The Softer Side of Engineering

BY MIKE MEAGHER

Recently, I had a conversation with an engineer manager from a Fortune 100 company. He declared that “soft skills” (we refer to them as essential skills) are as important as technical skills for an engineer. He went on to say that engineering curriculum is so rigorous on the technical side there is little time left for the essential soft skills. Unfortunately, graduates discover after the fact how important those are to career success.

In 2012, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers reported that its members and others in engineering-related positions identified essential soft skills as crucial to their success. Smarts and technical ability is the price of admission. Without essential soft skills, growth opportunities are limited.

Engineering and technology companies we work with at Sagency, a strategic talent solutions firm, share the same two concerns: Finding talent with the “hard” engineering or technical skills; and “essential” people skills. Employees who have well-developed technical and soft skill sets drive growth for our clients.

Relationships are a powerful driver of business growth in engineering. Engineers must be well-rounded in many soft/essential skills to develop and maintain those relationships. The good news is soft skills can be learned. But which ones are most important? The top two skills that our clients look for are communication and teamwork.

Communication

Pairing technical competency with the art of communication makes an engineer stand out. Great communication skills help engineers navigate diverse personalities, personal agendas and shifting priorities. The frequency and importance of communication usually comes as a surprise to new engineers. They find themselves forced to learn how to effectively communicate on the job.

Key communication tactics include listening, business writing, technical writing, public speaking and presentation preparation. Engineers influence others by translating complex technical jargon into simple language to understand outcomes. The most valuable engineers are masterful relationship builders. They gain buy-in from clients and colleagues during each phase of a project.

Teamwork

The ability for engineers to work together to complete a complex project is critical. Unified teams with shared purpose, goals and accountability outperform the pack. Projects can fail and a firm can be exposed to unnecessary risk if a team isn’t working well together. How do we close the soft skill gaps?

1. Measure: Use a valid and reliable assessment to identify the gaps for current and prospective employees.

2. Develop: Create an individual development plan to address gaps. Close gaps by training on specific soft skills and providing opportunities to use them in everyday work life.

3. Coach: Assign a mentor to each employee. The mentorship should focus much more on soft skills than technical skills. If mentorship is not an option, consider investing in group or individual coaching for employees. Coaching is proven to deliver a strong return on investment.

4. Remeasure: Prove the efficacy of development and coaching efforts by confirming that gaps are closing. Also, make sure the firm is getting a good return on investment.

Technical skills alone are not sufficient for engineering career success. Essential soft skills are important differentiators for hiring and advancing engineers. An engineering team with well-developed soft skills has a hard-to-copy competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Mike Meagher Founder and Talent Advisor Sagency mike@sagencytalent.com

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