Transition to Management GOLD Track

1. Transition to ManagementGOLD Track Dr. John Reinert Director, Program Management and R&D Aeroflex, Colorado Springs 1998 President IEEE-USA

2. Topics • Career options • Suitability for management • Preparing for management • Making the change • Consolidating and progressing

3. So You Want To Be A Manager – Why? • Management – is it the right path? • What’s the motivation? • Money? • Influence? • Career Advancement? • Is it right for you? • What do you like to do? • Solve technical problems? • Do you like working individually or on teams? • Detail oriented or big picture? • Why did you get into engineering?

4. Career Path Options • Management is one option – What are the others? • Individual Contributor – Directly applying your education solving technical problems • Contracting Engineer – using technical skills, but with greater flexibility and variety • Consulting – May be similar to contracting, but typically has “value added”, e.g. solving a problem not implementing a solution • Entrepreneur – Better add some business skills to your skill inventory.

5. Variation in People/Technology CEO Production Mgr People Involvement Individual Contributor Technical Level

6. Finding The Right Mix High CEO Director of Engineering Production Mgr Project Manager People Involvement Applications Engineer Design Manager Lead Engineer Facilities Manager Individual Contributor Low High Technical Level

7. Adding Additional Dimensions Financial Involvement People Involvement Technology Involvement

8. Why Make a Change? • Make a career change (only) because it’s something you will enjoy more (period)

9. Transition to Management • Technical issues are orderly • There’s a technical goal • You have math, logic, models, and tools to help you create a design or product • Physical laws and constants • People are messy • No two are alike • Although they come with labels that doesn’t help in dealing with them • Constants vary over time (?!)

10. Factors for Success In Management • High levels of ambition and motivation • Desire to work with people • Desire to direct work (vs. responding to the direction of others) • Desire to influence the bottom line • Interest in psychology and human behavior • Desire to demonstrate leadership ability From Williams: Transition to Management

11. Why Management?: Prerequisites • If you’re an engineer you probably weren’t trained for management. • Technical undergraduate education does not prepare you for management • Most programs now have some amount of team based work or projects • What’s different from Engineering? • People problems vs. “Thing” problems

12. What is Management? • You spend more time on non-technical issues • You work more with people • You’re responsible for other people’s work • You have to motivate people • You have to deal with managers more often • The expectations for your work change

13. Is The Timing Right? • Career progression is a mix of skill and experience • How long have you been a technical contributor? • Establish your technical credibility • To manage technical people you have to have their respect • How broad is your experience? • Gain exposure to a number of different areas

14. “One” Path to Management • Baseline: A good engineer • First step: Technical leadership “lead engineer” • Recognized technical capability • Second step: Team leadership or technical project lead • Move beyond a technical assignment to consideration of the project objectives and scope

15. “One” Path to Management • Third step: First level management • Typically a small group of engineers working on a related area of technical expertise • Involves supervision, management reporting, reviews (performance and salary) • Combines technical work and supervision • Fourth step: The options open up! • Multi-discipline • Design Group • Project Management • General Management

16. Steps to the Transition – 1 • Nothing Happens Until You Start • Make a plan • Set an objective • Identify the steps to get there • Define a timetable • Select a mentor • Someone who’s been there, done that • Willing to share ideas

17. Steps to the Transition - 2 • Get the skills – experience, training • Experience in different areas • Some companies offer supervisory training • Is an MBA right for you? • Begin acting like a manager • Emulate what you want to be • Be proactive – step forward • Accept challenges/assignments

18. Management Training Resources • In house courses/training • One day seminars/commercial • IEEE-USA • Today’s Engineer, e-books • Engineering Management Society • Masters in Technology Management • MBA • Local IEEE activities – develop leadership skills

19. Challenges For The New Manager • Relating to co-workers • Balancing technical vs. managerial • Balancing work life and home life • Time management • Delegation – real delegation • Personnel and Performance reviews

20. Options Along the Way • P.E. – Professional Engineer • Provides enhanced career options • Consultant • Independent Engineering • MBA • Useful for a career in general management • Adds financial management skills • Adds non-mathematical problem solving skills

21. Summary • Look at the choices and alternatives • Make a plan! • Pay your dues (Get that experience) • Get some training • Continue your education – in management and technical areas • Remember you’re dealing now with people and money, not passive and active components

22. References and Resources • What Every New Manager Needs to Know – Gus Gaynor • Developing Managerial Skills in Engineers and Scientists – Michael Badawy • On Career Transitions – Georgia Stelluto (IEEE-USA eBook) (Compilation of Articles) • Transition to Management – A Personal Perspective – Janet Williams, Sandia Labs • How do I get into Management – Barbara Reinhold – Monster.com article • Managing Humans – Michael Lopp