Category: Basics

I was leaving one of my offices the other day. My garage pass was validated at 7:15 AM, and after 11 hours, I was eager to drive an hour to get home. I put my ticket in the reader at the gate, and the validation didn’t take. I pushed the call button on the automated machine but after several minutes with no acknowledgement of my call for help, decided to just run my card so I could get home. The small change from my pocket to get out of the garage in as little time possible seemed more appealing than waiting for someone to assist me. I ran my card several times, but the machine kept kicking it out as unreadable. Finally, fed up with the lack of response from my call for help AND the card reader, I reversed my car, and put my card through the “lost card” machine.  I was more than willing to pay an extra $1.25 if it meant setting me free from this annoyance.

Of course, right when I put my card in, I heard a voice a hollering at me. The assistance I had called for many minutes ago proceeded to explain to me all the things I already knew:

1. “Yes, I know that machine is for lost cards only.”
2. “Yes, I know there’s a button to call for help. In fact, I hit that button and sat there for a while, but no one showed up.”
3. “Yes, I know I just paid more than I needed to, but it did not seem like anyone was responding to my request for help and I didn’t want to block the exit.”

The exchange left me irritated.  I started thinking about how the dynamic of this interaction could have been very different if the employee had merely asked me what the problem was before assuming I didn’t know how to work the machine. Similar opportunities to change the dynamic of our situations occur every day.

Whether it’s at work or school, we constantly find ourselves in situations where we need to know the cause of a situation. For instance, maybe you’re checking someone’s work and discover they deviated from the plan; instead of assuming they didn’t know what they were doing, ask them why they made the choice they did. Making statements without knowing the background of a situation is one of the easiest ways to end a conversation before it starts. When you assume you know the backstory, and proceed as such, you are already negatively affecting your interaction with the other person. 

Instead, simply ask, “What happened?” before you tell someone they did something wrong. Don’t just ask this question once but continue to ask it until you determine the root cause of the problem or until you fully understand where the other party was coming from.  Be intuitive and thoughtful in your questions.  It could go a long way towards improving not only your understanding of the situation, but the outcome, as well.

Aside from asking the question, pay attention to both your tone and the tone of the person you are speaking with. Ask yourself, “Am I questioning in a way that implies an accusation? Or am  I asking in a way that portrays I truly want to solve the problem?” For this reason, I recommend you call someone to ask your questions.  DO NOT ask in an email or other electronic form, where your tone and demeanor can come off as skewed.  With a phone call, your tone is clear and is less likely to be misinterpreted. Calling also allows you to ask follow-up questions immediately as opposed to a back-and-forth email chain.

Additionally, if the answer to the question has more implications to the rest of the situation, try to get the answer to the question before proceeding with your assumption that the person did something wrong. For instance, if you’re working on a project with another person, and don’t understand why they didn’t include a topic that you feel should be addressed, instead of proceeding with the project as if something was wrong, address the issue head on. There may be a simple explanation that keeps you both from having to repeat the process down the road.

By simply asking questions with an unbiased tone and working through the other person’s thoughts without an implied negative connotation, you are more likely to get a positive response and a better shared outcome than if you begin a conversation with an assumption that someone messed up. By being mindful of your predispositions and the other person’s perceived reactions to you, you should both be able to leave the situation feeling, if not happy, at least with the understanding that you were heard and satisfied with the interaction.

Many entry-level professionals expect their supervisor to be their mentor. They think that because this person is put in charge they are going to help them advance their career. However, in many STEM professions, supervisors are put into that role because of their technical capabilities, not because they are great at teaching others. Many STEM professionals are stereotyped as cold and impersonable. However, there are plenty of Engirlneers who enjoy mentoring others and are a valuable resource for those hoping to advance their careers. It’s important to find the right person/people who can help you become the professional you want to be.

As a young Engirlneer just beginning to explore STEM careers, it may be hard to find committed mentor. However, as a parent, if you have connections to professionals, reach out and see if they would be willing to provide advice or answer questions as they come up. Maybe it’s something as simple as meeting over lunch or responding to emails every now and then. Reach out to professional organizations to see if they have any mentorship opportunities available.

As a young professional, remember that a good mentor doesn’t have to be someone with more experience or someone who has the position you want, although those people often provide great insight. A good mentor needs to have the skills you want and needs to be open to teaching others. You may find out that your peer or even someone younger than you is really talented at something you want to learn. Be open-minded and willing to learn from them. You will likely be able to teach them something new as well.

A good mentor doesn’t need to be someone you have an official connection to, nor do they need to keep a formal commitment to providing you advice. They DO need to be someone you feel comfortable talking with. A mentor/mentee relationship doesn’t work if one person isn’t open with the other person. You need to be open about your strengths, weaknesses, and goals.

When choosing mentors, also be aware of their limitations. Maybe you feel extremely comfortable going to a higher-level manager for questions, but she may not be available every day to answer questions as they arise. If something is a question out of curiosity and not necessity, keep a list and ask to schedule a set time to discuss them. Be respectful of your mentor’s schedule and she will be more likely to find time for you. If one day you find yourself in a position to mentor others, relish in the opportunity; remember that someone you mentor will likely be able to teach you something as well. Additionally, it’s important to pay it forward and help future Engirlneers develop. Without quality mentors, the quality of the next generation will quickly fade.

