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    How do engineers manage mid-career change?

    By Jeff Perry,

    1 day ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2tksLW_0uxnfk0O00

    We all have barriers or roadblocks to change. And we know if we could just get over them and turn our weaknesses into strengths, we would unlock all sorts of progress and opportunities.

    However, before you can start making changes, you first need to know what it is you want to change.

    Let’s take Ian as an example. Ian was a senior engineering leader with about 25 years of experience, trying to build teams, build the business, and build his career while engaging with his family (something he wanted to make more time for).

    But he took it all on himself, without delegating and sharing the workload with his team. He was stuck in a mindset that exaggerated his self-importance, thinking he was the only person capable of completing the work correctly. Any new task that came his way, he thought he needed to take care of it on his own. So he quickly became overwhelmed by the weight of all his responsibilities, and wasn’t able to spend the time with his family that he wanted to.

    Don’t get me wrong, he typically did a great job with the tasks he took on. He worked extremely hard and did great work. But crazy busy weeks of 60-80 hours per week piled up over time and he burned out.

    He knew something needed to change, perhaps a shift in his career opportunity or situation.

    He tried some things to figure out how to scale his impact without burning out again:

    • -He took online courses.
    • -He attended industry conferences.
    • -He participated in training available to him through his workplace.

    But none of these things seemed to do the trick, at least on their own. He was still stuck in his old ways of doing things. Months of effort and exhaustion with no end in sight.

    The problem was, Ian didn’t even know what the real problem was. Think about that for a moment!

    Finding the real problem

    But how do I uncover the real problem? you might ask…. There is a process for this, and that’s an important discussion for another article. For now, just be looking for it. One of the key ways to uncover the problem is to find mentors and trusted advisors to help you see what perhaps you can’t see on your own.

    For example, Ian and I connected through an online ASME event that I was facilitating. That led to more discussions and an opportunity to work together more in-depth. He also connected with multiple other connections through ASME events that brought new perspectives and opportunities, and support to develop new skills he needed to work on to pivot to a new role.

    After working with me to make some internal and external changes to shift his approach to career development, Ian later had a great experience where he told me, “I just took on a new role that leverages my newly developed skills as well as adjusted ways to approach leadership. For example, I was able to assign my team member to take ownership of our project deliverable from the beginning instead of me micromanaging it. The client was cool with it and I hardly have to [do] anything about it. I never would have been able to do this a few months ago.”

    This was because he was able to get to the root of the issue. Ian eventually realized that he was driven by a fear that if he didn’t take primary ownership of virtually all tasks that clients were counting on, the quality of the work would suffer and would result in poor performance. Pairing this with his new skills and career transition, he started strong and set things up in a way that wouldn’t lead to burnout again. His career was refreshed thanks to new connections and expertise to allow him to pivot as the market continues to change.

    As he changed his mindset to being more trusting of his coworkers and oriented towards building the team, he started experimenting with delegating more and letting go of the emotional need to do everything himself. And as he changed, he received great results, and has continued to grow his career.

    The real key to sustainable change is going through a mindset transformation. Pairing this with relevant industry skills can make you unstoppable. Shift your mindset, then let it shift your behaviors, which will bring the results you want.

    Take Intentional Action

    Identify one big change you’d like to make that would make a huge impact in your life or career.

    Then, start asking yourself – what is actually happening beneath the surface? What might be the root cause of this?

    Then, start making changes in the root beliefs, not just external actions.

    Then, perhaps identify ways to connect these internal changes with more clarity on what relevant skills you might need to develop to stay current with changing market trends. Connect with people through ASME or other industry organizations to build skills, find mentors, and connect to new opportunities.

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