Leadership Skills Development for Engineers

Abstract:

Leadership must be a key element advancing for the engineering profession to remain relevant and connected in an era of heightened outsourcing and global competition. Companies intent on maintaining a competitive edge are calling upon educators to produce engineers capable of leading multidisciplinary teams, combine technical ingenuity with business acumen, and produce graduates who have a passion for lifelong learning. Industry is also challenging universities to broaden curricula beyond the intellectual endeavors of design and scientific inquiry to the greater domain of professional leadership and entrepreneurship. Managers in industry are similarly challenged to cultivate key leadership attributes in junior engineers. This article explores the changing nature of engineering in a globally competitive environment and addresses why leadership must become a key issue in the career progression of engineers. We will present a literature review of leadership models along with some proposed solutions for cultivating leadership skills as part of the career development process. Lastly, we will present specific recommendations on how to cultivate leadership attributes throughout an engineering career.

Keywords::

• Leadership Education
• Leadership
• Lifelong Learning
• Leadership Development
• Self Actualization