Engineering Leadership - Selecting and Developing

"Many of our engineers that we’re moving into leadership roles are failing.”

Many engineering organizations agree that selecting and developing leaders is their top challenge. The engineer who performed well in their specialist role is not always the appropriate person for a leadership role. They often meet the technical components of the role but the leadership competencies are often their “Achilles Heel”. Being a leader in an engineering organization requires a very unique skill set which can include:

Taking a “hands-off” approach with tactical work through effective delegating
Ease of interacting with people at all levels (specialist to senior levels)
High energy and the ability to multi-task
Communicating technical information to non-technical parties
Managing change effectively and keeping employees motivated during difficult times
Making decisions quickly without having all the facts or information
Flexibility and “creative compliance” when dealing with unique people situations

These unique attributes are often difficult to assess and therefore most engineering organizations will rely on technical skills and tenure for succession planning purposes. An engineer is promoted into a leadership role, and six months in, is experiencing low morale and increased turnover on their team. This failure to assess high potentials against engineering leadership competencies can cost an organization millions in time, revenue, and resources.

Thomas International’s Job Evaluation process can help you identify the engineering leadership skills you are after, and add science and rigor to your evaluation of high potentials. The process begins with senior management and HR who collectively select the ideal qualities for success in the engineering leadership role at your organization. The ideal qualities are assessed using a DISC-based Job Evaluation. Various data pieces can be integrated into the Job Evaluation process including current job descriptions, company-wide and individual job competencies, future company strategic goals, and the company culture. The end result of the Job Evaluation process is an Engineering Leadership job description. It is also possible to assess current performers to identify any trends that are driving success in the leadership role. The result from the Job Evaluation process, and trends from current top performers can be merged to produce a Job Benchmark.

It is now possible to assess all high potential engineers for leadership roles against your Job Description or Job Benchmark. High potentials are assessed using a DISC-based personality test. The results outline where a person is a natural fit with the role, and any potential gaps they may have against the role. Customized training plans can be developed for each high potential engineer, aligning them closer to the Engineering Leadership benchmark. Senior Management can also use this information to manage new leaders more effectively.

The end goal for any organization is to make their people successful. Thomas International’s Job Evaluation process can help in the following areas:

Identify all high potential candidates and their specific training needs
Develop focused training to maximize on resources and budgets
Reduce turnover
Increase morale among leaders and their direct reports
Set up new leaders for success from day one

Interested in our Engineering Leadership assessment tools? We want to hear from you.

Call our toll free number 1-888-597-6455
Write to us or email us
Complete our online needs analysis form

Download the Thomas International Corporate brochure

Tips on buying a talent manangement tool. 18 questions you need answered before buying a talent manangement tool.

more information about DISC

Pre-employment testing

Aptitude tests

Behavioural assessment

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Assured Logistics
We were forming a new management team, and needed an assessment that would provide concrete information about individuals being considered.

VWS Techna
Using a tool such as PPA has saved a lot of time and directs me quickly to the areas to probe. It gives an insight we might not otherwise get".

Engineer Specialist: a sample job description of a Specialist Engineer

Engineering Leadership: a sample job description of an Engineer in a leadership position

Management Audit: Looks at a person's strengths and possible limitations in relation to six key management competencies and how they develop others.

Training Needs Analysis: Identifies likely training needs and competencies for development.

How To Manage:Provides guidance on how to manage the person, including the best form of support, best type of motivation, and the communication style best suited to that person.

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