Management & Leadership:

Successful companies and leaders of companies understand that the best resource
available
to them is people, and that the human capital at their disposal has to be managed
and
developed into a more valuable resource in order for the company to progress.
Managers in professional companies spend a lot of time worrying about marketing
and selling
their companys services, but few give much thought to developing the product
that the
company is trying to induce its clients to buy: the knowledge and professional skill
of its staff.
Precise definitions of professional skill are hard to come by. The true value of
professionals
lies less in what they know than in what they can do. While professional knowledge
can be
codified and easily shared, professional skills can only be developed through
practice. By
managing and leading a companys human capital it is able to develop and add to
the main
resource it has to sell: professional judgement and talent.
However, even more important in building human capital is adding to the
companys skill and
knowledge. A company should be constantly seeking to increase its understanding
of client
industries, to improve service, and to add to technical capabilities.
Possibly the number one responsibility of a CEO is to develop other leaders who can
carry on
the legacy of the organisation. However successful companies strive to create
leaders at all
levels of the organisation, in order for those leaders to develop future generations of
leaders.
Over the years it has been recognised that successful leadership is a quantifiable
skill as
opposed to a personal character trait. Successful companies and leaders hone their
business
knowledge into teachable points of view, and pass this knowledge to others in the
organisation. In turn, these leaders learn from the employees they are teaching.
This is known
as a virtuous teaching cycle.

Managers and leaders can be seen as dichotic entities, but no great paradigm shift
should be required for a manager to develop leadership qualities.

What is Management?
Management concerns the division of works required amongst the available human
resources, and co-ordination of the individuals concerned in order to achieve set
objectives.
The manager may be responsible for identifying and clarifying the work objectives,
but these generally combine to support an overall aim or vision. These are just as
important as the initial vision, as they keep everyone grounded in the reality of
practical needs, such as meeting programme and costs.
In essence, the manager should ideally be a constant, long term presence dedicated
to keeping the works progressing, and maintaining all resources including people.
This will involve monitoring and developing personnel, sometimes making difficult
decisions such as dismissal.

A good manager encourages his team to reach their potential. I believe that
managing people effectively, (as opposed to managing the process), is an example
of leadership.
What is Leadership?
A leader decides what is wanted, in terms of broad aims. The minutiae of achieving
the aims is usually delegated to managers, who are better geared for putting ideas
into practice.
'Using one's own personal power to win the hearts and minds of people to achieve a
common purpose', Leadership Trust
The popular image of a leader is one who has personal charisma, i.e. he/she makes
you want to do what he/she says.
A leader may not be a long term presence, but who appears to inspire the team. A
good leader can keep the team interested and productive, which I believe is an
example of management.
Leadership and the ICE
The ICE now differentiates between Incorporated and Chartered Engineers partly on
the basis of whether Leadership and Vision are exhibited. The two classes are
meant to be considered equal, but the perceptions of the membership and
employers are still to be modified.
An Incorporated Engineer may be very experienced and qualified technically, but
has chosen not to develop towards leadership. While I support the raised profile of
Incorporated members, I believe that technical vision is of great importance, and
may not always be present in Chartered Engineers.
Conclusions

A manager may exhibit leadership characteristics as part of his innate

personality, but can also learn to lead.

A leader who does not attempt proficiency in management may not achieve
their full potential.

Managerial and leadership skills should be considered to be complementary.

Different styles of leadership behaviour are required depending on the

individual work situation.

A manager aspiring to leadership should be positive, flexible, and able to

change to meet different situations.

Leadership skills are needed at all levels of a pro-active organisation.

Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skill means not only person to person interaction but also in groups. It
is a vitally important skill for success in both work and social environments.
The ability to communicate involves three keys skills:

Listening
Questioning
Observing

Listening
Managers spend between 50% and 80% of their time communicating with others
staff, customers, suppliers and bosses - informally in social situations and formally
at interviews, meetings, and presentations among other interpersonal situations.
One researcher has suggested that the average breakdown of communication is:

Writing 9%
Reading 16%
Speaking 30%
Listening 45%

Despite this it has been found that 75% of oral communication is lost, ignored or
misunderstood. The remaining 25% is forgotten within weeks
Questioning
The ability to ask the right question of the right source at the right time is an
important managerial skill. The natural tendency is to talk too much. This can result
in leading others to our way of thinking at the expense of the value of the
information gain in a discussion.
There are two basics types of question:

Open Question a question to which there are many possible answers e.g.
what design options are there?
Closed Question a question to which there is only one answer e.g. Do you
agree with my point?

