PPI SyEN SPOTLIGHT: INTERVIEW WITH KERRY LUNNEY ESEP, 2020-2021 President of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)
René King, Managing Editor of PPI SyEN, sat down with Kerry Lunney to discuss INCOSE and the systems engineering profession in general. The following excerpts from that interview are edited for clarity and for conciseness. [This is Part 2 of 2; part 1 appeared in PPI SyEN #102, June/July 2021] Perhaps the most critical skillset required to achieve success in any endeavor is leadership. As someone who has been a successful leader, what is your advice concerning effective leadership? I get asked this all the time! Any advice I would give would be tailored to the specific recipient of the advice, but I can share a few lessons that I’ve learned. Firstly, life happens – learn to adapt, adopt, and master the unexpected. If you thought you could plan your career to a “T” – forget it! Secondly, find inspiration from leaders with whom you resonate and emulate those traits that you admire. For me, examples would include Barack Obama and his ability to captivate an audience with his speeches, or Albert Einstein for his curious mind.
Lastly, never lose your “quirkiness” – it can be the source of a great adventure. Be confident. Be true to yourself, be your authentic self! (Any veneer will eventually be seen through.) It is important to remember that, as SE leaders, you are uniquely positioned to understand and preserve the “strategic thread”, linking the policy and strategy drivers with the operational needs to guide the design for a responsive and elegant solution. This is a powerful position to be in – to influence and persuade to achieve the desired outcome. You won’t always be successful but treat everything as a positive learning experience... Always seek to serve. INCOSE Empowering Women Leaders in Systems Engineering [EWLSE] is releasing a book through Springer titled, “Emerging Trends in Systems Engineering Leadership: Practical Research from Women Leaders” early next year. I am co-authoring a chapter with Anne O’Neil and Melissa Jovic on influence and persuasion, so that’s something you may want to look out for.
Thirdly, it’s important to be accountable. Make it happen: take ownership of your life and your career; you are the leader, so lead by example. Power through those tough times.
What is your impression of the progress INCOSE is making to foster diversity, both within the organization and throughout systems-engineering practice worldwide?
Furthermore, I recommend embracing tactical empathy. A very good book, “Never split the difference,” speaks about tactical empathy. Be empathetic, but at the same time, think about how you can embrace someone’s issue to get your desired outcome. I also recommend building on your strengths and the strengths of your teams! If you build on your strengths, the weaknesses will have a much less significant impact.
Within INCOSE, our membership is growing every day across the world, with demographics becoming more varied. We are taking steps to improve our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and I feel we are making good progress. INCOSE has created a new Board position this year: Associate Director (AscD) DEI, reporting to the President. We also have created a new DEI advisory committee, chaired by the AscD DEI, and there is now a new policy on DEI.
August 2021
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