Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet

Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals

Register Log in

Path to an Executive Position 8

Status
Not open for further replies.
kontiki99

kontiki99

Electrical
Feb 16, 2006
510
0
0
US
Lately I've been wondering about becoming an executive.

Maybe it's being in the trenches that doesn't feel like a good fit any more.

I seen all those people listed in Who's Who listed in AWS&T for years. I've never known any of them

Whats the best way to transition? How does someone wind up director or VP of a larger company?

We all compete for engineering lead spots when they open, but that doesn't even seem like much of a step up. Very few of the even more Sr. management I've ever met didn't seemed to have any special gift or perception at all.

Is changing companies a better time to try the transition?
 
Replies continue below

Recommended for you

Sort by date Sort by votes
Don't know your schooling background - but MGMT seems to like MBAs.

And yes - you might have to change companies if you want to fast track - unless someone quits or dies at yours.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
most executives can figure this out on their own. You need to start with management. Have you managed a project or any other staff yet? Start with that, see how it goes and move on from there.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
One of my older colleagues thought he was on the executive track until he was told he lacked the right pedigree, educational institution, family situation, etc.

I've been around plenty of upper managers. They are human. But they are there for some reason. Maybe they're a test for the rest of us.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Be careful what you ask for!

Increasingly, in engineering, the managers are non-technical and are not as often grown from within as in past times. If that's the path you truly want, then pursue an MBA and take the ladder steps into management, perhaps starting at team or department levels, then moving up.

It can be volatile and the positions won't win you any friends. You'll think and say that you'll be different....you won't because you won't be allowed to be. Engineering businesses are just that..they are businesses, with much more bottom line focus than before.

There were times in engineering businesses where the technical product took precedent over a focus on profit only...and surprisingly the profit was usually there. Now the focus is on profit first, figure out how to make everyone more productive and how to keep costs down...often on the backs of the employees. Employee longevity, loyalty and technical competence are rarely valued as before.

This is not an outside observation. I've been a VP at a large international engineering firm and a Senior VP for a regional engineering firm. I stayed involved in the technical side in each, but there were those who sought to be only in management....not for me.

I didn't particularly endear myself to the corporate types. I once asked my boss (the Prez) if I had a client problem to solve or a corporate hoop to jump through, which one would I do? He guessed right and soon thereafter I was replaced as the office manager and put into a purely technical position. I couldn't have been happier!!

I have run two businesses otherwise, so management is not a big deal...corporate weenydom is.

Good luck.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Well the cynic might say something like:

1. Arrange to be born into the right family, in the right social circles etc.

2. Attend the right school(s), quite likely private or at least in select school districts etc.

3. Attend the right college for your undergraduate degree (and join the right fraternity/sorority etc. while there).

3. Attend the right school for you MBA (or similar post grad studies)

4. Keep in touch with all your high placed contacts.

5. Marry the right girl/guy.

6. Run a couple of companies into the ground, the important thing isn't that the company does well, it's that you get promoted to executive position. So making short term decisions that help you meet this quarters numbers is more important than long term stability, because by the time negative consequences catch up with you you plan to be in another position, quite possibly in a different company.

7. Once you reach the VP type level, you're golden. It doesn't matter if you suck and get fired at every company you work for. It seems that once you've been an executive some company somewhere will hire you because you have experience. It doesn't seem to matter if that experience was running the company into the ground.

8. If it reaches a point that you're so bad that even 'having experience' doesn't get you the job, don't worry, just enter politics.

Posting guidelines faq731-376 (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
KENAT the realist, always bringing our heads down out of the clouds and placing our feet firmly on the ground. Most accurate summary of corporate America I have seen in years!

I just had to paste a star on his post!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
From personal observation, it's all about self-positioning and in-house networking.

1. Dress for the part you want; ties, jackets, suits if necessary
2. Make yourself known to the executives; don't be shy to talk them up in the hall, elevator, coffee line, wherever you see them.
3. Make sure they know your name, introduce yourself if you have too.
4. Let your plans be known, planting the seed can never be done too early.
5. Attend company social functions, stay sober, be seen.
6. If that doesn't work...do like Kenat said and run some other company into the ground.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Forget to say, finding common activities with senior folks won't hurt either, traditionally golf or the like but round here the VP likes to go running on the beach at lunch and there's a little group that like to go with him.

Posting guidelines faq731-376 (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
the fastest way to become an exec is to start your own company - no brown-nosing required, although nothing wrong with playing golf, especially if you can get the boss to buy a couple drinks.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
As Ron states, engineering managers are becoming more and more non-technical. Why is that? i.e. Does anyone know accounting managers that are non-accounting backgrounds?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I don't know of any engineering managers in our company that are not registered engineers. Our chief operating officer is registered engineer and an attorney plus former business owner. not sure why this is not the case in other industries.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yes, some people who are excellent engineers make lousy managers and vice versa.

I agree with KENATS point 7, I have seen a few incompetent directors get 6 figure 'golden handshakes'.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
The trouble is, there is no market value for technical knowledge or skill. There is, however, great market value in being able to boost sales, raise stock value, and cut costs, all of which can be done artificially and with complete disregard for science, ethics or morals.

You need to ask yourself if making "money" is more important than making "things".

Engineers - at least good ones - tend to keep executives out of prison. Executives, conversely, reciprocate by keeping engineers out of work.

Regards,

SNORGY.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

MRob909
  • Locked
  • Question
Managing Other Engineers (An Update) 4
Replies
1
Views
21
phamENG
phamENG
ccpe
  • Question
How much time is needed to learn to build a structural model for a steel structure warehouse by RAM? 1
Replies
4
Views
75
ccpe
ccpe
Manpreet Singh
  • Locked
  • Question
Trying to transition from Mechanical Program Manager to hand-on
Replies
2
Views
18
CWB1
CWB1
Moshbosh13
  • Locked
  • Question
Doubts about career path and how to improve.
Replies
7
Views
8
Moshbosh13
Moshbosh13
Afrexico
  • Locked
  • Question
Construction to Design 2
Replies
8
Views
12
MTSOE
MTSOE
Back
Top