Engineering Leadership –
becoming a more effective leader
April 28 - 30, 2015
presented by
Managers in technical organizations face many leadership challenges – constant change,
incomplete information required for decision making, increasingly competitive markets,
shortened lead times, and a tempo driven by technology. A unique challenge they also face,
but may not be prepared for, are the many interpersonal issues and problems that managers
and leaders must face.
For many young engineers, promotions early in a career are based on technical competence.
Engineers are not routinely taught how to lead groups of people and organizations through
their academic training or work assignments early in their career. Lack of strong (or even
adequate) interpersonal skills are often overlooked, excused or ignored. As a result, many are
ill-prepared when they are asked to lead projects or organizations.
When a strong technical performer is promoted into a leadership or managerial position, they
must face a myriad of “people” issues and problems for which they have not been prepared in
their professional development. In too many cases, they go from being a top technical
performer to being a sub-par managerial performer. They become unhappy and marginally
effective managers, sub-optimizing the work of their group, and they often lose their personal
confidence as individual contributors.
Engineering Leadership is designed to provide participants with a proven way to become
effective leaders and managers – and to remain strong and productive performers. During the
program they will:
 Learn to be consciously competent managers with effective leadership and managerial
skills, including performance development and team leadership.
 Develop interpersonal skills and awareness that will improve performance – both their
own and that of their employees.
 Design a specific plan to become successful leaders within their own organizations.
This hands-on workshop challenges the participants to assess their own leadership styles,
understand how to motivate employees and help those employees reach their full potential,
develop skills in the areas of constructive feedback, conflict resolution and problem solving,
and understand – for the first time for many of them – how to meet the difficult challenges of
managing people, instead of data or things!
Program Outcome:
All engineers are, or have the potential to be, leaders. The most common expectation is that
they will be technical leaders. Yet, a world driven by increasing complexity and frequent
uncertainty demands the skills and abilities of people trained to solve problems and develop
effective solutions. The direct outcome of this program will be to develop technical
professionals to be competent managers with effective leadership skills with specific
plans to lead individual and team efforts.
What is Engineering Leadership?
It is a program of study designed specifically for engineers seeking to improve their
management and leadership skills and capabilities. It focuses on assessing individual styles
and developing individual and organizational leadership skills and abilities.
The program is a process of personal and professional development designed to build
awareness of self and others and enhance a leader’s skills in influencing others (in a formal
role or as an informal leader), problem solving, communication and feedback.
What are the program benefits?
Recognizing the professional commitment and expectation of the engineer to conceptual
flexibility and ethical conduct, the program asserts that the engineer is the professional most
likely to embrace complex problem-solving with competence and sincere interest. By
developing awareness and perspective of the interpersonal issues related to leadership,
engineers will continue to advance in their influence and impact on modern organizations.
This is the beginning of a personal development process that has direct and important bottomline results. Excellent leaders have significant impact on an organization’s success. Poor
leaders and managers cause low morale and productivity, high turnover and absenteeism,
customer dissatisfaction, low employee loyalty, constant conflict and organizational battles,
and a host of other problems that hinder an organization’s performance and profitability. This
program will improve the leadership and managerial performance of the participants and
assist the participants as they move from being a strong individual contributor to leading
people in a wide variety of leadership roles – both formal and informal.
Who should attend?
This program is designed for technical professionals who have managerial responsibilities –
Team Leaders, Project Leaders, Section Heads, Supervisors, Department Heads, Managers,
etc. It also includes any managers who do not have strong technical backgrounds, but now
find themselves leading people with technical training and responsibilities.
Who leads the program?
Peter A. DeLisle is the program designer and presenter. Pete has extensive experience
helping engineers and other technical professionals learn how to integrate interpersonal and
business skills into more effective management and leadership practices.
Pete has experience in human resources at two high tech firms - Hewlett Packard where he
was an operating division Personnel Manager and Convex Computer Corporation where he
was founding Vice President for Human Resources. He also has served as a Program
Manager and Senior Associate at the Center for Creative Leadership.
Over the last 25 years, he has worked extensively with engineering students and practitioners.
He was the first holder of the Severns Chair in Human Behavior in the College of Engineering
at the University of Illinois. He has worked with several nationally-recognized colleges of
engineering to design curriculum to assist engineers and engineering students develop critical
leadership competencies. Pete also has been as an organizational development consultant to
the National Science Foundation. For the past year, he has been working with the College of
engineering at Notre Dame to design a leadership program for engineering students to
improve their interpersonal and team capabilities. This program will be expanded this year to
include content in the introductory engineering program during the first year of study and
working with seniors in their project design class.
How is the program structured?
Engineering Leadership becoming a more effective leader
Stayer Center for Executive Education
University of Notre Dame
Tuesday
April 28
Wednesday
April 29
7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
Thursday
April 30
7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30am – noon
Defining Leadership
8:30am – noon
Dealing with Conflict
The Effectiveness
Triangle
Building Effective Teams
Delivering Feedback
Lunch
noon - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
noon - 1:00 p.m.
1:30 – 5:00pm
Selecting the Right
Leadership Style
1:00 – 3:30pm
Planning for a Successful
Future
Cognitive Problem
Solving
Creating a Development
Plan
Getting Feedback
Successfully Returning to an
Unchanged Environment
5:00 – 6:45pm
Reception and Dinner
5:30 – 7:00pm
Reception and Dinner
Morris Inn*
7:00 – 9:00pm
Introductions,
Expectations,
Challenges
* All locations listed are tentative and subject to
availability.
Where will the program be presented?
This program will be delivered at the Stayer Center for Executive Education on campus at the
University of Notre Dame.
What does the program cost?
Tuition for this unique program is $1,250. This includes instruction, materials, breaks and
meals. Lodging is not provided, but a block of rooms has been reserved at the Morris Inn,
located on the Notre Dame campus. Participants are responsible for making their own hotel
reservations.
Who can I contact to schedule a presentation of this program?
Paul J. Slaggert
Gary A. Gilot, P.E.
Director Non-Degree Programs
Director of Engineering Leadership and
Stayer Center for Executive Education
Community Engagement
300 Stayer Center
College of Engineering
University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
208B Cushing Hall
Phone: 574-631-5285
Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA
Fax: 574-631-6783
Office Phone (574) 631-0282
[email protected]
[email protected]
How do I register?
Please go to our web site: engineeringleadership.nd.edu and click on the Registration tab.