Steve Cerri Ebook - 10 Rules

Steven Cerris Ten Rules!
AVOID THE PITFALLS IN YOUR CAREER ADVANCEMENT WHILE MAKING THE RIGHT MOVES FROM ENGINEER TO LEADER
An Ebook by
Steven Cerri
Published by McKenzie Universal Media
STEVEN CERRIS TEN RULES! AVOID PITFALLS WHILE MAKING THE RIGHT MOVES.
(You are free to share this Ebook with colleagues, friends, and your company organizations.)
Steven Cerris Ten Rules! Avoid the Pitfalls In Your Career Advancement While Making the Right Moves From Engineer To Leader
Copyright 2008 by STCerri International and Steven Cerri. All rights reserved worldwide. This publication is printed in the United States of America and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state, and local laws. All rights are reserved, including resale rights; you are not allowed to sell this Ebook to anyone else but you may give it to anyone you choose. (See page 3 for more information.) Please note that much of this publication is based on personal experience. Although the author and publisher have made every reasonable attempt to achieve complete accuracy of the content of the Ebook, they assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Also, you should use this information as you see fit, and at your own discretion. Your particular situation may not be exactly suited to the examples illustrated here; in fact, its likely that they wont be exactly the same, and you should adjust your use of the information and recommendations accordingly. Limit of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty: The author and publisher have used their best efforts in preparing this book. The information herein is provided as is. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is provided with the understanding that the author or publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance are required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Nothing in this Ebook is intended to replace common sense, legal, medical, or other professional advice, and is meant only to inform the reader. Steven Cerri, STCerri International, and McKenzie Universal Media makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this ebook and specifically disclaims any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features, if any, used in this publication are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. This Ebook is published in the United States of America by McKenzie Universal Media www.mckenzieuniversalmedia.com San Ramon, CA 94583
2008 Copyright STCerri International and Steven Cerri 231 Market Place, Ste 320, San Ramon, CA 94583 www.stevencerri.com Email: steven@stevencerri.com
You Are Free to Pass This Ebook Along

If you find the material in this Ebook useful, then please feel free to share this Ebook. You have permission to distribute and share this information with your colleagues, managers, training departments, anyone in your company, and friends who could benefit from this information. You may pass it on in whole or in part. If you pass it on it part, please provide appropriate attribution to Steven Cerri and STCerri International. It should go without saying that you cannot post this document or the information it contains on any electronic bulletin board, Web site, FTP site, newsgroup, or well, you get the idea. If this Ebook has been passed on to you from someone else, be sure you visit my website, www.stevencerri.com, so you can sign up for my Ezine/newsletter and receive updates to this Ebook. Further information regarding available courses, facilitation, packages, products, and personal and group coaching can be found by visiting www.stevencerri.com.
Thanks,
Steven Cerri
Contents
About Steven Cerri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Partial List of Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Why Read A Book By Me? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How To Achieve Your Full Potential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pitfall #1: My ideas are my identity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pitfall #2: Id rather be right than be effective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pitfall #3: WHAT I say is more important than HOW I say it . . . . . . . . . Pitfall #4: Ill avoid the difficult conversations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pitfall #5: Ill assume everyone is a professional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pitfall #6: If delegation doesnt work Ill just do it myself . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pitfall #7: Ill do what interests me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pitfall #8: I dont want to change just to talk to non-technical people . . . . . . Pitfall #9: I dont have to think systemically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pitfall #10: What got me here will get me there. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Get 1 Hour Of Free Coaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cerris Coaching Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What You Learned In College Is Limiting Your Career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What Executives and Decision-Makers Are Saying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CD-Sets Available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 7 8 13 15 16 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 30 32 32 34 36 39
Contents (Continued)
Whats Next . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Training and Facilitation Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coaching Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Examples, Case Studies, and More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Biography of Steven Cerri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 42 46 50 54
About Steven Cerri

