Why should I become a Leader?
Why should I become a Leader?
(OP)
I'm an engineer and my dream is to design products that will provide solutions to problems our world faces.
Sometimes I question myself, why can't I just become a team member, why must I strive to be the leader of my team instead? Are there any benefits of becoming a leader? And will being a leader help make my dream come true?
I can see the draw backs alright, such as the extra responsibilities, time and sweat put in, but there's also benefits such as glory, but is there more to wanting to become a leader than just glory?
Why do people want to become leaders in the first place?
Sometimes I question myself, why can't I just become a team member, why must I strive to be the leader of my team instead? Are there any benefits of becoming a leader? And will being a leader help make my dream come true?
I can see the draw backs alright, such as the extra responsibilities, time and sweat put in, but there's also benefits such as glory, but is there more to wanting to become a leader than just glory?
Why do people want to become leaders in the first place?





RE: Why should I become a Leader?
The shouty ones enjoy shouting more than engineering, so they shout at everybody else that they too should want to be shouters, because shouter-wannabees are easier to motivate than engineers.
Me, I roll up for work, get paid less than the shouters, and have fun. My choice.
Cheers
Greg Locock
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RE: Why should I become a Leader?
"And will being a leader help make my dream come true?" > maybe but likely not; its a job for cripes sake. how long have you been out of school?
"glory" > what the heck is that? its not a sporting event. yes, perhaps there is some "glory" to be had in some popular invention or such, but its rather few and far between in the engineering field. Better to strive for the respect of ones peers and a few important accomplishments along the way, have some interesting work, all the while earning enough to be able to have fun outside of work, support ones family, and have a decent retirement, etc.
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
http://www.nceng.com.au/
"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning."
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
If that, or the other reasons posted, don't motivate you then don't feel you have to strive for it. Plenty of people get their kicks out of being a team member instead.
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."
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RE: Why should I become a Leader?
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
Insofar as being a leader (drawing on rowingengineer's distinction), it's extraordinarily important to be able to give those less experienced/savvy/enterprising than yourself the guidance & inspiration they need to be productive, merely in the name of social responsibility. Trusting that someone else will figure out what needs to happen & communicate it effectively is a good way to wind up in an inextricably screwed up emergency situation when said hypothetical leader doesn't spontaneously appear. It's a skill you ought to practice.
Being a manager is optional - not everyone wants to tell other people what to do for a living. But being a leader is mandatory, for when someone's living depends on your ability to tell them what to do.
"Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily available, they will create their own problems." -Scott Adams
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
Lots of different reasons:
> Because they got promoted, but they may or may not succeed at it
> Because they think they'll get "glory;" they won't
> Because they were told they should; they may or may not succeed at it
> Because they get as much satisfaction of running a group as you do in designing products
So, everyone has different reasons to do, or not do. That's completely up to you. If "designing products" include managing a team that designs products while you, yourself, does not participate in the actual design, only the conceptual design and steering thereof, then perhaps you could be a manager.
TTFN
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RE: Why should I become a Leader?
And, despite it being the engineering equivalent of Godwin's Law, I'd be remiss in not mentioning the Challenger disaster as a great example of both - who would you have rather been at the end of the day, the engineering manager who told them to launch or the engineer who told them not to?
"Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily available, they will create their own problems." -Scott Adams
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
Regards,
Mike
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
Hydrology, Drainage Analysis, Flood Studies, and Complex Stormwater Litigation for Atlanta and the South East - http://www.campbellcivil.com
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
So are you saying you are not a leader? However, than this statement is counter to your opinion. Unless you are passive and just taking orders then this is not being a leader, but if you are proactive than these are the tale tale signs of leadership. If you get the problem, give it thought, go thru a few iterations, come up with a solution, and then convince the customer (or your boss and management) that this is the way to solve the problem. These are leadership skills. People are coming to you with a problem and you are leading them thru the maze of engineering and design to get them to a safe and profitable design. Engineering in essence is leadership (not management). If you don’t want to be a leader, just become passive and you will not go too far in your career and your dream.
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity”
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
pandamon - are you really saying you don't want to be a 'leader' or that you don't want to become a full time manager/project manager?
Managers do tend to get paid more - though there are ways to get paid good money and stay technical. As to job security, I'm not sure I'd say management is safer - it depends on a lot of factors.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity”
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
TTFN
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RE: Why should I become a Leader?
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
Through work it came to my attention that others were following me. This was several years into my career. I was surprised and humbled to realize how much impact my words and actions had on those men. It impressed the need to be much more mature than I felt, to measure my words carefully, to not get puffed up about me, and temper all responses with a higher degree of understanding of the audience than myself.
In my personal life, I learned through an extremely hard lesson that others, even youngsters, were following me, too, simply through my words. That lesson was so hard it still saddens and humbles me and hopefully it always will. That was the first lesson in watching my words, all of them, i.e., even the ones meant as humor.
In ways, you are probably already a leader and don't know. Don't obsess over it to the point of narcissism.
Leadership is a huge responsibility, when done right.
Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity”
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
TTFN
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
There isn't a lot of leading (or following) per se going on in our place. Instead, there's a lot of coping, reacting, collaboration (and a fair bit of commiseration too) and a tolerance (in fact encouragement) of self-direction. This lack of leadership has served us reasonably well, although it hasn't been without its problems.
Leadership implies vision, planning, and a willingness on the part of others to follow. Successful leadership implies that the person with the vision can actually see straight- in fact, it requires them to not only see straight,but to see into the future a fair way, which is obviously not something that can be consistently relied upon. Unfortunately leadership usually comes with a desire to see visions come to fruition and to execute plans as written. That desire sometimes overpowers the more essential need to monitor and change plans and even destinations when circumstances change. Leaders sometimes lead their teams off the nearest cliff because they're too busy chasing the vision in their head to keep their eyes on where they're actually going.
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
Designing projects/equipment is leading and having others build/complete it in the field?
Personally I would love to be on a team and get some experience with group working etc and hopefully someday (soon)!
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
A team cannot move faster than its' slowest member.
Regards,
Mike
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
Yes I have heard that before and completely agree unless the team leaves that member in the dust and does everything around/without them which isn't good or helpful for anyone. I just wanted to know in the sense of the original post what were they calling a leader. I personally love being on teams and working with others but currently I am not in that position.
-AJ
RE: Why should I become a Leader?
RE: Why should I become a Leader?