Did you ever try to solve a problem you thought was technical only to find it wasn’t? How did you figure out what was really happening? Did it reveal a gap in your training?
Sometimes the question is not “what is the answer” but “what is the question.”
In 1992 the National Society of Professional Engineers asked employers and educators what skills engineers need to do their jobs and how well prepared they are. Here’s what they found:
Graduates were well prepared in math and science, as expected. But they fell short in areas like teamwork, social/ethical/environmental issues, integrative thinking, design and leadership. The skills they had were necessary but not sufficient.
Since then, the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Engineering Leadership Development Division (LEAD) has promoted leadership education in academic programs, and the accrediting body ABET has included leadership in its Student Outcomes criteria.
That gap inspired us to create our Leadership for Engineers capstone course and the two books that followed. Our goal is to help individuals learn and grow, and to transform STEM education and technical careers.
And that begins with asking what the question really is.