Steven Cerri believes you can be a great engineer AND a great engineering manager. In fact the best engineering managers are excellent engineers, they can cross into both worlds. It just takes training in the soft-skills of interpersonal people skills. Steven Cerri is a top trainer, facilitator, and coach who has helped thousands of engineers enhance their communication and management skills and make the transition from engineer to leader. A sought after speaker, he offers keynotes, workshops, training and consulting to corporations, associations, and individuals. His clients include, Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation, University of California, Solutions-II, Inc., Maersk Logistics, ViewSonic, Corp., GeoGraphix, Inc., as well as executives, and entrepreneurs. What makes Steven unique? He has been through all the things that he is training and coaching his clients through. Steven began his career as an aeronautical engineer employed at Rockwell International Corporation working on Skylab, Shuttle, Shuttle Tug, and meteorological satellite programs. He then acquired an M.S. in geophysics and worked as a programmer and researcher for the United States Geological Survey before returning to the flight performance group of Rockwell International. This time at Rockwell, Steven met four engineers and together they started a software development and systems engineering company focused on Department of Defense programs. Steven received an MBA and progressed from program manager to director, to vice president of engineering, chief operations officer and general manager. He then left to join a printer start-up as product manager and director of corporate training, helping the company grow from half a million to over a quarter of a billion dollars in six years. Throughout his career, it became clear that Steven had a knack for training and coaching his direct reports to achieve extraordinary capabilities. He ultimately left the corporate world to start his own company dedicated to coaching and training engineers, scientists and technical professionals in the soft skills, the interpersonal people skills and management skills necessary to make the transition from engineer to leader and from engineering manager to engineering leader. Steven is successful at transforming engineers to leaders because he has done it himself. Imagine being as adept and successful with people as you are with your technology. For information regarding programs available visit www.stevencerri.com.
Partial List of Clients

Altus Medical Aspen Systems Ball Aerospace & Technology Beyond dot com Credit Suisse DAKO Pharmaceuticals DeAnza College eGain Corporation JS Riggio International Meditec Maersk Logistics Palo Alto City Government Pepperdine University RAE Systems Skyler Technology Solutions-II, Inc. Sony Corporation Steel Case Corporation University of California Berkeley University of California Santa Barbara ViewSonic Corporation
Why Read A Book By Me?

