How to Become an Engineering Manager

If you want to become a credible manager in engineering, you'll first need to prove yourself to be a solid engineer. "Sound engineering judgment builds respect and trust from those with whom you work," says Ken Ragsdell, professor of engineering management and systems engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. But your technical expertise won't make you a shoo-in for an engineering management role. In fact, it could hurt you if it's all you have to offer.

According to the Department of Labor, DOL, "Opportunities for engineering managers should be better in rapidly growing areas of engineering-such as environmental and biomedical engineering-than in more slowly growing areas-such as electronics and materials engineering." The DOL also reported there were 182,300 engineering managers employed in 2008 with a medium wage of $120,580. DOL also stated "to fill management positions, employers seek engineers and scientists who possess administrative and communication skills in addition to technical knowledge in their specialty. In fact, because engineering and natural sciences managers must effectively lead groups and coordinate projects, they usually need excellent communication and administrative skills."

Chemical engineer Jeff Lindsay, director of solution development for management consulting firm Innovationedge, says, "Engineering management is at the intersection of things, people and money." In other words, your technical skills will help you handle the things part of a future management role, but you'll need to develop key soft skills to deal with the people part and a big-picture organizational perspective to navigate the money part. Here's how.

Other engineers before you have transitioned well into management roles. Find them in your own organization and elsewhere, and tap their wisdom. Successful managers typically can point to a mentor, coach or role model who helped them in a tough situation, or to whom they could turn when they needed guidance," says talent management consultant Michael Couch. So ask for advice, and be open to critical feedback from engineers who have already been elevated to management.

Potential mentors can include current supervisors, according to Julie Naster, who has been training and coaching engineers in management roles for more than a decade. "Let your boss and others know that you are interested in being promoted to management and willing to look at yourself and build skills in areas that may currently be weak," Naster says.

Push yourself beyond your technical abilities. At its essence, management is about supervising, leading and assessing people with diverse personalities, skills, experiences and motivations in an environment in which you yourself are being scrutinized by higher-ups. If you want to be viewed as ready to take on this challenging assignment, it only makes sense to accumulate a wide array of nontechnical experiences and skills.

By focusing solely on building your technical skills as an engineer, you risk becoming so cocooned in your own work/role that you overlook or ignore the fact you're part of a larger team, which is probably part of an even larger organization.

Companies, and their various divisions, have budgets to worry about, as well as deadlines, customers and clients, political realities and so on. So if you want to move into a management role, you'll need to be willing and able to not only see the broader context in which your organization operates but factor it into your daily interactions.

Project management experiences and/or training can help you break out of the minute details that you're used to working with and see things from a little higher perspective. To increase your chances of being promoted, volunteer for new, different and challenging assignments, even if they're outside your area or comfort zone.

Source: Chicago Sun Times, Peter Vogt, 9/9/09