Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1223154
Developing empowered leadership in engineering The Talk: opinion W ithout a diverse network of leaders at all levels of a busi- ness, organisational inertia will overwhelm executive ambition and it will be impossible to achieve the required pace of change. Why then, is there oen limited investment in this area? In engineering, professional develop- ment oen targets technical skills and knowledge as well as training in corporate systems and processes. A few 'bright stars' may be singled out for a fast-track manage- ment or leadership programme, but most engineers have little structured training in how to lead and manage. There are common frustrations at many organisations in the water industry. Senior leaders are under commercial and regula- tory pressure to react, improve and become more efficient. They have a strong engi- neering function and they are surrounded by awareness of technological advances and innovations. However, little seems to change or at least not quickly enough. The executives say, "Why can't our engineers own what we need to do and just make things happen? Do we need to lead them by the hand?" The engineers, on the other hand, are becoming demoralised. They say, "We can see that the organisation is under pressure. We are genuinely excited by the technologi- cal advances and innovations that can help us move forward, but we need leadership. They need to tell us exactly what they want us to do!" Modest investment in structured leader- ship training for engineers can provide significant benefits, fast. Some will have ambitions to progress towards a managerial or senior leadership role, but many won't. Most want to have their ideas heard, want to solve problems and want to be part of a successful team. Equip them with the right knowledge and skills and there will be an energised community of leaders with very diverse backgrounds and personalities all wanting to show others the road to success in their area of interest. Senior leadership can articulate the high-level goals and strat- nise the benefits of a large, diverse team loaded with specific leadership skills rather than one very well-trained development programme graduate carrying the burden of responsibility alone. An effective leadership development programme would match specific skills with specific individuals. Now, that might be a daunting task for a functional manager but why not ask people to take ownership of their own development and source appro- priate training that meets their own needs. We need leadership in our industry. We only have to read the news to see that effec- tive leadership can come from unexpected places: the young; the quiet; the minorities. Our industry should embrace the energy and creativity of its workforce and train it to lead the way to sustainable success. Effective leadership is required more than ever in our fast-changing industry but having a strong leader at the top is simply not enough. Leadership is required throughout the workforce to recognise demands, identify opportunities and show others the way towards organisational goals. Ian Davies of Ian Davies Consulting gives his view. egies and the team will deliver them. They will be engaged, motivated and effective. Perhaps the challenge is two-fold. Firstly, leadership training is perceived as ineffective unless it's part of a sophisticated programme of development. Secondly, a sophisticated programme of development is considered expensive and therefore reserved for only the most promising talent. The consequence is also two-fold. The people singled out for special treatment are oen confident, gregarious extroverts. Maybe this is due to unconscious bias because it is well-known that the most suc- cessful leadership teams are diverse. The second consequence is that all of the leadership responsibility falls on a small number of over-reached individuals. A more holistic approach would recog- 8 | APRIL 2020 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk Ian Davies.