One of the questions I would be respectful of anyone asking me is why would they want to read an Ebook by Steven Cerri and specifically a book about what keeps engineers and other technical professionals from advancing their careers. Its reasonable to ask, Who is this guy? Let me start by where I come from so that you understand how I so easily understand where the engineer livesand what has to happen in order to make the transition to management and to long-term career success. From the time I was a small boy, I knew I wanted to be an aeronautical engineer. As an elementary, high school, and college student I built rockets. Not the cardboard kind, but rockets made of cold rolled steel tubing, using zinc and sulfur as solid propellant. My rockets reached altitudes of more than a mile and returned by parachute sometimes. Although my friends helped me launch my rockets, I did most of this work alone. I was not a part of a rocket society or club. I built my rockets through long hours in the family basement. I went off to college and received a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering and upon graduation joined Rockwell International working in the advanced systems division as a flight performance engineer. After 2 years at Rockwell, I left to go back to school and received a Masters of Science degree in geophysics. I then worked for several years for the United States Geological Survey as a software engineer and earth resources sciences researcher. I then returned to Rockwell International, to my flight performance team, and worked on advanced deep space systems as a flight performance engineer and as chief systems engineer. While at Rockwell I met three other engineers and after several more years at Rockwell the four of us left and started our own company focused on software development and computer systems engineering. We built that company to $100 million in 10 years. During that time I received an MBA. Also, during that time I advanced my career from program manager, to director of engineering, to vice president of engineering, to chief operations officer, to general manager of a company division. I later joined a highly successful printer manufacturer as a product manager as well as director of corporate training. About 12 years ago, I started my own training, coaching, and consulting company. It became clear that throughout my career I had developed a technology, processes, and an approach that most effectively transformed engineers and other technical professionals into even more effective technical professionals and that transformed them into great technical managers as well. I didnt
get any official training that was worth a dime along the way. All the management training that was available concentrated on using old information, old knowledge, and old processes combined with updated computer technology. It was the same old stuff but now coupled with Microsoft Project and PowerPoint. People still didnt know how to transform an engineer into an engineering manager with any certainty. Nowhere was there anyone from the technical world who could teach me how to deal with people, and I quickly learned that dealing with people is what management is all about. Its not about Microsoft Project or PowerPoint. So I learned management on my own and I became very, very good at it. I built incredibly effective teams made up of people that other managers didnt want. I was able to turn around projects that had become unmanageable. I had a reputation of being able to handle very challenging issues around technology and people. I was given the teams and projects that were broken, and I fixed them. The processes and the technology of management that I developed over this period I call becoming a Fully Integrated Engineer. It means being an engineer AND being able to contribute fully to your organization all your talents and all your capabilities. Whether you want to become a more effective engineer or you want to be an effective technical manager, I believe the processes I teach are necessary and will get you there. Since becoming a coach, trainer, consultant, author, and speaker on this topic, I have worked with large and small very high-technology companies. I am an adjunct professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara in their Technology Management Program which is part of the Department of Engineering. I have worked internationally training and coaching technologists and non-technologists to be more effective communicators and to smoothly transition to management. Therefore, the reason I can write this book is because I have made the transition from engineer to manager myself and in the process Ive developed tools that are unique and are tailored for engineers by an engineer. I know what it takes to take on this new career called management. I know what it feels like to be in the early stages of a technical management career. I know what it is like to think you have some skills to manage and yet have the feeling of uncertainty in the pit of your stomach when you approach a new management situation for the first time. I know what its like to be in the cycle where you need to be a manager to get management experience and yet if you had the management experience you could be a manager. I have coached many engineers into management positions and Im very proud of that fact. A handful of those Ive coached were just weeks away from termination when their managers contacted me. They were very near being laid off or fired because they just didnt fit. No one argued that they werent smart engineers, they were. But they either did not fit the organization or
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they failed in their first management attempts. They were slated for termination and I was their companys last resort in their attempt to keep these people at the company. They are now very successful senior scientists, engineers, and managers in their organizations. I am very pleased to have played a role in their success. So, whats the answer to the question, Why read this Ebook by me on the topics of moving from engineer to leader and being a successful long-term engineer? Read it because Ive been through the process myself. And because Ive been through it myself I can effectively lead others through this process as well. Just read the testimonials below:
We specifically brought Steven to BATC because of his ability to communicate with our engineering and management staff. When Steven talks to our engineers and scientists he has INSTANT CREDIBILITY because he is an engineer, scientist, and businessman. He has done what he and we are asking our people to do. When he talks about the soft-skills like communication, leadership, and customer service he walks his talk and behaves just like he is training our people to behave. For example, they see and experience the positive effects of effective communication while they are being trained in it. Their behavior changes without even realizing it and without any effort or resistance. Steven has definitely developed a following among our technical staff. They anticipate and sign up for every one of his classes. Vern Hanson, Training Department, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
To Whom It May Concern: I am eager and pleased to provide this reference regarding Steven Cerri's work with ViewSonic Corporation and key members of our management team. The high level executive coaching Steven offers has been invaluable in providing focus, direction, motivation and critical insight to key contributors in our company, individuals who drive many of the company's most important strategies and plans. From my experience, Steven Cerri knows how to assist individuals, teams, and organizations in moving through the issues that hold them back from achieving their desired objectives and outcomes. Very importantly, he knows how to help structure a path of beliefs and actions that get his clients to the desired outcome. Steven is a rare combination of engineer, strategist, mentor, and communicator. With top level executives, Steven quickly understands the "big picture", zeroes in on the core issues, and breaks out the essential steps to get things accomplished. Working with our team members, he identified opportunities, directions, and alternatives we hadn't even considered. His real gift is in bringing clarity and focus to leadership, then aligning energies and resources with outcome objectives.
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The feedback I have received on Steven's executive coaching sessions has been excellent. The participants feel that the time spent with Steven was highly productive and the results have had a powerful and dramatic impact on their productivity, as well as their sense of professional and personal purpose. Gail Northrop, Director of Organizational Development, ViewSonic Corporation
Over the years I have attended several classes and read some literature on leadership and management development. The insights and techniques I received from Steven Cerri's courses are by far the most useful and applicable to improve my effectiveness in dealing with people. The information and exercises Steve covers are revealing and intellectually challenging. Steve's informal and engaging presentation style is well placed and spiced with humor. I go back to the class handouts and notes i have taken again and again as a refresher on the subject. If you are disenchanted with the latest best selling "fad de jur" books on management theory, if you are serious about enhancing your skills in interacting with colleagues and customers, attend one of Steve Cerri's classes. You will happily return for more. Bert Obleski., Engineer, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
This is one of the best "soft skills" classes I have taken Rod F., Ball Aerospace & Technology Corporation.
Steven is very good at this. He reaches each person at their level. Great class. I think everyone needs this class. I know it will be very helpful to me. Betty B., Ball Aerospace & Technology Corporation.
It was a great class! I can't think of anything(to add). (The strongest point was)the knowledge of the presenter. Fantastic class. Marion B., Ball Aerospace & Technology Corporation.
One of the best classes I've taken. [I] recommend this class to entire departments together! Kathleen M., Ball Aerospace & Technology Corporation.
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How To Achieve Your Full Potential