I’ve done numerous outreach events, especially those geared toward girls, where activities tend to be more crafty than teaching future Engirlneers how to use the engineering process. While making lipstick or cookies is fun and gets girls’ attention, how can one turn these activities, or any activity, into an educational experience?

One of the easiest ways is to look at these activities from a project management standpoint, and ask yourself, as a leader, how you can incorporate these concepts into an activity? Primarily, consider scope, schedule, and budget. Often, “crafty” STEM activities have a set scope (what are we doing/what is our goal?), schedule (this activity will run for 1 hour), and budget (you will be given a set amount of items to work with), we just don’t think of how these can be altered to make Engirlneers think critically and be innovative. There are easy ways to incorporate these concepts into any activity to change it into an engineering lesson.

1. Scope: Instead of giving Engirlneers instructions on how to achieve the end result, tell them the end result, and have them figure out how to get there on their own. Some activities are better suited for a change in scope, such as building a sky scraper or a bridge that can hold the most pennies. However, think of other ways in which someone could achieve the task at hand and provide them with the necessary items to come to a different, but successful, design.
2. Schedule: This one can be tricky if you truly have a set time frame in which to work. However, by altering the scope and making the Engirlneers design their own solution, they have to figure out how to optimize their time to not only design a solution, but to also build it. Additionally, you can choose whether the Engirlneers can have multiple attempts to complete the scope as long as they get it done in the allotted time. For instance, if they are building a dome that has to hold 100 pennies, are they allowed to test their design and improve it if it fails? Another idea is that if they complete the project on time, maybe they get a reward or bonus.
3. Budget: Budget is so much fun to play with and can be varied to accommodate whatever age group you’re working with.
   1. For younger Engirlneers who don’t have a high level of math knowledge, you can give them a set quantity and tell them they don’t get any extra but they don’t have to use it all either.
   2. For older Engirlneers, you can assign each item a specific value, give them a “not to exceed” budget and allow their creativity to soar.
   3. You can also assign scores based on the weight of a structure or the number of items used. The lower weight (or lower quantity of materials) will be factored in to the final scores to determine a winner. This concept can also be applied with the schedule (less time equates to a better score).

THEN, THROW A WRENCH IN IT

After the Engirlneers are fully enthralled by the activity, think of problems you can throw their way that they have to solve. Maybe “the client” wants a taller skyscraper, or it needs to be wider. Decide if they get more budget to do so, or if they have to re-allocate materials from the rest of their design to complete the scope. Maybe a storm hits, and they lose 5 minutes of construction time; what can they do during 5 minutes of downtime to make sure they still get done on time? Explain to the future Engirlneers that these are problems that professional Engirlneers deal with every day. Projects never go as planned, and it is important to be able to adapt and come up with solutions to solve the problem.

MAKE THE ENGIRLNEERS EXPLAIN THEIR THOUGHT PROCESS

An important part of engineering is being able to explain a concept to a client or the community. Engirlneers need to get comfortable explaining their design.

FINALLY, WHAT DID THEY LEARN?

Engineering is all about learning from successes and mistakes. Ask the girls what they liked about the project, what they hated. What did they find difficult? What did they feel most proud of?

There are many ways to turn every activity into an engineering lesson. By thinking about scope, schedule, and budget, an activity leader can easily turn a “craft” into an engineering lesson. Following up on their thoughts and what they learned will further ingrain the engineering process into their minds.

I recently did an outreach activity with a group of Girl Scouts, and at the end, we asked the girls if they had any questions for us. I was amazed by both the quality of the questions and the enthusiasm with which the future Engirlneers asked them.

It got me thinking about how important asking questions is to developing a great career as an Engirlneer. I always hated asking others questions when I was younger; I felt like I was prying into their personal life, their choices, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve jumped at every opportunity possible to ask others questions so I can learn how they got to where they were, and whether or not they enjoy their position.

Encourage your Engirlneer to speak up, and ask questions when she is given the opportunity to discuss potential careers or opinions from people with a career she think she might want. Some great questions to ask are:

• What education did you need to get the job you have?
• Do you need an internship or any experience to get your first full-time job?
• What would you do if you weren’t a              (fill in the blank)?
• What does a typical day in that career entail?
• What’s the progression of someone in your career?
• What’s one thing you really dislike about your career?
• What’s one thing you really like about your career?
• What do you wish you had known before you chose your career?

In addition to helping your Engirlneer find out about her career aspirations, learning to ask insightful questions can benefit her in other ways, as well.

You can help your Engirlneer by encouraging her to ask “Why” every day. Many parents and educators find the constant influx of questions tedious, often bordering on annoying, but by stifling a child’s curiosity, you can be stifling their ability to think critically, reason, and form their own thoughts.

Learning to ask “why” and question is not a skill that comes naturally to most. It is a skill which takes practice to hone and perfect. The next time your Engirlneer throws a barrage of questions at you, instead of thinking of all the things you should be doing, take the time to walk your Engirlneer through her progression of questions. You might find yourself surprised at where her mind travels, and along the way you will help to instill the value of questioning in her, which can benefit her greatly throughout her career and life.