Manager vs. Engineer

bmadhu_srao As a manager you should be capable of running your department as if it is a standalone factory. You take charge of all aspects of your department from assessment of manpower needs, material needs, budget, etc. You oversee the daily activities of your department and plan for the future growth needs so as to support the other departments that depend on yours to be productive and profitable. You need to be in contact with the other managers as to what needs you have to be prepared to meet and configure you abilities to meet those needs. Your personnel director can be one of your greatest allies in meeting your manpower needs and in keeping you informed of company policies and procedures. If you don't feel prepared to run your own mini factory then maybe you should apply for a less demanding position until you learn what a managers job entails. J.Conway

You've been there long enough, that managment position may just have migrated to you.

First off, DON"T PANIC.

1.) You been there long enough to know what resources you have to work with. Untilize them or it.

2.) Second, a manager may also be a catalyst. You should know your peoples strengths and weakness. play off that, and follow rule one.

3.) organize the choas, the best you can. DO NOT IGNORE PROBLEMS. This can be procedures, personal, vendors, ect.... Address them.

I just threw these out there, there is no one way, every situation is different. What I know is that there has to be a catalyzer for it to come together and sometimes you have to make them up, as you go along. And the good manager, makes it happen.

good luck,

phoenix911

Widen your technical knowledge by studying different docs related to the equipments you are handling. keep regular contact of equipment supplier's technical personnel. They are scholar people and is very helpful. You will feel no scarcity of a boss.

When you go home relax/ On my second job as an engineer I would awake at night and figure out problems that were bugging me. One day I woke up bent in a "U" when Dr. Davis came to the house 'they did that way back when' he told me if I continued that practice he would be treating my ulcer for life and it would make my life miserable.

From then on I would say I'll do that when I get home even bring the paper work, but somehow my brilliant mind would make me forget what I was going to do. Then I would go to work the next morning and solve the problem with no help from the night before. I have never had an ulcer.

Good advice here, sb.

milo

Know your problem - I was a chemist who ended up as a manager.

I believe to manage you have to be able to define the real problems not the apparent ones. Use parallel thinking and your engineering skills to see what makes what work.

The next thing is to sell the idea to yourself, your bosses and the people working for you

GA to you ponti(fe)x, outstanding points made.

Respect your employees, treat them as you would like to be treated yourself. Evaluate your employees and give them the projects and jobs they are capable of doing and help them when they need help. Your best approach is to empower them to succeed. Remember that your success is based on the success of your employees so that if you treat them badly, show favoritism or behave like an autocrat they will resent you and will do as little as they can.

Really very simple.

hey thanks guys, that was really helpful

Having been in both positions. I have found that engineering methods work quite well on the managerial side. Identify the problem/objective, assess the variables, evaluate the solution space, etc. and come up with a plan and work the plan. The differences lie in the end product. As a engineer you knew what the output was supposed to look like. On the management side that is harder to visualize and much harder to determine success. The key lies in adjusting your challenges and developing the tools/knowledge necessary to accomplish the task. On the engineering side you had to have been constantly learning new technique and processes. It is no different on the management side. In fact in most cases it a little easier because the tools exist as a part of the established processes within the company. The challenge is to learn how to use them. No one will expect you to automatically know this. The second part to the dilema is that you will have to learn to let go of the responsiblities that you previously had. You can not effectively do both jobs! The challenges and end results are different and require different focus. Delegate, Delegate, Delegate. Proper utilization of your personnel is one of the major challenges of management. Should you be successful, the company will benefit greatly from having a manager that has an in-depth knowledge of what it takes to actually get the job done, and you will gain new skills from a different perspective. Not an easy task to convert, but if that is the way you want to go, and that IS the big question, continue to use the METHODS that have been successful for you in the past. Different job but the METHODS do not change. (Just My Thoughts)

(DISCLAIMER: I'm an engineer not a manager )

Make decisions you can write down

about targets (or outcomes) you can write down

because of reasons you can write down.