Introduction
Most technical professionals complete their education prepared to be individual contributors. This is just a fact. They are prepared to do their work in relative isolation, to seek out the right answer to the questions and problems provided to them, and to be judged and promoted on their relative individual merit. The traits, skills, behaviors, knowledge, and abilities that they learn in college are indeed their strengths. They are the qualities necessary for success as an engineer, at least, in the beginning. However, very soon it becomes clear that their work environment demands not only the characteristics of an individual contributor or of someone who works in relative isolation but also the skills of a team member, a team leader, a good communicator, someone with good people skills, a leader, a customer service representative, and a whole host of other abilities not taught to them in college. You are asked to provide capabilities for which you were not and are not prepared. When these new additional skills are not available, your career can slow, become derailed, or even, come to an end. This abrupt and potentially damaging block in your path is what I call the Engineers Performance Wall. The Engineers Performance Wall is that seemingly mysterious career block that confronts you when you are being asked to do more than you thought you needed to do or were trained to do as an engineer or technical professional. Because you cant perform these newly requested behaviors your career advancement seems in jeopardy. Youre being asked to do what college didnt prepare you for, and its a surprise. It comes out of left field. This then is the engineers dilemma. The skills that give you success as an early employee are not your skills of success as a continuing and growing engineer or technical manager. In fact, what were initially the skills of success actually morph into Pitfalls to additional progress and success. These once wonderful traits of success and accomplishment become the Pitfalls to achieving your full potential as an engineer whether that full potential is to become a technical manager or to contribute fully as a life-long engineer and technical professional. Over the course of my own engineering career and my many years as a manager and leader in technical organizations I have seen engineers do the same behaviors, over, and over, and over. I have seen these behaviors lead to success as an engineer and ultimately lead to failure when advancement is required. This Ebook is a summary of those traits.
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In this Ebook you will learn the 10 Pitfalls. These are the behaviors that make you a successful engineer but that also keep you from being successful in your long-term technical career or in transitioning to technical manager. I have listed the 10 pitfalls that I believe are extremely common among engineers and technical professionals. In this Ebook you will learn the 10 Secrets. These secrets are the beliefs and attitudes that provide the bridge from the pitfall behaviors to the new behaviors that will allow you to succeed long-term. Before behaviors can change, beliefs, attitudes, and ideas about what has to be true for new behaviors to show up, must be available. To put it plainly, in order to behave differently you must think differently, you must believe differently. I call these new attitudes and beliefs, Secrets because that is what they truly are. They are the secrets that successful engineering managers and long-term successful engineers understand but that no one really talks about. These successful engineers have made the transition by shifting their ideas and beliefs about who they are in their organizations and what they are expected to contribute. They have made what I call, the transition to more than technical. In this Ebook you will learn the Actions. These actions describe what you must learn in order to gain the knowledge that will help you avoid the pitfalls. Actions point you to the behaviors that must be present in order for the organization to utilize all that you can contribute and I will present actions in terms of what you must learn in order to provide the new behaviors. This is about learning something new. Its about learning what you didnt learn in college. In fact, I often say that becoming a technical manager or learning how to stay technical and contribute more, are new careers. The first part of your education took place in college. The second part of your education will take place after college, and they are two distinct careers. Therefore, in the following pages I will present each the 10 Pitfalls I believe are common to most engineers and technical professionals. After each pitfall I present the corresponding Secret. I have listed one Secret for each Pitfall. My belief is that if this Secret (i.e., belief or attitude) is adopted, it will be sufficient to drive the development of behaviors that will make you successful by avoiding that pitfall. Ive also included one important Action or behavior to learn for each Pitfall. These are the primary behaviors you must learn for success.
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Pitfall #1 My ideas are my identity and therefore, I must fight for my ideas.
Pitfall Explanation: Most engineers and technical professionals identify so personally with their ideas that they believe they must fight for and defend their ideas. They do this rather than responding to the suggested improvements of others. Nor do they ask others for suggestions. Your identity must be de-coupled from your ideas if you are to advance in your organization.
Secret. Understand that: Ideas can come from anywhere. Successful technical managers understand that ideas can come from anywhere, but especially from your team, your organization, from your customers, and your competitors. It is therefore important to be open to observing, integrating, and accepting ideas from a wide variety of sources, not just from yourself. Your job is not to have the best idea but to coordinate the ideas of everyone to develop the best from them all. If you attempt to present your idea as the best you will be competing with your own direct reports. That is not management.
Action #1. Learn to: Ask questions to facilitate Idea Integration. An action that must be learned to avoid Behavioral Pitfall #1 is the art and process of asking questions in a way that elicits the overlap of various ideas. It is this overlap in ideas that generates a common framework from which the best idea will emerge. This overlap allows the differences in various ideas to be analyzed and discussed openly and through this process, the best aspects of all ideas can be integrated into a better idea.
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Pitfall #2 Id rather be right. than be effective.

