Episode Transcript
You’re the best engineer you can be.
You’re following your career plan.
You’re taking the steps and doing what you’re asked to do.
Your engineering work means learning the processes and technologies and meeting customer needs.
Improving, growing and building your skills.
You’re a master.
But there’s something missing.
You may not even be fully conscious of what it is.
But there’s something more you want to strive for.
You know you haven’t reached your potential yet.
You know there’s more to your work than what you’re doing now.
There has to be.
Because you haven’t yet applied your particular combination of values, skills, strengths, and passion in a meaningful and unique way.
You’ve mastered your job. But you haven’t made your mark yet.
You’d like to see where you fit into a much larger picture. Like the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle.
You’d like to find that one problem that intrigues you. The one you know you can solve.
You realize you’re much more than just an engineer.
You know you’re someone who can have much greater impact.
Someone who can change the world.
Reaching Greater Potential in Your Engineering Career
You may be someone who already knows where she wants to make her contribution.
Someone who’s been thinking about this for a long time.
Or you may be someone who’s content with following what her employer has mapped out for her, and never really thought beyond that.
Either way I want you to know you have a greater potential you can reach.
And the point of this episode is to get you thinking and moving in that direction.
I encourage you to think bigger. To go after what you can do to have a bigger impact in the world.
Because the world will benefit tremendously from your talent.
And the rewards for you will be immeasurable.
Your career will take you places you never thought you’d go.
You’re ready for this when your job reaches a level of diminishing returns. When your work has more routine and less wonder or discovery.
You might feel the ache to be more. To give more. To make more happen.
You know your talent can be put to greater use.
And if you don’t know, I’m telling you. It can.
Putting Your Engineering Talent to Use for Greater Good
What you do now to put your talent to greater use involves breaking out of routine.
Getting unstuck.
It involves thinking big. Defining your purpose and your role.
You need to know what you have to offer. And be willing to take that forward.
Here are some tips:
- Realize Your Talent
Know yourself and have confidence in your strengths and abilities.
Define your energetic center, i.e., your values, skills, strengths and passion.
Advocate for yourself with confidence.
Think about what your dream career would be, and set that as your target.
- Put Yourself in the Way of Success
Find the intriguing problem you want to solve. And figure out where you need to be to solve it.
Determine if you need to make a move or a change to get to the challenge you want to work on.
Or if there is ample challenge right where you are.
- Put Yourself in the Right Mindset
Think big and think big picture.
Decide what role you want to take on. How do you want to define it?
Think about how you want to solve this problem. How you’ll address this challenge.
What impact do you want to have?
- Align Yourself with the Right People and Mission
Find the right people to work with on this problem.
Find where your values, skills, strengths and passion align with the team and the organization.
Who can you ask for mentorship and support?
3 Key Concepts to Take You Beyond a Habitual Engineering Job
There are 3 important strategic concepts to enable you to have more impact in your engineering work: ownership, self-advocacy and connection.
- Ownership – Ownership means knowing yourself via your energetic center and being in charge of your career.
You’re the one who defines who you are and what you want.
You’re the one who owns your career and decides where you’re going with it.
- Self-Advocacy – Self-advocacy includes telling people what you’ve accomplished, what you’re doing now, and what you want to do.
When you advocate for yourself, people learn about you and make connections for you.
When you advocate for yourself, you make things happen by talking about them ahead of time.
- Connection – Connections are so important. It’s critical that you not be isolated because people help you get places.
Prioritize networking. Develop and nurture your connections.
More connections lead to more opportunities.
Ask for what you need from – and give back to – your network.
Here’s Your Chance to Make a Difference in Your Engineering Career
I’m guessing if you’re listening to this then you’re up to the challenge.
You’re feeling the need to take it up a notch.
Find what you love to do.
Find that place where you can contribute.
And leverage your engineering career to make a difference.
If you need a little more encouragement to make this leap, or more support in making it happen, sign up for a strategy session with me.
You already have it in you. But I can help you put a strategy together and think it through.
Go to HerEngineeringCareer.com and click on Book a Strategy Session.
Don’t settle for status quo. Realize this is your time.
This is your chance to change the world.
Next time on Her Engineering Career Podcast we’ll explore ways women engineers have the advantage when it comes to employee engagement.
Be sure to tune in for Episode 165.