March 2024 Newsletter - The Savvy Secret to Securing Yourself as a Starter

I got to thinking the other day… Man, am I old!? ?At the turn of the 21st century I officially began my career in civil engineering. Yes, I am officially in the history books. And, oh my, how the profession has changed since then.??

I can remember toiling on my first project as a site development engineer.? It was a large-scale residential development in west suburban Illinois.??I can remember grinding on it daily for months, slaving at the drafting table (another hint on my age) and doing countless iterations of PayDirt.??I can also remember that first review letter – 21 or maybe it was 42 pages long!??Reflecting on that time in my career, I can say that I certainly soaked up the technical knowledge like a sponge. But at the same time, it was evident how much I didn’t know.? It was years later that I would learn about project budgets (and having to stay within them!). ?I would learn that my timesheet was more than a Monday morning ritual to ensure I received a regular paycheck – it was actually used to track my hours ensure the project was staying on track to be profitable.

As I look back, I chuckle now - not only at how little I knew at the birth of my career but also the expectations of today’s new generation of engineers.? The nature of the profession has changed from when I started many moons ago – design budgets are more miniscule, project deadlines are truncated, and the expectations of today’s engineer are greater than ever before.?? Long gone are the days of the traditional engineer spending all day slung over the drafting table.? Today’s engineers are expected to wear multiple hats – design engineer, project manager, QAQC professional, business developer, and even secretary to name a few.? Learning curves are shorter, and the modern engineer is expected to figure out more in a condensed timeframe.? Much like today’s generation of young NFL quarterbacks, if you take too long to figure it out you might end up stuck on the sidelines watching the action.

This change in expectation of the modern engineer got me thinking.??What is the most important quality to have as an engineer in a time when raw IQ simply will not cut it anymore.? One could make the case for adaptability, efficiency, perseverance, grit, and reliability.??Those are definitely qualities to be treasured in the workplace.??However, the word that comes to mind for me is ‘savviness.’??

So, what does it mean to be savvy?? In the traditional sense, savviness is having or showing perception, judgement, and shrewdness in practical matters. ?I would expand on this definition.??Someone that is savvy has an elevated level of awareness as to what they are working (and why), the impact of their decisions, and the ability to anticipate problems before they occur. They have an uncanny ability to understand people, manage expectations, and time their responses flawlessly. They are also resourceful and have the ability to surround themselves with the right players to balance out those areas where they are less proficient in.

Savviness is a quality that generally takes many years to develop.? As we get older, we learn from our experience and our mistakes.? We get refined over time as we settle into our careers. ?The question then becomes, “how can we speed up the process?”? I have devoted this edition of my newsletter to answering that question.?? Below are 3 surefire ways to fast-track your savviness at work.

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#1 - Ask More Questions Than Everyone Else.?

I am a huge advocate for people that ask the most questions at work, and I believe this is the fastest way to advance in our professional maturity.? It is one thing to simply go through the process of work, but the best student is the one that understands the “why” behind it.??Regardless of your experience level, be persistent with your questions, and if you do not feel like you are getting a good answer, expand your network and ask others.?? Asking questions is a sign that you are paying attention, and it should go beyond technical questions as well.? Always be curious why you are working on a task, clarify the specific deliverable and deadline, and know where to seek out the resources that are available to you.? ?????

Understand the context behind your work before taking a deep dive into it.? This is especially important when your manager may not offer up this information directly.?? An excellent way to prepare your manager for these questions is to proactively set up a kick-off meeting at the onset of your project.? Use this as your opportunity to “fire away” and by taking the initiative, it will reflect a level of maturity that goes beyond your years as you take a giant leap forward in your professional track.

#2 - Find a Mentor You Admire and Cling to Them.

In my introduction, I compared the next generation of engineers to the next generation of NFL quarterbacks.? ?And being a curmudgeonly Chicago Bears fan, my brain couldn’t help but shift to the quarterback success of Green Bay Packers.? In three short years in the NFL and just one full year as a starter, quarterback Jordan Love, is starting to resemble his mentor, Aaron Rodgers.? In his spectacular performance against the San Francisco 49ers in last season’s playoff game, it was uncanny how is footwork, his posture, and his overall on-field presence was strikingly similar to Rodgers.? So, how did he advance so quickly?? The same way that Aaron Rodgers did.? By modeling after his predecessor.? In Rodgers’ case, this was Brett Favre.

Finding a good mentor early in your career could skyrocket your progress and make sure you are on the right professional trajectory.? Find someone that you can study under, recap your progress with regularly, and even review “game film” of your performances in project meetings or presentations.??Ideally, this will be someone that you can be on the same project team with, so you have the most day-to-day interactions with them.? If that is not a possibility, find someone else who is successful in your company and model them on every opportunity that you get.? Most experienced professionals understand the impact of mentorship and will likely be happy to help you.? Many may also see this as an opportunity to be the mentor that they never had and embrace the opportunity.?? It’s up to you to make the first move though to make sure you are doing what it takes to excel at your starting position.

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#3 - Understand the People on your Team.

An effective way to increase your savviness at work is to have a good understanding of the players on your immediate team and at your company.? This includes your manager.? As I have mentioned in previous articles, you should be a student of your manager and gather the necessary evidence to identify their human needs, their work patterns, and their schedule.? The more you can know about them and their relationship to work, the more you can anticipate challenges and stay ahead of potential problems.? For more tips on looking out for your manager, refer to my previous article: Setting Your Manager (and Yourself) up for Success – 3 Secrets to Let You Shine | LinkedIn

In addition to your manager, make an effort to understand your other co-workers, especially those you interact most with on your projects.? If you are a project manager, have an awareness of the particular strengths and weaknesses of your teammates so that you can appropriate the work accordingly.?? Knowing this can also help improve your own efficiency if you can offload an aspect of your design that you are less adept in to someone else. Think beyond your project team as well.? Learn the key players in other departments in your company and get to know them.? While there may not be an immediate benefit, expanding your vision in this way could help you down the road when there is an opportunity to pull someone new into your lineup.

In summary, being an engineer today requires a separate set of skills to stay relevant, and technical knowledge will only get you so far.??Today’s smartest guy or gal in the room may not be the one with all the answers.? Rather, they are the ones that ask the most questions.? They know how to model successful people and have an elevated level of understanding of the people on their team.?They are indeed the savviest.? And it is this unique quality of savviness that will separate you from the other players on the bench- awarding YOU a starting position on the team of your choice.??

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Author: Ryan Walter, ACC, PE

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Follow me @ Rethinkwildly.com

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If you are seeking advice in your career or need assistance evaluating your career trajectory, I would love to help you.? Please reach out to me to schedule a free consultation.? You can also schedule a session in my booking calendar for a time that works for you. Free Consultation Call - ReThink Wildly

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I am a certified professional life coach and professional engineer and help engineers and other professionals navigate the human challenges of work.? My mission is to help people get unstuck in their personal and professional lives.? Some of the areas that I coach professionals on include imposter syndrome, work unfulfillment, life purpose, work-life balance, personal boundaries, assertiveness, and relational conflict in the workplace.?