Aim to use open questions as much as possible in most interpersonal situations

using a limited number of closed questions to check facts and control in discussions.

Observing
When we communicate, understanding and judgement comes from:

Words 7% - Words are the labels and listeners put their own interpretations
on them.
Paralinguistic 38% - The way in which something is said accent, tone,
inflection etc.
Body Language 55% - What the speaker look like and does with his /her
body during the interaction

At a general level there are three important aspects of interpersonal skills to be

aware of: Communication skills development; Understanding yourself and
Understanding others

Research and write a summary on Effective Communication

Effective communication is the cornerstone of all aspects of modern life and work.
Being able to
communicate professionally, clearly and accurately is a skill that is required in all
areas of business. It is
literally the exchange of information and idea without which individuals will not be
able to understand each other. In the world of civil engineering, it is of outmost
important that communication should be done effectively as by and large civil
engineering projects involve multi-disciplinary parties. Clients and

professionals from different educational backgrounds, with different interests and,

often in the UK, of
different cultures work together in order to achieve certain goals or to complete
certain tasks. It would be impossible that a project can be successfully completed if
the idea or the expertise of one party has not been effectively conveyed to the rest
of the design team or the project players.
Communication can be a unilateral process in which party A convey his message to
party B. However, a
valid communication requires party B to have received the message sent by party
A. it is clearly highlighted in the Contract Law whereby communication must be
received. However, is it enough? Participants in a civil engineering project do not
just send messages but aim to influence other parties: clients expect the designer
to fully understand his brief and requirements, designers want to influence the
clients such that the civil engineering project is will be realised through professional
means, they also expect the contractor to fully understand their design. Likewise
contractors and sub-contractors will ensure everyone on site understand what to do.
A chain or a loop of communication normally exists in the form of bilateral
communication in the world of civil engineering. If done ineffectively, the chain or
loop of communication may be broken and message/idea be misapprehended. The
consequence can be serious.
The way of human communication has been evolutionary from the basic form of
facial expression, gesture, language, to a more civilised form of drawings,
characters, words, publication, and to a technological state of telegram, phone, TV,
email, instance messaging and the like. Some people prefer writing letter some
prefer emailing through blackberry. After all, the main purpose is to communicate
effectively using the most appropriate means offer and acceptance by means of
contract documents, technical advice in the form of reports, construction
information on engineering drawings, etc. Would anyone agree that communication
for the purpose of conveying construction information be effectively done by means
of a mere letter? Language is of no difference from the form when effective
communication in question. It is of no help to use highly technical language when
talking to laymen nor it is efficient to use simple language when talking to a
professional of similar educational background. As such effective communication is
a matter of judging a particular situation and choosing an appropriate way of
conveying idea.
So, to judge a particular situation, it may be necessary to carry out research, know
the party and
understand the subject in question. Accurate and concise information should be
prepared and should be
conveyed and understood properly by the intended recipients.
The Importance of CPD
A commitment to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is included in the
Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) rules of professional conduct (no 5). It states that
All members shall develop their professional knowledge, skills and competence on

a continuing basis, and shall give all reasonable assistance to further the education,
training and CPD of others.
There is good reason for this being a requirement for members; In the global
economy of today, technology, client requirements and global challenges change
rapidly and Civil Engineers should be aware of, and capable of adapting to, these
changes.
Since CPD is at the core of the ICEs requirements, being a member identifies a
commitment to continuing development to clients who require it of their consultants
and contractors.
There are definite advantages associated with a structured CDP programme for
individuals. Weakness in knowledge or understanding that is impairing ability in
production or management can be dealt with. This leads to personal performance
improvements and the associated benefits of being able to cope with increased
responsibility.
For companies, CPD can be used to increase the knowledge of employees as a
whole as well as a way of monitoring the learning of employees and a way to rectify
areas of deficiency in an individuals knowledge. In this way it can be used to give a
competitive edge to businesses. It is also essential to enable the demonstration of
good quality assurance practices and in areas where competence is required to be
shown such as under the new CDM regulations where clients should ensure that
their consultants are suitably qualified.
Since CPD covers a wide range of topics it can be successfully tailored to an
individuals requirements or areas of interest. It also allows the whole range of
requirements of a Civil Engineer to be covered from Health and Safety to
Sustainability. Sustainability for example is at the forefront of Civil Engineering
today. Since it has only recently emerged as an area of prime importance, and new
legislation brought into effect, without targetted CPD these requirements may not
be understood by engineers who have been in the workplace during the changes. In
this way CPD is an essential requirement to ensure compliance with legal
requirements.
CPD does not stop when you become chartered. It is continuing development that
takes society forward and as custodians of Civil Engineering it is imperative that as
a whole Civil Engineers improve their knowledge to allow best practice and
improvements to be filtered through in all projects that are carried out.
The Importance of CPD
A good engineer should combine technical expertise, practical experience, up-todate product knowledge and soft skills such as management ability. As a recent
graduate from university, an engineer is likely to have a high level of technical
expertise, but will be less capable in the other areas than their more experienced
colleagues. Whilst an engineer will learn a certain amount through simple on-the-job
experience, it is important to supplement this learning, through CPD time, to ensure
that all facets are developed sufficiently. This should leave the engineer in a position