Pitfall Explanation: Many engineers, technical professionals, and technical managers want to be right. Its what they were trained to do in school. They fight to be right about something at the expense of being effective in achieving the strategic goal. As you progress in your organization, youll find that the organization will reward you more for being effective than for only being right.
Secret.
Understand that: Being right is giving credit to yourself. Being effective is giving credit to everyone. The first step is to understand that new individual contributors are paid to be right. But technical managers, career engineers, and their team members are paid to be effective. No one will look favorably if either the individual contributor or manager was right but the project failed. The organizations management only wants the outcome to be achieved. Being effective can often be a better metric than being right.
Action #1.
Learn to: Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of others so you can support their best talents more often. Don't make them feel wrong or inadequate for their weaknesses. Just as you must understand your own strengths and weaknesses, it is important to be able to recognize, understand, and especially deal with the strengths and weaknesses of others. Most of us can often notice the strengths and weaknesses of others, but the secret here is to have this understanding in such a way that you can more often support the best talents of others. You don't want to make them feel wrong or inadequate for their weaknesses. The secret is in supporting the best in others while minimizing their weaknesses. Being able to focus on the positive and diffuse and divert attention away from the negative dissipates any desire to be right. The secret is to amplify the strengths of people and make their weaknesses irrelevant.
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Pitfall #3 WHAT I say is much more important than. HOW I say it.
Pitfall Explanation: Many engineers don't understand that HOW they say something is as important and sometimes more important than WHAT they say. They believe that data rules and how the data are presented is not as important as the information itself. This just isnt the case. If you want to be successful in the long run, how you communicate is just as important, if not more important as what you communicate.
Secret.
Understand that: HOW information is presented can often sway the outcome more than WHAT information is presented. Once again, I emphasize, I am not talking bout PowerPoint presentations. Successful technology managers and successful long-term engineers and technical professionals understand that to many engineers, information, data, the facts, are most important. However, to be truly successful you must understand that how ideas and information are presented can often be more important than the actual information. This is how we are hard wired. It is not a choice. Consider the information, the knowledge, being presented to be like the data in a database. Consider the way the information is being presented as the data format. If the format is not adhered to, the data will not be transmitted accurately and therefore, the transmission will not be effective. The same holds true for human communication. If the communication process by which the data is presented is not appropriate, then the message will not be heard. How you say something will always dictate whether or not what you say is heard.
Action #1.
Learn to: Control HOW you say WHAT you say to control the RESPONSE. We have all probably had the experience of communicating an idea such that the response we receive is not what we expected based on our words. This is often the result of not understanding that how we say what we say is extremely important in communicating effectively. You must
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learn to control your communication delivery as well as your communication content. In fact, the delivery process can often override the content. For most technical professionals, its the other way round. Data is data, and they expect that to be sufficient. That means that most technical professionals ignore the communication process and rely on the content to be enough to sell their ideas. However, thats not how it works. Once you understand these principals you will find that you can get much farther in your communication process by altering your delivery than you can by altering your content. Successful engineers understand the need to be as good at the delivery of content as they are at the generation of that content. Therefore, its important to learn the tools of effective communication.
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Pitfall #4 Ill avoid the difficult internal conversations, and the difficult interface conversations long enough for them to just go away.
Pitfall Explanation: Engineers dont like conflict and will often avoid and delay difficult conversations until those conversations become so big that their complications far exceed anything that would have occurred if addressed earlier. If you want to succeed as a Fully Integrated Engineer or as a technical manager, you must become comfortable with conflict and you must learn how to diffuse it before it becomes intense. Diffusing conflict before it grows is the sign of an effective communicator.
Secret.
Understand that: You pay now or you pay later and paying later almost always means paying MORE! The successful technical manager and the successful career engineer understand that nothing comes for free. And conflict is one of those often uncomfortable but necessary requirements of most work environments. Conflict can either be engaged in when it is a potentially small conflict or one can wait until it is so filled with emotional charge that is far more confrontational than might be expected.
Action #1:
Learn how to communicate so effectively that you can turn a conflict into a neutral or even friendly discussion and be the "technicaltranslator" among people with different expertise. There are specific tools and techniques that will allow you to diffuse any conflict. You can learn to diffuse a conflict in a meeting even if you are not in charge of the meeting. You can learn to diffuse a conflict that arises in a contract negotiation, and you can learn to diffuse a conflict
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that develops in discussions with customers. In fact, in one of my courses, I have an exercise in which people sit across from each other and argue about a topic that is very important to them. When the participants do not use the techniques I teach, the argument feels like an argument. But when the participants use the tools Ive taught them to diffuse conflict, the argument changes and begins to feel like a discussion between friends. Imagine being able to turn all your conflicts into friendly discussions. Imagine being able to understand your listeners communication style so well that you can be the technical translator to bridge the gap between their understanding and the understanding of others. Not everyone is a technologist. Not everyone understands what you understand, be they colleague, boss, direct report, or customer. Imagine being able to communicate so that you can translate technology for them so they can understand what you would like them to understand? Now thats effective communication. The successful technical managers and career engineers learn the techniques of effective communication. These tools allow a confrontation to be transformed into what seems like a conversation between friends.
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Pitfall #5 I assume everyone is a professional and will do their jobs well.

