Photo Credit: moriza

Leadership is an art – not a science. I think this is precisely why so many engineers struggle with developing their leadership skills. Engineers are technical gurus – we’re  very good at solving discrete, quantitative issues. By and large, it’s easy to define the scope of the issues we face in the work place. This is not the case with leadership. Relative to engineering work, it can seem fuzzy and ambiguous, which is why it  gives a lot of technical folks chest pain.

I’ve already proposed a definition of leadership. Today, I want to chat more about the nature of leadership, and why it’s important for engineers to appreciate the difference between this and the nature of the technical work that they do on a day-to-day basis.

What Makes Leadership an Art?

It’s a little bit tough to put your finger on what exactly makes any art and art. I definitely think it’s one of those “You know it when you see it” kinds of things. For our purpose, I would argue that the main distinguishing feature of an art is that there’s no single right way do do things. There are 1000’s of wrong ways, but rarely can it be argued that there’s only one right way when it comes to an art.  I think this applies beautifully to leadership.

Leadership is essentially a way of working with people. It’s more of a mentality than a set of rules. Since all people are different, and every personal interaction is different, it would be impossible to apply a set of rules that govern all situations. People aren’t like equipment. People don’t have a governing body that issues standards that all people must conform to. People are… well, people.

Why Should and Engineer Care About the Art of Leadership?

Any engineer looking to develop their leadership skills has to first acknowledge that leadership is a very different set of skills than they’re used to. That’s not to say it’s impossible for an analytical/ quantitative-type person to develop these skills. Rather, it’s more a matter of knowing that the learning and development process is going to be a bit different than what they’re used to.

Effective leaders place the interests of their followers above their own. How a leader does this is totally up to the individual leader. The same can be said for a leader’s demonstration of their drive and passion for what they are leading a team towards. Most would agree that a leader should be passionate – but few would prescribe a particular way to demonstrate that passion. I think that’s the essence of the art of leadership.

Find Your Favourite Artist

Like any other young aspiring artist, it’s important for a young engineer looking to develop their leadership skills to find another leader they admire. Just like so many of today’s rock bands who listened to The Beatles and Bob Dylan non-stop before they ever played a note, a future leader needs to set their course based on a leader they admire and respect. Find an artist who’s work you admire, and use that as a starting point to becoming an artist yourself.

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