| 'Ben' was in his 40s. He was acknowledged as a | | | | transition from engineer to manager. These were: |
| good (but not brilliant) technical expert in his field, | | | | - the focus of most undergraduate courses on |
| but the only career path his employers offered | | | | technical, design and analytical skills, at the |
| was management. There was a place for a limited | | | | expense of communication, teamwork, and |
| number of brilliant technical experts in the higher | | | | decision-making skills |
| echelons, indeed one such individual sat on the | | | | - organizational promotion policies where technical |
| Board, but in the main, this was a very limited | | | | competence is a criterion for promotion into |
| option, and it certainly wasn't going to be made | | | | technical management, rather than managerial |
| available to Ben. | | | | competence. Good engineers then become poor |
| The challenge for Ben was that he loved his job. | | | | and demotivated managers. |
| He loved the intellectual challenge of participating in | | | | - difficulty in letting go of previous projects and |
| projects, giving advice, managing his own work, | | | | unwillingness to delegate. The hands-on engineer |
| and coming up with ideas that made a practical | | | | does not know how to become a hands-off |
| difference, but the idea of managing other people, | | | | manager. |
| or budgets, or projects of any size terrified him. | | | | As a coach, I work extensively with people who |
| He also loved the practical, hands-on aspects of | | | | are moving from a whole range of specialisms, |
| his work. He didn't want to be sitting in an office | | | | whether engineering or economics or clinical |
| back at Head Quarters, 'counting widgets' as he | | | | psychology, into management. In the majority of |
| called it. | | | | cases, one of the biggest challenges is how my |
| Ben's case is not untypical of the challenge that | | | | clients can rise above the specialism in question by |
| many engineers and other technical people face if | | | | changing how they communicate (and what |
| they want to be successful. How do you make | | | | about) as well as their approach to problem |
| the transition from engineer to manager, or | | | | solving. Engineers often have powerful analytical |
| technical expert to manager? | | | | skills which, as managers, they need to deploy in |
| As far as skills are concerned, engineers probably | | | | the context of non-technical problems. As |
| do acquire the necessary skills to generate | | | | Goldberg pointed out, most management |
| budgets and forecasts and to produce schedules | | | | problems are human, rather than technical, and |
| and plans. Engineers who go down the Operational | | | | people-management skills, like most other skills, |
| Management route have early exposure to | | | | can be learned. |
| project management, finance and budgeting, | | | | Coaching programmes always work best if they |
| marketing and managing people. Yet for many | | | | are tailored to the needs of the individual. It is |
| engineers, the opportunity to develop the so-called | | | | important to start with areas of strength. This is |
| soft skills, such as communications, people | | | | much more empowering and motivating than |
| management or resolving conflicts isn't readily | | | | starting with the weaknesses, although a focus on |
| available. If this were not enough, anyone who | | | | weakness seems a particularly British trait. The |
| aspires to reach senior levels will also need to | | | | first question is which strengths we can build on, |
| develop leadership skills such as vision, the ability | | | | and how best to do that. Some weaknesses (or |
| to encourage creative thinking, dealing with | | | | 'areas for development' as they are sometimes |
| ambiguity and the capability for strategic thinking. | | | | known) are simply due to a lack of knowledge - |
| Skills are not the only issue. There is also the | | | | for example how to produce management |
| question of attitudes and preferences. People | | | | accounts. These skills can be learned. Some |
| from a 'hard' science background are taught to | | | | so-called weaknesses are more a question of |
| deal in fact, and many struggle with handling | | | | preference or attitude. For example, some |
| ambiguity, or things which cannot be 'proven', as | | | | engineers prefer working with detail, while others |
| the old joke about the two balloonists highlights. | | | | are happier when working at a more strategic |
| Some people struggle with the move from | | | | level. The trick then is to identify which |
| technical expert to administrator, or from working | | | | preferences are so deep they are akin to values, |
| with detail to bigger-picture thinking. | | | | or a fundamental part of the individual's character, |
| Communicating with non-technicians can also be a | | | | and which are down to habit. Habits can be |
| challenge. | | | | changed, and coaching is a powerful method for |
| In an article written in 2007, Jay Goldberg | | | | supporting people to do just that. |
| identified 3 key barriers to making a smooth | | | | |