Pitfall Explanation: Engineers and other technical professionals take a great deal of pride in doing their jobs very well and they often believe everyone else will do their jobs well. Therefore they tend to avoid the "interface" conversations that could prevent problems and unforeseeable consequences downstream, often until its too late and they have to. For your success you must learn to manage according to the context, nor according to your own, internal prejudices and likes and dislikes. Manage and communicate to be effective not necessarily to be comfortable.
Secret.
Understand that: Most engineers and technical professionals want to do a good job to their standards and they expect others to do the same. But this is not the case. Successful technical managers and leads understand that while most people want to do a good job, what constitutes a good job varies from individual to individual. Therefore, assuming that everyone on the team will do his or her part is a dangerous assumption. Successful managers and leads understand that they must manage people. They must monitor progress.
Action #1:
Learn to: Motivate, manage, and inspire people in your technical organization. Motivation is often called leadership. Its not. Supervisors, managers, and leaders must all motivate people. Its not exclusive to any one level in the organization. All levels of an organization need motivation. And the best way to motivate people is to motivate them each according to their own motivation strategies. Therefore, if you want to motivate people it is important for you to understand how each individual person is motivated. There are specific tools and processes that will allow you to understand, in a very short time and through simple discussions and questions, the motivation
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strategies of the people you want to motivate. You can easily discover what I call a persons Personal Behavioral Sub-Routines (PBSRs). These sub-routines are the mental motivational forces that drive actions. These are the programs that determine how we respond to given situations. There are several PBSRs that generally apply to most work environments. That means what might motivate Jack wont motivate Sue and wont motivate Bob. You can however discover the PBSRs for Jack, Sue, and Bob through casual conversation and with this knowledge help them stay motivated. And once you have this information you can lead and motivate people like a professional manager. You can also discover your own PBSRs and by doing so, keep yourself motivated as well.
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Pitfall #6 If delegation doesnt work Ill just do it myself.

Pitfall Explanation: Most engineers and technical managers, for that matter, dont know how to delegate or how to have others delegate to them. This is a key skill in your advancement. Learn to delegate effectively and you will find success will come much easier.
Secret.
Understand that: Management is about managing resources; its not about doing the task work. Many engineers and technical professionals who are given a project management or team management position believe their job is to do tasks along with their direct reports. In some early stages of management promotion this may be true. However, when tasks get into difficulty, many new managers think the best way to fix a problem situation is to just work harder. Theyll work the weekend or theyll jump right in and help get the project back on track. However, the managers job is not to work weekends to fix the situation. Its not to take on more work in order to alleviate the difficulty. Instead, it is to find more resources or to reallocate resources in order to fix the situation. The goal of a manager when the project gets into trouble is not to work weekends to put the project back on track. Instead it is to manage the project out of difficulty.
Action #1.
Learn to: Implement the Art and Skill of Delegation and delegate so that you and your assignee are both successful. Delegation is as much an art as it is a skill. Thats why it is so difficult to learn to do it well. Do you know how to delegate? Do you know how to decide whom to delegate to and how much of the task to delegate and how much to keep for yourself? Do you know how much oversight to provide for a given direct report and a given task? There are specific processes you can use to determine whom to delegate to, how much to give away and how much to keep, and how to monitor so the person you delegated to doesnt feel you are micromanaging them. To be able to balance the delegation process with the oversight process is an important success factor. Learn to
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delegate well and you can expand your region of influence significantly. Delegation is one of the cornerstones of management and leadership.
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Pitfall #7 I want to do what interests me, not necessarily what is strategically important.
Pitfall Explanation: Most engineers and technical professionals would rather do what they find interesting, not necessarily what is strategically important to the task, the organization, or the outcome. If you want to advance, there will be many uninteresting tasks along the way. Do them as well as you do what interests you and you will be successful.
Secret.
Understand that: Being in an organization is different than being in school and selecting course topics that interest you. As one moves up the technology management ladder and advances in the technical organization, the work that is less fun and less interesting generally increases from the perspective of the engineer. In college and in the early years of your profession, engineering was the primary work you performed. But as time goes on you begin to do work that is not engineering but is necessary for other aspects of your job. This only increases as you advance up the technology management ladder. If you want to be successful as a technical manager or as an engineer in the long term, performing these less interesting but necessary tasks will be important. It just comes with the territory.
Action #1. Learn to: Focus on the organizations Return On Investment (ROI) An easy way to focus on what needs to be done is to constantly drive for the major Return on Investment (ROI). By this I mean that you focus on those tasks that move the team, the project, the organization toward the necessary and desired outcome, toward the greatest return on investment or the greatest return on invested energy. If you focus on the best ROI, sometimes you will perform those tasks that are of interest to you and sometimes you will perform those that
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are not. Those that are not but move you toward the ROI may actually be the most important from the companys point of view.
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Pitfall #8 I dont want to change myself just to talk to non-technical people.

