Episode Transcript
You’re tired of not being taken seriously. I know what that feels like.
No one looks to you as the leader.
You’ve worked hard to get where you are. And you have the skills and competence to lead.
Yet you’re seen as inexperienced. Or as someone who needs more training.
And even though you have the title and the authority. Your team members aren’t motivated to follow you.
But here’s the thing: People don’t want to follow authority. They want to follow vision.
They want to know where you – as the leader – are going. And why you’re excited about it.
And they want to go there with you.
Aligning Your Vision with Your Energy Gives You Power as an Engineering Leader
You want to be an effective leader. You want to be able to motivate people.
And you want it to be fulfilling.
And the way to do that is through vision and alignment.
Align your vision with your energy. And leverage that power as an engineer and leader.
Applying vision to your leadership approach results in more engagement and better outcomes.
Rely less on your title and authority. And lead more with your vision and alignment.
Let me give you the 3 steps to get there:
- Know yourself
- Create your vision
- Align the two.
3 Steps to Lead with Vision and Alignment in Your Engineering Career
Step 1: Know Yourself
Every day through your experiences and interactions, you’re getting to know yourself better.
One more direct way to know yourself better is to define your energy. Define your energetic center.
If you haven’t already heard me talk about your energetic center, go back and listen to Episode 22.
The elements of your energetic center are your
- Values – what you live by.
- Skills – what you know how to do.
- Strengths – where you excel.
- Passions – what drives you.
Define these elements for yourself. All together they teach you a lot about you.
And they make a powerful tool for your engineering career. And your life.
BTW, I also have a worksheet that’ll help you with this.
Contact me through HerEngineeringCareer.com, through LinkedIn or by email at mary@nullherengineeringcareer.com. And I’ll send it to you.
Your energetic center is the basis of your uniqueness.
No one else works or leads like you do.
You don’t need to imitate the styles and approaches of others. Because you have your own way.
Step 2: Create Your Vision
I encourage you to have a vision for your engineering career.
At least know who you want to be as an engineer and leader. And how you want to make your contribution in the world.
If you haven’t already heard me talk about creating your career vision, go back and listen to Episodes 5 and 90.
Most people don’t know how to go about creating one. So I’ve put together a worksheet to help you.
If you’d like to get a copy contact me through HerEngineeringCareer.com, through LinkedIn or by email at mary@nullherengineeringcareer.com. And I’ll send it to you.
I also encourage you to have a leadership vision and a vision for your team.
Your leadership vision is an extension of your career vision. It captures who you want to be as a leader.
It’s kinda like a manifesto. You can write your leadership vision as a manifesto if you wish.
Your vision for your team requires you to learn about your team members. And take into account their energies.
Then create a vision around your team’s project or mission.
You decide where you want it to go and how you’re going to get there. Based on your leadership vision.
That way team members can see your energy. They can see where you’re going.
They see you appreciate that they have something to contribute.
And they’ll follow you.
Step 3: Align the Two
Align your vision with your energy.
Alignment is the most important thing.
To the greatest extent possible, do work that aligns with your energetic center.
Do work that aligns with your values, skills, strengths and passion. And you’ll love what you do.
You’ll do your best work. And be your best self.
Align your career vision with your energy and use it to lead you along your career path.
Then leverage that alignment in your role as a leader.
Because your energy and alignment will attract the loyalty and enthusiasm of your team members.
Similarly align the vision for your team with the energy of your team members.
Help your team members find something about the team vision that aligns with them.
Take into account individual energies and goals.
Leverage skills and strengths.
Tap into values and passion.
This enables their motivation and encourages optimal results.
Members will have greater connection with the team’s goals. Be more engaged. And tend to work better together.
Choose Your Unique Way to Lead in Your Engineering Career
And it all ties back to you, your vision and alignment.
There are an infinite number of ways to reach the team goal.
Choose the way that resonates with you the most. Your unique way.
And lead your team with that.
BTW If you find it hard to identify your uniqueness, let me help you bring out your unique leadership approach.
Sign up for a strategy session with me and we can explore this further.
Set up your leadership vision and your team vision for optimal alignment.
You’ll be your best self when your energy and vision are aligned.
And that’s what your team wants to see in their leader.
Next time on Her Engineering Career Podcast we’ll review some practical and fruitful approaches to career care.
You won’t want to miss Episode 158.