I am retired having worked in several industrial maintenance engineering roles over my working life being responsible for apprentices (amongst other things) over the last twenty years.  When I started this I incorrectly assumed that the training from me would be mainly technical but have learnt over the years that the technical bit is only the tip of the iceberg!


I found that time after time, new apprentices would come from school without the faintest idea of how to behave at work.  Some sharp lessons had to be learnt here.  The idea that as an engineer we always have a "customer" (production department, anyone with something that doesn't work, the local council etc., etc.).  The customer has a problem and it is this that we need to address.  The job is not completed until the customer's problem is solved.  I.E. you spend several hours doing a fantastic job technically and then spoil it completely because you spoke badly to the customer.


I found it challenging to teach an apprentice why you should always stick to the regs and do a neat job, even though the customer often wouldn't notice any difference.  The electrical installation will mostly be hidden and whatever the appliance is, it will still work just the same even when the work is done cowboy fashion.  Pride in one's work and a culture of safety needs to be imparted.  I tried to make them understand that an electrician known for being thorough and not cutting corners will always be in demand, even though in the short term things just appear to take longer!


I am very pleased that my son now has his own electrical engineering business and has a culture of work that I would be proud of.   The teaching stopped being all one way a long time ago now.  I am still pleased to help him out with report writing and procedural matters, but as regards technical it's mostly him to me now as he develops a more thorough understanding of modern technology.


I think to sum things up I have found that as I have got older I have found that is is the "softer" issues which seem to have become more to the fore.

Hello Foffer:


The purpose of this blog was to help engineers deal with the "soft" issues that arise during and after work. By addressing these items one reduces excessive stress in one's life and as a by-product improve ones long term health.


However I also have a whole lot of safety rules that I learned over my working years, having seen a number of accidents happen. I will just mention just a couple:

Never wear a necktie (could get caught in rotating machinery).

Never wear metal objects (rings etc) when dealing with electrical power.

Wear non slip hard shoes to prevent toe damage from dropped objects.


Peter Brooks MIET

Palm Bay Florida USA

Here's a start, in no particular order:

1. The senior engineer doesn't necessarily know more than you. But they probably appear less worried about what they don't know, and more confident about what they do know. In meetings watch and learn how they handle questions where they don't know the answers: "I'll need to ask my colleagues about that" "I'll need to come back to you on that" "that's outside my area, I suggest we ask Alex". No-one minds you not knowing everything as long as you find ways of getting the right information to the right person in the end.

• When dealing with colleagues or clients show you're on their side. Show that you understand that they have challenges and that, as far as you can, you're prepared to help. That way, when you're their problem - when you have to break bad news that you're going to make their project late, or more expensive, or just more difficult - they will be far more sympathetic. They'll know you will have already made your best efforts to avoid them having a problem.

• Break bad news early. Even if it's only "I'm not sure yet, but I think we may have a problem". No-one likes last minute surprises. It's very common for inexperienced engineers to be concerned that they will get into to trouble if they announce a problem (especially if they think it's their fault!). Trust me, you'll only get in serious trouble if you leave it until it's really expensive or publicly embarrassing before you reveal it. Everyone makes mistakes, it's how you handle it that's important.

• If you do have bad news to break, show - as far as you can - proposed solutions, especially those that show you will take at least some responsibility for turning the situation around. "I've found a problem, and I don't know what to do about it" is better than nothing. But "I've found a problem, and I wanted your opinion on whether I should do a, b or c. I thought c because..." is excellent.

• If there's something you don't know, look it up. If you can't find it, or still don't understand it, ask. Senior engineers (at least, those it's worth you listening to) will never mind being asked - even if it's something you think you "should" know. The only time it's annoying is when it's something you could have found for yourself from a 30 second Google.

• If a senior engineer says "you should know that" and walks off, or says "when you've got more experience you'll know that" and walks off, or puts you down or ignores you in a meeting, then that's their problem. Good engineers are never self-centred, arrogant, or patronising - and the colleagues of these engineers will know exactly what they're like. You're not going to change them, just go and find someone more sensible to talk to. 

• If an opportunity comes up, volunteer for it. The daftest grumbling I hear from junior engineers is "it's unfair that Sam gets all the promotions, just because they volunteer for everything". Er, well, yes - if someone shows they are interested in learning about and trying new things of course they're going to be first in line for the more interesting work!

• But balance that with being fair to yourself. It's fine to say "I'm sorry, it's been fine working the last two Saturdays to get the project done, I appreciate the overtime payment for it, and actually I've learned a lot from it, but next Saturday's my partner's birthday - it's going to be really difficult if you want to me to work then. How about if we...?" It's bringing some of the above points together - you appreciate there's a problem, and you're willing to take responsibility for it. But there is a boundary. In this situation make sure you're honest - in a slightly different case it's better to say "I'm really tired and need that Saturday off" than to make up an excuse - which will get found out and then you've lost all your credibility.

• If you feel you're being taken advantage of then say so - but remember there are two points of view here. Be prepared to listen as well as putting your side across. Be careful about listening to your mates here - it is easy for them to sit on the sidelines and say "your manager's out of order, that's against the law, they should give you compensation for that". Take advice from someone senior who you trust - preferably in your company as they will probably understand both sides of the situation.

