The Engineering Leader

Past Issues

#46 - Are these the core leadership skills you need?

29 Jan 25 When you're starting out as a leader, where do you start in terms of developing the skills you need to succeed? Everyone has a view, and whilst most people know instantly what great leadership is when they see it, seeking universal agreement on a common set of skills has not been possib...

by Steve Strange — Jan 31, 2025 newsletter

#45 - The art of giving feedback!

21 Jan 25 Delivering valuable feedback to your team is a skillset which a leader will need to deploy multiple times. You need to balance to need for them to understand the areas for improvement, but without crushing their morale or making the task appear unattainable. Similarly, when delivering p...

by Steve Strange — Jan 24, 2025 newsletter

#44 - Delegate until it feels uncomfortable...!

14 Jan 25 Delegation is not an easy skill to learn. But it is essential if you want a future team which consists of capable people. It is so easy to dump low value tasks on others because of time pressures. But very soon, you won't have any staff to delegate to, as they will undoubtedly leave! So...

by Steve Strange — Jan 15, 2025 newsletter

#43 - Keeping on track!

8 Jan 25 Ensuring your team is in full alignment with the Company direction of travel is challenging. Because in the everyday working environment, there are always going to be multiple distractions and noise that mask the intended destination. The key skill of a leader is to stop this by carryin...

by Steve Strange — Jan 08, 2025 newsletter

#42 - Removing friction from your daily routine!

18 Dec 24 'Fail to plan, plan to fail' so the saying goes. But it's so true when it's applied to the first part of your day which should have a repeatable and robust routine in place. Without that routine, and especially a routine that has been refined and honed over many iterations, your day is ...

by Steve Strange — Dec 18, 2024 newsletter

#41 - Why you need to create a 'User Manual' to help people understand how you work!

10 Dec 24 When we buy a new TV or other electrical equipment, we also receive a User Manual as standard to help us become acquainted with its operation. Why don't we do the same when a new leader joins the team? Understanding how your new boss ticks would go a long way towards setting out expecta...

by Steve Strange — Dec 11, 2024 newsletter

#40 - When did you last conduct a leadership audit?

4 Dec 24 Any exercise where a leader is expected to conduct an objective audit on themselves is always going to be difficult. But it shouldn't be! Leaders who understand the process of self-reflection, and exercise it, tend to be the most effective leaders. It takes courage to admit that the reas...

by Steve Strange — Dec 04, 2024 newsletter

#39 - Scheduling - Your one-stop shop to success!

27 Nov 24 Have you ever felt that you were hostage to events which are outside your control? Have you ever felt that there just are not enough hours in the day to get the stuff you need to get done...done? This drives frustration and ultimately stress increases, as many then default to putting in...

by Steve Strange — Nov 27, 2024 newsletter

#38 - Super VUCA!

20 Nov 24 Becoming comfortable within 'VUCA' environments is now a leadership 'superskill'. Waiting for all the information required prior to making a decision can mean the difference between a Company surviving or not. The 'OODA' loop provides a mechanism to be able to make rapiod decisions, bas...

by Steve Strange — Nov 21, 2024 newsletter

#37 - Bach to the Future!

13 Nov 24 A landmark speech given at a Training Camp in the US in 1917, prior to battle, sheds an illuminating insight into three core areas which all leaders would be well advised to master. The speech provides us with reassurance that, despite time moving on, the challenges of leading people re...

by Steve Strange — Nov 13, 2024 newsletter

#36 - Accountable or Responsible?

6 Nov 24 There are times when leaders are in the unenviable position of being placed in a court room to justify their actions and decisions when something has gone badly wrong. In many cases, they may be completely unaware that they were in fact accountable for a specific set of responsibilities,...

by Steve Strange — Nov 06, 2024 newsletter

#35 - Appraisals - Telling it like it is!

30 Oct 24 It's never easy calling out bad behaviour or poor performance. But leaders owe it to the person, the organisation and the rest of the team members to do the right thing. It takes moral courage to have that difficult conversation. But if you don't, you will store problems up for the futu...

by Steve Strange — Oct 30, 2024 newsletter

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Join other Engineering Leaders!

Every Thursday I share practical Engineering Leadership insights in a FREE newsletter. The Engineering Leader aims to help Engineers become exceptional leaders through practical insights, proven frameworks, and real-world experience from high-consequence Engineering environments. These can be easily implemented to help you continue your life-long leadership journey.

Unsubscribe at any time.