Pitfall Explanation: Many engineers don't know how to bridge the gap between them and people who are not like them or not as technically savvy. They expect others to understand them. To become most effective as an engineer or engineering manager it is important that you take on the responsibility of being understood.
Secret.
Understand that: It is your requirement, as the engineer, as the technical professional to make others understand you. You cannot expect them to become technologically savvy over night or in a meeting. You must move to their level. It is impossible for them to move to yours. When I conduct my classes I often ask people the following question: Who is responsible for effective communication, the sender, the receiver, or both? Some people answer both. Many have been taught that good listening is important so they respond that the listener is responsible. My answer is that the sender has the primary responsibility for effective communication because the sender is the only one who knows what the desired message really is. Therefore, you, the engineer, the technical professional, you who send the message and know what the message truly is, you are the person responsible for effective communication. It is up to you to cross the bridge to your audiences level of understanding.
Action #1.
Learn to: Use the Nine Steps of Effective Communication and be able to effectively communicate with anyone in any situation. Communicating effectively is something that can be learned. You probably feel you communicate well with your friends. Do you communicate with them well because they are your friends, or are they your friends because you communicate with them well? Whatever your answer, the skill of communicating well doesnt have to be available only when you talk with
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your friends. In my course titled Effective Communication Tools for Engineers I teach you how to communicate with anyone in the same way you communicate with your friends with the same results. You can actually choose how successful you want to be in your communications. In fact, the process of effective communication is best described as a nine-step process structured as a feedback loop. These nine steps are necessary and sufficient to ensure excellent communication with anyone in any situation. Learn these nine steps and you can influence people in ways that will make you the envy of your organization. Learn these nine steps and you can turn any communication into one that feels like friends talking.
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Pitfall #9 I dont have to think systemically. Im paid to do my task.

Pitfall Explanation: Most engineers are trained to do their job. They think, Someone else will think about how their work fits into the overall scheme of things. The reality doesnt work that way. It is important for engineers, technical professionals, and technical managers to think outside their immediate world. Its important to think outside your isolated bubble and begin thinking "systemically". (Note, this is not that same as thinking outside the box.)
Secret.
Understand that: Your organization exists in a system. The success of the system depends on each component working in concert. The successful engineer, technical professional, and technical manager understands that they must look beyond their immediate organization. They understand that they must help coordinate every part of the organization that they impact and touch. They also understand that they do not work in isolation.
Action #1:
Learn to: Teach your organization how to be aware of the implications of their groups actions on the rest of the organization. An important aspect of every engineer and technical manager is to talk about the implications of their work and the work of their colleagues. This is the only way we can become aware of the impact we have on the greater organization. Therefore, be willing to talk about the work and tasks you are performing. Seek out and have discussions with other departments and other people about what you are doing and how it might impact others.
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Pitfall #10 What got me here will get me there.

Pitfall Explanation: Most engineers, technical managers, and individual contributors, for that matter, believe that their successes are the steps upon which future successes will be built. Its the idea that what has worked up until now will also work in the future. I can guarantee you that past successes will not ensure future success when transitioning from engineer to technical manager. You must learn how to transition from your current position to technical manager and beyond by thinking differently.
Secret.
Understand that: Learning doesnt stop when we begin work. In fact, we are embarking on a new career, a career we never intended to have nor were we prepared for it. When an engineer first begins working in an organization right out of school, he or she believes that they are prepared for the work that is to be given them. And generally speaking they are. However, college only prepares you to perform the technical work, the engineering work. Believe it or not, school didnt prepare you to do the team work or the interpersonal communication work. You learned the hard skills but you didnt learn the soft skills. Be prepared to learn a whole new way of moving through the world, because your organization doesnt just want your technical expertise. Your organization also wants you to fit into the organization. Remember we are hired for our technical expertise and fired for our lack of fit.
Action #1.
Learn to: Apply the Six Functions of the Successful Executive. They clarify the differences between being an employee, a supervisor, a project manager, and a leader, and learn the critical success factors of each. Many people make broad yet arbitrary distinctions between management and leadership. Yet even by their definitions there are times when leaders have to manage and times when managers have to lead. So what are the most useful distinctions between management and leadership?
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During my MBA program I developed a clear, and I believe, much more useful distinction between management and leadership as well as a clear definition of their similarities. Those distinctions are defined as the Six Functions of the Successful Executive. Whether a person is a manager, a leader, a supervisor, or a team lead, the person must perform these six functions. However, the tasks required within each of these functions depend upon the persons level in the organization. So while all managers, leaders, and supervisors must perform all six functions to be successful, they must perform different tasks within those six functions depending upon their management level. This then becomes the structure for management and leadership success. Understanding the distinctions between the different tasks within the six functions will guide you to consistently perform the tasks that make the positive difference in your career.
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GET 1 HOUR OF FREE COACHING!

