"How do you recognize good management advice?" Hello everyone! "Who do you trust and what is the truth in management?" This last week I was reading some of the blogs on the people skills necessary for successful management. One blog, in particular, caught my eye. It had to do with "behaviors" that are necessary for a good manager. Some of the behaviors put forth by the author included things like these soft skills: 1. When you are … [Read more...] about #79 Trust Your Experiences
Becoming a Manager
#72 Drop the Schedule!
"Working in today's environment." Hello everyone! I just read an article in the August 25-September 1, 2008 issue of BusinessWeek, that summarizes the next wave of work environments as follows: 1. People want more flexibility in their work processes. 2. People don't want to come in to work as often to save gas. 3. People who think they are "leading edge" are saying that schedules and face-to-face work environments are no longer … [Read more...] about #72 Drop the Schedule!
#70 AIAA-SF Panel Tells It Like It Is!
"If you do one thing… do this" Hello everyone! You've been hearing me say for some time that for the typical engineer, management is a new career. You've heard me say that the soft skills, the interpersonal people skills make all the difference in your success, long-term. Well, last Wednesday I moderated a panel discussion at the monthly evening dinner meeting of the San Francisco chapter of the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and … [Read more...] about #70 AIAA-SF Panel Tells It Like It Is!
#66 On The Shoulders of Giants!
Can you think your way through management? Hello everyone! How does science progress? On the shoulders of giants, so the saying goes. Those of you who have taken my classes have heard me say that for the typical engineer, management is a new career. That's my saying. You've also heard that science progresses on the shoulders of the giants who have come before us. All knowledge builds on the foundations of the past. Algebra is the … [Read more...] about #66 On The Shoulders of Giants!
#18 What’s Coaching About
What’s A Coach To Do? ”Getting down to business” Good evening! I had some thoughts this weekend around this topic: “What is it that a really good coach should do for you if you want to become a technical manager?” Approach #1: The first coaching approach requires that the coach think of their role as that of psychologist, and indeed some coaches are psychologists. They want to dig into your childhood, into your pains, and they believe … [Read more...] about #18 What’s Coaching About
#10 Management Myths
Part-time technical and part-time manager Good evening! As I indicated in my previous blog, I taught a class this week on being a technical professional and technical manager at the same time. This is usually the situation that arises when a technical person is first promoted to management. They are promoted to a position that is part-time technical and part-time manager. During the class I taught, we discussed how and why a technical person … [Read more...] about #10 Management Myths