to carry out their work to their best of their ability, and fulfil their potential within
the profession.
CPD is perhaps of most importance to engineers in the early stages of their careers,
looking to move from positions as Graduate Engineers, through into Chartered
Engineers. CPD can take many forms, from technical training days, through product
awareness seminars to less engineering focused activities, such as challenge
weekends or student mentoring. Whilst the benefits to an engineer of CPD activities
such as a training course on an engineering subject, or a highlight outlining the
capabilities of a product available on the market are obvious, those of the less
technical aspects of CPD are a little harder to quantify.
Technical training courses will allow an engineer to expand and build upon the
knowledge that they have gained at university, and will give them a greater
understanding of the fields in which they work. In particular courses such as these
are likely to cover more niche areas of understanding than any university course
for example a course covering vibration of composite office floors. Technical
highlights covering the practical uses for a particular product (which may be new to
the market or simply new to the engineer in question) will also give a clear benefit
to the attendee, allowing them to specify the most suitable product for a job. The
benefits of less technical CPD activities, whilst perhaps less immediately obvious,
are of equal importance. For example a training course covering soft skills such as
time management and effective delegation may allow an engineer to work far more
efficiently. Or mentoring a group of school children working on an engineering
project may allow an engineer to develop management skills that will stand them in
good stead in the later stages of their career.
So far, I have covered the importance of CPD to younger engineers, who are at the
lower end of their personal learning curves. However, it must be remembered that
CPD is also of importance to more senior engineers, either as their role develops
with seniority, or the industry develops around them. Even the most experienced
engineer will need to ensure that he is aware of new products and techniques
available to them. In addition to this, as they gain seniority, engineers may need to
develop skills for which they have had less requirement earlier in their careers, for
example management or presentation skills.
In summary, in a profession that is itself continuously developing, through the
introduction of new products, materials, standards and techniques, no engineer is in
a position to say that they themselves have no need for further development. CPD
allows us to keep abreast of this progress in the industry and make sure that we are
delivering the best, most up-to-date and suitable solutions to our clients.

Effective Delegation

Delegation is the assignment of authority to another person to carry out an activity.

It is a shift of decision-making authority form one organisational level to another
lower one.

Three aspects must be established for effective delegation:

Responsibility refers to the task itself and intended results. Task must be
clearly defined, but the employee should not be prescribed how to do it.
Authority refers to the appropriate power given to the employee in order to
allow him to make decisions. It is essential to clarify boundaries (budget, subdelegation etc).
Accountability refers to the fact that the employee must be responsible for
his actions and decisions along with the rewards and penalties that
accompany them. This should not be misinterpreted as blame culture.

Benefits to the Manager/Supervisor:

Relieves workload and allows them to deal with other high level issues
Means of assessing suitability for promotion/succession
Develops trust and rapport with the employees

Benefits to the employee:

Provides professional growth opportunities and training

Elevates their (self-) image and self-esteem
Enhances their value to the organisation

Benefits for the organisation:

Economical as a result of the optimum use of human resources efficiency

Increases flexibility of operations
Promotes teamwork and professionalism
Increases commitment to goals of the organisation

Barriers to delegation:

Lack of time
Belief that subordinates are not up to the job
Fear of surrendering authority
Affinity for the task and reluctance to pass it on
Fear of delegation being misinterpreted as dumping

Common pitfalls:

Reverse or upward delegation

Dumping
Grabbing the glory/Abdication
Task assignment rather than delegation
Participative decision making

For effective delegation bear in mind the above and relate to the employee stress
WIIFT (whats in it for them). Before speaking to the employee plan the delegation.
Define boundaries clearly deliverables, priorities, timescale and listen to
employees response and comments. Offer back-up, but dont hover. Aim to get the
employees buy-in and be encouraging. Recognise and reward the person for
successful completion of the assignment.