I’ve learned that one way to facilitate success as an engineer, or in any profession for that matter, is to commit to something wholeheartedly. However, there are different ways that you can commit to doing something. You can create a goal and focus energy on it, OR you can create a goal, tell somebody else about it, and then focus energy on it. There is huge difference between the two, the main difference being that the second option offers a huge layer of accountability.
Accountability can be a MAJOR driver for success in your career because of the motivation that it provides. Let’s look at an example with respect to obtaining your Professional Engineering license. It’s fairly easy to apply for the exam and then go about studying when you have the time leading up to the exam; however, if no one knows you are planning to take it, there is not a lot of pressure or expectation for you to pass it. On the other hand, let’s say the day after you are approved to take the exam, you send an e-mail to your boss and some of you other colleagues saying that you have been accepted to sit for the PE exam on this date. By doing this, you immediately create accountability for yourself by publicly committing to this task or goal.
Many engineers won’t publicly commit like this to goals because it’s risky. If you commit like this to a goal and don’t succeed, then you are going to look really bad, right? The answer is maybe; however, if you don’t make that public commitment, in my opinion you drastically reduce your chances for succeeding on the proposed task or goal.
Here are some recommendations for committing to goals and implementing accountability in your engineering career:
· Always be open and honest with your supervisor about the professional goals you are pursuing, unless of course pursuit of a certain accomplishment is not related to the specific job.
· Send e-mails out to people expressing your commitment to a goal. This action makes it more official than just telling someone.
· Ask your mentor or a colleague if you can check in with them regularly during your pursuit of the goal to gain their advice and/or recommendations for ensuring success on the project/goal.
· Prepare a detailed plan with a schedule for achieving a goal, then check in with your mentor, coach, or other accountability partner, regularly updating them on your actual progress versus your schedule. This is a big one. This will really motivate you to keep pace. This action is much more powerful than the previous item above.
· Review your goals regularly, and if you are consistently seeing no progress towards a goal, decide how important that goal really is to you. If it’s important, follow the steps above and commit to it.
My intention is that this post will inspire you to publicly commit to your goals and projects and ultimately facilitate the achievement of all of your engineering career goals and dreams.
This is a guest post by Anthony Fasano, PE, author of Engineer Your Own Success. Anthony found success as an engineer at a very early age and now writes and podcasts to help other engineers do the same. Visit Anthony’s website atEngineeringCareerCoach.com and subscribe to the top 3 resources Anthony has used to become a partner in a firm at the age of 27.