Would you rather be remembered for being a good boss or a bad one? This is the thought that many engineering managers have every day as they head to the office and try to deal with the challenges of this industry. It’s no doubt that engineering managers in MI and OH have a really tough job, particularly in areas where there are skill shortages and working on projects that can push anyone to the edge. However, there are some cardinal sins that no self-respecting engineering manager wants to commit.
Here are the top five mistakes you do not want to make as an engineering manager if you want to stay in the workforce and improve your management ability.
1. Thinking You Are Perfect
There is no way that you are perfect as an engineering manager. Sure, you may have spent many years getting to where you are, but this does not mean that you are not capable of making mistakes. It is OK to have high standards and expect your subordinates to work up to those standards, but this does not mean that people will always reach perfection. It is unreasonable and poor management to treat people as if they can never live up to your expectations. Instead, learn to communicate your expectations clearly both verbally and in written format. In this way, people will be less apt to disappoint you and they will look up to you for being a leader, instead of a tyrant.
2. Playing Favorites
In the role of a manager, it is not up to you to weed out your favorite employees. Giving a certain few people the best projects, the praise, and the opportunity to grow in their careers is not fair to others on your team. Be a better manager and see the value in all of your engineers, giving them equal ground to play on.
3. Poor Communication Skills
When managers are unavailable or unwilling to communicate well with their employees, it can become difficult to be effective at all. Poor communication skills can come in many formats from emails to one-on-one meetings. It can also have a lot to do with not honoring the way others communicate. Being willing and able to improve your communication skills can help make your relationships with your engineering team much more productive.
4. Not Giving Career Support
Nearly all engineering professionals are looking for upward mobility in their careers. As a manager, it’s your job to find ways to help support this. If you do not care enough about the career success of your best engineers, there’s a good chance you will lose them to other firms. Look for ways to introduce training and career development activities into the workplace.
5. Unrealistic Demands
As an engineering manager, you are supposed to delegate work and hold people accountable for their share. However, what happens in many cases is that top performers end up carrying the larger end of the workload. Over time, this will burn them out and they will start looking for other career opportunities where they can be appreciated. Be careful not to have unrealistic expectations of your top performers, but instead realistically look at what each person can handle, and make sure that tasks are equally distributed among your entire team.
We hope that you have enjoyed this article and have learned something useful today. If you are in need of quality engineering employees, please feel free to connect with our recruitment team at Venteon in the Troy, Michigan and Maumee, Ohio valley regions. We have part-time, full-time, and temp-to-perm flexible staffing options that are perfect for your business. We also encourage you to follow us on Twitter @Venteon for updates and alerts when we post new blogs.
