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- The Need for Humble Engineers
 | “Engineers… are not superhuman. They make mistakes in their assumptions, in their calculations, in their conclusions. That they make mistakes is forgivable; that they catch them is imperative. Thus it is the essence of modern engineering not only to be able to catch one’s own work but also to have one’s work checked and to be able to check the work of others.” Henry Petroski - Late Engineer, Duke Professor, and Author |
1. Invite Correction and Accountability
To be an effective engineer, we need to have the humility to admit when we are wrong and that we have the capacity to be wrong. We are quite human and make mistakes everyday.
The work we do as engineers is very important and must be approached with humility. All it takes is one small mistake to cause terrible unintended consequences.
So how do we invite correction and accountability to avoid unnecessary mistakes?
Ask your colleagues to check your work and build a culture of transparency that starts with you.
It is key to remember that no person or company is too big to fail.
If you are in a position of leadership at your company or even an individual contributor it is your responsibility to clear the way for collaboration and accountability.
2. Be Teachable
When someone inevitably finds a mistake in your work and has advice on how to avoid that mistake in the future, listen intently. Make sure to ask what you can do better next time and then implement the answer you receive to your question.
Be the type of person who can learn from anyone. If you embrace a growth mindset, you will be much more successful in every area of life.
3. Learn After Failure
After you have failed, make it right. Accept responsibility for your work and change in response to failure. It is unwise to expect that the same work will produce a different outcome.
If you take responsibility for your change and growth, you will make significantly fewer mistakes and each one you do make will make you better.
Remember that if you respond well to failure and correction you will become a great engineer.
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Action Steps
What steps can you take to create an accountability and feedback structure in your work? Talk about this with a colleague and ask if they would review your work. Email me if you have experienced a situation where someone caught a big mistake you were about to make in your work and how you responded. I’d love to hear about your experiences.
If you enjoy The Engineering Way, please share it with a friend who is an engineer!
Rock on,
Camden
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