Mastering Engineering Leadership

If you think that strong communication skills as an engineering leader means being good at speaking in front of an audience and being good at conveying complex technical concepts to non-technical people, you'd be right.

And if you stop there, you're missing the bigger picture. 

Often the most critical communication happens in hallway conversations, team and client discussions, and one-on-one meetings. 

In this edition of the Mastering Engineering Leadership Tools and Tips series, I'm going to teach you how to navigate the nuances of conversations, like when to share facts versus opinions, how to adapt based on boundaries, and how active listening can diffuse conflicts or foster collaboration. 

By the end of this episode, you'll have tools you can apply immediately to improve collaboration, trust, and understanding within your teams. 

Takeaways, transcripts, and more in the show notes:https://drangeliqueadams.com/insights/

In this episode, I speak with Nikki Maginn, Director of Program Management at DEMATIC and founder of Inside Out Engineering.

Nikki shares her journey into engineering, highlighting her passion for physics and the influence of her family background. She had a pilot's license before she had a driver's license, and her grandmother was an actual Rosie the Riveter. She discusses the challenges she faced in securing a job in nuclear engineering post-Fukushima and how she navigated her career through project management and leadership roles.

Nikki emphasizes the importance emotional intelligence has had on her success and how that inspired her to create Inside Out Engineering, which aims to equip engineers with essential interpersonal skills. You can learn more about Inside Out Engineering in the show notes.

In our leadership segment, she shares a powerful experience where she stood up for her values in a corporate setting, illustrating the impact one voice can have in shaping company culture.

Finally, she offers valuable advice for aspiring engineering leaders to embrace their uniqueness and authenticity.

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Jim Szybist.  Jim is the head of the Propulsion Science Section at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which is focused on developing decarbonized solutions for all parts of the transportation sector. 

In our conversation, Jim shares his journey into engineering, from taking apart broken appliances in his mom's kitchen to pursuing graduate studies and his career development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

In our leadership segment, Dr. Szybist discusses the significance of influencing organizational change.

Finally, Dr. Szybist offers valuable advice for aspiring leaders, stressing the importance of understanding leadership roles and seeking informal opportunities to develop leadership skills. 

Takeaways, transcripts, and more in the show notes: https://drangeliqueadams.com/insights/

In this episode, I speak with Alyssa Hayes, Ph.D  candidate in nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee and chair of the board of Computational Research Access NEtwork, also known as CRANE.

In this conversation, Alyssa Hayes shares her journey into engineering, discussing her motivations, challenges, and the support she received along the way. She emphasizes the impact of positive teaching experiences on helping her overcome her initial reluctance to study engineering. 

In the leadership segment, Hayes discusses her role as Chair of the board of CRANE program, which aims to provide a welcoming environment for underrepresented students in computational physics. Alyssa highlights the challenges of volunteer work and the significance of self-care in maintaining productivity and well-being. 

Alyssa concludes with advice for aspiring leaders in engineering, encouraging them to embrace opportunities while prioritizing their health and relationships.

In this episode, I speak with Buddy Heins, Vice President at Merit Construction. Merit Construction is a general contractor and construction manager headquartered in Knoxville, TN, and primarily focused on commercial, institutional, and industrial construction.

Buddy shares his journey from pre-med to civil engineering and how his struggles with the rigors of the engineering curriculum taught him a valuable lesson about how being willing to ask for help and to help others in return is a powerful way to build lasting relationships.  

In our leadership segment, Mr. Heins discusses how community involvement opens doors to networking and leadership growth.

Finally, Buddy shares a wealth of advice for aspiring leaders that he boiled down to:  be prepared, be persistent, be punctual, be patient.

Show notes and more at: https://drangeliqueadams.com/insights/

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Joy Harris, Executive Officer of Entrepreneurship and Director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute at the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. 

Dr. Harris's journey into engineering started early. As a child, she was identified as being gifted at higher math and attended a boarding school for teens talented in math and science. That led her to a dual enrollment program at Spelman for math and Georgia Tech for electrical engineering. From there, she had many exciting experiences working in the field, including stints at NASA and Oak Ridge National Lab.  She continued her studies, earning a Ph.D. at Princeton, and has spent most of her career in academic leadership,  first at Georgia Tech, and now at Georgia State. 

She highlights how important having a strong community and diverse professional network has been to her success. 

In our leadership segment, Joy draws on her nonprofit experience, where she serves as director of the Council for Schools and Services for the Blind. She shares a recent conflict with a new board president, who made a decision that negatively impacted her work. She emphasizes the need for self-regulation during times of peak emotions and the value of suggesting multiple options when seeking a resolution. 

Finally, Dr. Harris shares advice for aspiring leaders including the importance of adding value in your current role as a means to opening doors for advancement.

**Takeaways, transcripts, and more in the show notes: https://drangeliqueadams.com/insights/

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Matthew Mench, Dean of the Tickle College of Engineering at the University of Tennessee. 

 Dr. Mench shares how he went from building with Legos (and blowing them up with fireworks) to becoming the Dean through seizing opportunities that came his way and working hard to earn his way to the next opportunity.

In our leadership segment, Matthew discusses the challenges he faced while advocating for establishing an independent biomedical engineering department. 

He talks about how his perspectives on the initiative changed as he ascended leadership levels from a faculty member to department head to Dean. 

He was ultimately successful, and his takeaway is the importance of strategic alignment within organizations, the value of benchmarking, and the right timing for implementing large strategic initiatives.

Finally, Dean Mench provides a wealth of advice to aspiring leaders. One point we talked about in depth was the importance of prioritizing your time so that you can work on the highest-impact initiatives that only you, as the leader, can achieve. And he gave us insights into how he does it by protecting his calendar and delegating.   

Dean Mench also provided us with six leadership books he recommends, and I summarized those in the show notes, so make sure you grab a copy.

Resources, transcripts, and more in the shownotes at : https://drangeliqueadams.com/insights/

Are you an engineer looking to go beyond your technical expertise to become an impactful leader?

Join Dr. Angelique Adams each week as she features engineers in leadership roles.

They discuss their career journeys, dissect real-life leadership challenges they've tackled, and share actionable advice on how to achieve success as a leader with an engineering background.

Whether you’re a new engineer aspiring to a leadership role or a seasoned leader looking to grow, join us for inspiring stories, actionable insights, and the tools to lead with impact.

Mastering Engineering Leadership—your journey to becoming an exceptional engineer leader starts here.

Coming January 2025.