Episode Transcript
Welcome, my engineering friends, to my 3-part miniseries for women engineers, the bosses they work for and the workplaces that support them.
This episode is Part II, especially for the managers of women working in engineering and related fields.
For the people in positions of authority who have women engineers working for them. Or have the potential to hire them.
In this episode, I’m highlighting 5 key things I want you to understand about women engineers.
And I’m giving you some suggestions to help you inspire the women engineers who work for you and improve team outcomes overall.
You have the power to make engineering careers so much better for women.
You have the power to enable women engineers to have impact on the organization, the community and the world.
My goal in this episode is to make you aware of some things you can do to make this happen.
5 Things for Managers to Understand About Women Engineers
Here are 5 things I want you to know about women engineers.
And specific ways to work with women to enhance their careers and their opportunities to contribute.
- Engineering is a traditionally male-dominated field with language, style, customs and practices that many women are not used to.
Overall, this is because there are few women in engineering. But it’s also affected by their backgrounds and experiences.
I remember clearly the fish-out-of-water feeling I got when I started my first job. And my second job.
It takes getting used to. And it takes the right kind of support from managers.
What you can do is give support with caring.
This means to expand the standard support that bosses are required to give their employees.
For example, provide caring through informal mentoring.
See that women get practical and emotional support through everyday exchanges with coworkers.
Ensure support without stereotyping.
Welcome each woman’s competence. Ensure her belonging.
And arrange for opportunities that are tailored to her potential.
- Women are underrepresented in engineering and often don’t feel included.
So it’s incumbent upon managers to provide more individual guidance and insight. And to model inclusion and success.
Women who succeed in engineering can see themselves as successful engineers.
But there are few role models.
So you can help by facilitating connection. By encouraging each woman to envision her career. Identify with success. And believe in herself.
- Women engineers don’t get adequate feedback.
You can remedy this by providing frequent and sincere feedback to each woman engineer.
Engage in honest and specific conversation on what she did well and what she needs to work on.
Encourage her to lead with her strengths. Inspire her to stretch into her potential in the context of future opportunity.
Celebrate her accomplishments and uniquenesses. Urge her to learn from her mistakes and keep trying.
- Women need affirmation to take risk, move upward and have impact.
When they don’t get affirmation, many women believe it’s because they’re not performing well.
And this inhibits their upward mobility.
You can facilitate upward mobility [Ep 18] and confidence of each woman by providing affirmation.
Affirm her approach and style as a leader. Reaffirm her capabilities. And the possibilities they imply.
Offer opportunities for more challenging roles. Identify and assign high level tasks according to her strengthsand preferences.
And design them to build her confidence.
To encourage risk tolerance, don’t just inform about an opportunity but invite her to apply for it.
- There’s often a disconnect between an engineer’s goals and what the organization is expecting of her.
Although this is true for all engineers, it’s especially so for women.
You can help bridge the gap between individual growth and organizational mission.
Identify the synergy between the two.
And show women how to apply their talents and strengths to move the organization forward.
Help find career pathways they align with.
And enable their contributions to the organization, the community and the world.
Disrupting the Common Routine of Managing Engineers
These suggested approaches are not difficult. But they are different.
There are subtleties and nuances that contrast with the usual way bosses manage engineers.
Now you’re paying more attention to individual needs. Then leading and guiding accordingly.
And doing so results in a number of benefits.
You’re reinforcing the competence and building the confidence of the women engineers in your group.
You’re not only telling women they belong but you’re making them feel that way.
You’re preventing women from leaving engineering before they reach their potential.
Thus ensuring that you don’t lose a significant level of talent.
You’re helping these women believe in themselves. And envision a future of success and fulfillment in their engineering careers and lives.
Next time Her Engineering Career Podcast will feature Part III of this Miniseries on women engineers – expressly for the organizations that support them.
Be sure to tune in for the final segment of this miniseries, Episode 152.
