I started my career as a structural engineer after graduating in 2013. Over the years, I worked across multiple infrastructure projects in both national and international settings. In 2017, I took the leap and founded my own engineering consulting firm. The shift from technical execution to business strategy, team leadership, and client relations has been both challenging and rewarding.

Some key challenges I've faced include:

• Shifting from a problem-solver to a decision-maker.

• Learning to build and lead teams.

• Understanding the business side-contracts, cash flow, marketing, etc.

• Maintaining technical credibility while delegating technical work.

I'd love to hear from others who've either made a similar transition or are considering it:

• What helped you the most in making that leap?

• What do you wish you had known earlier?

• How do you balance engineering values with business realities?

Let's make this a place for sharing experiences, strategies, lessons, and maybe even mistakes.

Looking forward to your insights!

Good topic and queries Jaher. As I see in your signature lines, you're already a CEO of an engineering enterprise – therefore, perhaps in a position to share more of your experiences and encounters – in transitioning from technical roles and leadership – to business roles. The key challenges you have pointed out perhaps reflect the experiences of many. 

In an essay on Leadership and Management – some qualities expected of a good leader are highlighted. Some excerpts: . . . a leader should have the courage to stand alone to spearhead things to move forward. Ah! There lies the keyword – forward – but desirable only when in the right direction. Being forward looking by standing alone is easier said that done however – because it can be highly challenging and scary even for a very strong leader – in conflicts of interests and demands – surrounded most often by adversaries and flatterers . . . This means that no two leaders act in the same way for a given situation – or that leaders of different cultures understand and operate the leadership role differently – therefore there is no universal prescription for a good leader.

In the framework of an acronym, HICAP (HI CAPtain) – Hope, Integrity, Compassion, Awareness and People – the essay suggests more what to expect of a good leader:

. . . A leader without a creative outlook, hope and vision has no right to lead – in absence he or she becomes just another manager. A leader should be strong to articulate ideas and visions to arouse emotions in his or her favor to make a difference – in resolving the conflicts of interests and demands as an accomplisher – not as a boss . . . The message of hope and vision carries very little weight if integrity does not define a leader – if he or she becomes unable to honor the trust bestowed upon . . . Compassion is not a sign of weakness – it is rather a sign of greatness that earns a leader respect, admiration and friendship . . . a leader's envisioned organizational framework should be based on flexibility, rather than on bureaucratic rigidity – because Nature and Society stand on the framework of a dynamic equilibrium to attain stability in time. For a leader entrusted with power, it is easy to develop arrogance that blocks his or hers ability to see things as they are – this hindrance should not allow a leader's judgment . . . A Leader needs energy and help from the people he or she works with – from the people he or she works for and leads – a leadership cannot survive without them . . . Leaders should develop an organizational culture of network to get things done – by rising above divisiveness and in-fighting – by recognizing the contributions of each individual, no matter where they stand on the hierarchical framework. They should have the aptitude and competence to be Scalable as business and management situations demand . . .

There have been some relevant threads and discussions on this:

Engineering Leadership

Principles to Lead Others

Suggestion for your "Teams"

Have a look. They are quite interesting.

Dilip

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Dr. Dilip K Barua, Ph.D

Website Links and Profile

Hello fellow professionals,

I wanted to open a discussion around a career journey that is not often talked about in detail-the transition from a practicing engineer to the role of CEO in the engineering consulting space.

I started my career as a structural engineer after graduating in 2013. Over the years, I worked across multiple infrastructure projects in both national and international settings. In 2017, I took the leap and founded my own engineering consulting firm. The shift from technical execution to business strategy, team leadership, and client relations has been both challenging and rewarding.

Some key challenges I've faced include:

• Shifting from a problem-solver to a decision-maker.

• Learning to build and lead teams.

• Understanding the business side-contracts, cash flow, marketing, etc.

• Maintaining technical credibility while delegating technical work.

I'd love to hear from others who've either made a similar transition or are considering it:

• What helped you the most in making that leap?

• What do you wish you had known earlier?

• How do you balance engineering values with business realities?

Let's make this a place for sharing experiences, strategies, lessons, and maybe even mistakes.

Looking forward to your insights!

Hello fellow professionals,

I wanted to open a discussion around a career journey that is not often talked about in detail-the transition from a practicing engineer to the role of CEO in the engineering consulting space.

I started my career as a structural engineer after graduating in 2013. Over the years, I worked across multiple infrastructure projects in both national and international settings. In 2017, I took the leap and founded my own engineering consulting firm. The shift from technical execution to business strategy, team leadership, and client relations has been both challenging and rewarding.

Some key challenges I've faced include:

• Shifting from a problem-solver to a decision-maker.

• Learning to build and lead teams.

• Understanding the business side-contracts, cash flow, marketing, etc.

• Maintaining technical credibility while delegating technical work.

I'd love to hear from others who've either made a similar transition or are considering it:

• What helped you the most in making that leap?

• What do you wish you had known earlier?

• How do you balance engineering values with business realities?

Let's make this a place for sharing experiences, strategies, lessons, and maybe even mistakes.

Looking forward to your insights!

Hello Jaher,

Thank you for sharing your journey - it's inspiring to see the transition from engineer to CEO in such a demanding field.

From my experience, what helped most was embracing the mindset shift from individual technical problem-solving to empowering the team and trusting their expertise. Leadership is as much about listening and supporting as it is about directing.

I also wish I had learned earlier how crucial it is to balance technical credibility with business acumen - understanding contracts, finances, and client expectations is essential, but maintaining respect for engineering integrity helps build trust both internally and externally.

Balancing engineering values with business realities often means making tough decisions but staying transparent and aligned with your team's mission.

I look forward to hearing more stories and lessons from others navigating this path!

Best regards,
Darya Stanskova

Hello fellow professionals,

I wanted to open a discussion around a career journey that is not often talked about in detail-the transition from a practicing engineer to the role of CEO in the engineering consulting space.

I started my career as a structural engineer after graduating in 2013. Over the years, I worked across multiple infrastructure projects in both national and international settings. In 2017, I took the leap and founded my own engineering consulting firm. The shift from technical execution to business strategy, team leadership, and client relations has been both challenging and rewarding.

Some key challenges I've faced include:

• Shifting from a problem-solver to a decision-maker.

• Learning to build and lead teams.

• Understanding the business side-contracts, cash flow, marketing, etc.

• Maintaining technical credibility while delegating technical work.

I'd love to hear from others who've either made a similar transition or are considering it:

• What helped you the most in making that leap?

• What do you wish you had known earlier?

• How do you balance engineering values with business realities?

Let's make this a place for sharing experiences, strategies, lessons, and maybe even mistakes.

Looking forward to your insights!

Hello fellow professionals,

I wanted to open a discussion around a career journey that is not often talked about in detail-the transition from a practicing engineer to the role of CEO in the engineering consulting space.

I started my career as a structural engineer after graduating in 2013. Over the years, I worked across multiple infrastructure projects in both national and international settings. In 2017, I took the leap and founded my own engineering consulting firm. The shift from technical execution to business strategy, team leadership, and client relations has been both challenging and rewarding.

Some key challenges I've faced include:

• Shifting from a problem-solver to a decision-maker.

• Learning to build and lead teams.

• Understanding the business side-contracts, cash flow, marketing, etc.

• Maintaining technical credibility while delegating technical work.

I'd love to hear from others who've either made a similar transition or are considering it:

• What helped you the most in making that leap?

• What do you wish you had known earlier?

• How do you balance engineering values with business realities?

Let's make this a place for sharing experiences, strategies, lessons, and maybe even mistakes.

Looking forward to your insights!