There are often lots of different ways to do something: successful managers tend to be the ones who don't always make the best decisions, but, having made those decisions they stand by them, and, do their best to make them work.

Coincidentally: just as I was about to press the submit this comment button I read the quote which pops up at the bottom of the screen:-

"To succeed, you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality." -- Anita Roddick

Randall, where did this come from?

Make decisions you can write down

about targets (or outcomes) you can write down

because of reasons you can write down.

I like it a lot, and expect to cite it from time to time in my work. Is it original to you?

I think its great advice.

milo

Thanks : I just made it up. Perhaps it needs re-writing a bit to address often perplexed's objections below (post #16).

I didn't think so.

Make decisions you can write down

about targets (or outcomes) you can write down

because of reasons you can write down.

the decision is (after) and about targets ( implied that these had been identified) because of reasons that you had (also implied I guess) thought about and should now write down.

Regardless of temporal issues, it is succinct and remains great advice.

milo

You can tell that you are an engineer. Good solid thought process. I would however suggest that the order decisions, targets, reasons are reversed. Without reasons there is no need for the other elements, and the reasons drive the other implementation activies. (Just My Thoughts)

You are manager now so manage.

Find out what you need to do, what need to get done and find someone to get it done. Check their progress often. Be prepare to get someone else if they fail their task. Resist doing the job yourself unless its the only choice. You can't manage anything if you're out there working.

bmadhu_srao Did I understand correctly that this is not the company that you worked 20 months for as an engineer. This is a position you applied for at another company. At the interview were you aware that you would be filling a Managers position? Did you get introduced to your new superior and discuss your new responsibilities prior to accepting the position? Reading some of the replies I not sure your post has been thoroughly understood. Your future will be very rewarding if you can hang in there and become familiar with your employees they can steer you in the right direction. Good luck. J.Conway

I have been working for another company as an engineer, recently i have changed my job into this managerial position. No i was not told about my responsibility intially, now it is expected that i must be prepared as it was obvious

Bmadhu_srao You are in a very awkward position. You need to call your employee relations manager and get an appointment as soon as possible, he's going to be your best friend. The person that hired you probably has a meeting with him every day for an update on the progress of the personnel in the facility. He should know exactly why and what you were hired for, he is responsible to monitor your progress and to assist you in overcoming any shortcomings you may have. He can arrange for others to assist you when needed or assign a full time mentor to you if he thinks it necessary. He probably has a wealth of media available that could help you learn how to manage. No body wants to see you fail and if you are willing to give everything in your power to make a go of this they will mold you into what they want you to be. Its going to be tough so humble yourself and soak up everything, take nothing for granted. Make yourself someone they can take pride in by showing them your trust and loyalty. Make sure you send a daily progress report and attend every meeting no matter the hardship it may cause in carrying out your other duties. Many times some managers feel as though other duties are a priority over daily reports and attending all meetings but this is how you stay abreast of daily and future plans. Plan on being in early every day to prepare yourself with a schedule of who is doing what, make arrangements for your people to be where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there and that you have people knowing where you are at all times and how to contact you. Every time you receive help or input from others follow up that day with an e-mail acknowledging and include your appreciation in the daily report. Making others look good makes it easier to get what you need, try to never turn down a request from others for assistance for this will all ways payoff. Last but not least avoid the backstabbing that always takes place, make it clear when around others and it gets started that you are not interested in that type of talk. And let it end there. Best wishes, J.Conway

Hi SB,

First dont panic, you are a lot smarter than you think.

Send me an email to djhelliweld@yahoo.com and I will send you an article about an accidental project manager that I got from Harvard.

Break everything down to smaller sizes and delegate to your staff who are strong in that area.

You can also get a copy of the one minute manager by Ken Blanchard, its been a best seller for 20 years for good reason.

Cheers

David