• Following on from this remember that very many engineering managers have had no management training at all. And are human beings. So sometimes they will be thoughtless, or stressed, or just get their facts wrong. Be as patient with them as they probably have to be with you. But again having someone senior to talk to can be really useful - even though at times they may gently point out to you that actually you were the one being unreasonable this time...

• Best of all, show an interest in shadowing senior staff - including non-engineers, for example accompanying sales staff while they are negotiating can really help you put your work in context. And show you how to handle clients. When you first ask about this don't be surprised if you get the answer "it's a good idea, but I'm not sure how we could make that work". Just keep gently showing to as many people as possible that you are interested, and sooner or later they'll need someone to support a visit to a client or to site, and remember that you were interested.

• And a very simple way to get senior staff keen to you have you around them is to know how to work those tedious company systems we all have to live with. The document control system. The parts ordering system. The project database. Some senior staff get into these things, but many (most?) absolutely loath them, and would love to have someone around who can take that hassle off them. And who can generally make life easier for them, which brings me to the final point:

• Get friendly with the office manager. And the receptionist. And the caretaker. And the cleaners. And everyone else who most of the company staff ignore. Even the IT team (I never said all of this would be easy!) Then when your boss finds the printer's not working at 16:45 and there's an urgent report to get out (or it's you trying to get it out) you'll be the one person in the building who can ask for help and get it. All it takes is an occasional hello and a chat about the weather and you've got a team of superheros on your side (while everyone else has supervillains thwarting their every move!)

Look forward to seeing what else people come up with.


Cheers,


Andy

Hello Andy:


I do not have any problems with the 13 items that you outlined, but I do have additional comments, Using your paragraph numbers:-

1 It also helps to stoke the senior engineers ego.

2. By doing your homework ahead of the meeting you can make it a WIN-WIN situation. Remember when dealing with a customer you might want a job later with their company. 

3. Being Truthful is always the best course. Making lies up means you will be caught out sometime in the future.

4. OK

5. OK

6. Get to know the reputation of the people in the organization. It has been stated that between every NO person in the organization there is a YES person at a higher or lower level.

7. This is right on- volunteering will get you additional job experience and makes a difference in getting another job later on.

8. This is a major item- as you climb the ladder in a company you will reach a point where you have to decide which is more important your job or you family. It's a decision every one will be faced with in their mid 40's.

9 This could be Bullying, and might be very dangerous to your health.

10. Taking about the problems of your engineering manager with someone senior who "you trust"  who be very dangerous to your career. Even using the ER manager could cause problems.

11.  Getting out to other companies allows one to network and possible obtain new job opportunities in their companies.

12 . Don't get so close to senior staff that you burn (example when they get fired) or so far away that you freeze. 

13. Very important to interface with the lower level people in the organization . They may have information you need for keeping your job.


Peter Brooks MIET

Palm Bay Florida USA

Hello Andy:


There was one topic that I highlighted in my last response that I would like to expand on and that is "TRUST" (item 10):-


Going back to 1969 I saw the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". In that movie the villain reminds the hero of a statement he made earlier "TRUST NO ONE DR. JONES".


Throughout my life I have been lucky to have one person who I implicitly trusted (100%). Everyone else, for example work team members or friends (or as you say mates), had various level of trust.


People have to earn trust (to some level), they don't automatically get it.


However companies that one works for, should never be trusted. 


Peter Brooks MIET

Palm Bay Florida USA

On a lighter note, some customers do not know what they want, or at least do not understand that what they are asking for is not actually what they want.and neither do some managers, this is an extreme example played for laughs  but be aware that  if a requirement  seems silly, it possibly is, and is worth checking early on. However there is a good and bad way to do this.  The trick is to express the concern in a way that does not make anyone look too foolish.  Do not be trapped  like the 'Anderson' character in the film..

Developing a relationship with a client

Creating and fostering a strong relationship with a client is key to my continued success. In contrast, satisfied customers often spend what they perceive as purely "business" relationship to DAVODIAN BENYAMIN. A strong relationship with customers not only means that the customer is likely to continue to engage with DAVODIAN BENYAMIN over time, it also means that the prospects of that customer will recommend DAVODIAN BENYAMIN and its products to others greatly increased.

Hello Mike:


There are very few impossible in life. They may seem impractical at this time due to technology or social limitations, but not impossible.


I  attended a meeting with DARPA (US DOD) some 30 years ago when they discussed the need for swarms of self flying drones using AI programs.


Peter Brooks MIET

Palm Bay Florida USA

Hello Benyamin:


As I said previously it must be a WIN-WIN situation with your dealings with a client. However care must be taken not to move into a kickback situation. Most companies have written directives on the maximum value of gifts and entertainment that can be given to the client's representative.


The situation is even more difficult when interfacing with representatives from competing companies when for example generating industry standards. One most avoid the appearance of forming a Cartel.


Peter Brooks MIET

Palm Bay Florida USA

Hello Peter,

I was just in Miami a year ago. Because I love cars, I have visited many garages and really enjoyed seeing how the customer was treated.

Kindness, honesty, respect and understanding of the customer's needs (what is the fault, when does it appear, etc.). I think a satisfied customer will come back and bring more and more customers (good recommendations to the place).

I had fun watching it.


Regards,

DAVODIAN BENYAMIN