Here is my free coaching offer! Email me information regarding a work or management situation youve experienced or heard about that you would like me to analyze in my ezine/newsletter, and if I select it for publication in an upcoming edition, Ill give you 1 hour of one-on-one, phone coaching, FREE! Be sure you change the names. Be specific as to the circumstances, the people, etc., and include your name, email, and phone number so I can contact you if clarification is needed and if youre selected for the free coaching. This could be a past or present situation or one you anticipate having to deal with or even one youve heard about. This is a great opportunity for an hour of coaching FREE! Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity. You have nothing to loose and much to gain!
CERRIS COACHING PROGRAMS

Coaching Programs Cerri provides coaching in three specific topic and outcome areas designed especially to train engineers, technical professionals, and technical managers. Coaching Topic #1 is for engineers and other technical professionals who want to be more effective, more results oriented, and more capable due to increased soft skills and the ability to communicate and influence people, even when they dont have authority. This coaching program trains you to be a more effective communicator, better team member, better collaborator, and more oriented toward getting results and leading people as part of the team. True Coaching Example: a good engineer is three weeks away from termination because he is arrogant and upsets those he interacts with. Although he is a good engineer he is not well liked and doesnt fit in his organization. This has interfered with getting results to such a degree that he is slated for termination. However, after several of my classes and an interval of my oneon-one coaching, he is now one of the highest ranked, well liked, and most respected technical experts in the company.
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Coaching Topic #2 is for technical managers who want to build more open, cooperative, and productive teams based on effective communication and collaboration. These teams dont waste time selling and defending their personal positions and ideas, but instead focus on getting the job done. This is also for managers who want their teams to get results by building productive teams made up of diverse and geographically distant team members. True Coaching Example: A manager has taken over a department with several direct reports who are causing disruption among the team and with the manager. Their behavior has lead to the department being consistently behind schedule and over budget. Within three months with bi-weekly coaching, the manager has the direct reports and the whole team cooperating smoothly and back on schedule and on track to be on budget. Coaching Topic #3 is for engineers who want to transition to technical management and want to be good managers as soon as they get a management assignment. Rather than making the transition by trial and error, this coaching teaches the strategies and behaviors necessary for a smooth and successful transition to management. True Coaching Example: A part-time engineer and part-time task manager was promoted to department manager and was reporting to a company director. The expectations obviously changed to a higher level. With Cerris coaching this candidate has successfully integrated into the new level of management and is successfully operating at this new level in the organization. Get information regarding specific coaching programs available beginning on page 45.
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Why what you learned in college is limiting your growth as an engineer.

Learning how to succeed as a manager and leader in a technical role or in a technical organization demands that you take off the technology blinders and give up the habits that you've perfected as an engineer or technical professional. You began your career as an engineer/technologist. You did a good job. Then you were given additional responsibilities as a team lead or project manager. And now you're getting hammered. People don't listen, schedules slip, your meetings are difficult, you're stressed, and you're thinking, "Just let me get back to my engineering. That was so much more fun!" I can guarantee you it doesn't have to be this way. You can make your way out of this painful situation and into the area of strong, successful technical management and leadership... But... it will take a phase shift on your part. Because... What you learned in college is limiting your growth as a technical manager and leader. The first step in getting out of this fix and moving to success requires knowing what's missing from your current abilities. You'll succeed more when you know what you need to add to your "toolbox" to be successful. You'll succeed more when you can move your team in the same direction. You'll succeed more when you can get people to stop working their own agendas and start working for the good of the project and the team. Successful engineers and technologists have learned to look and pay attention to what's directly in front of them and to use the quantifiable and reliable data they can count on to do the work they do. In fact, what they are relied on to do is to generate results that are reliable and can be counted upon. As a manager or leader, the information that you have available is often at best fuzzy and there is no way to turn that into reliable quantifiable data before the fact. Successful engineers and technologists are looking for reliable, unambiguous, quantifiable data. Successful technical managers know they have, at best, fuzzy, unreliable data. The role of the engineer and technologist is to build the product, to solve the problem. In fact, the role of the manager or leader is to project the organization they lead into an unknown future and to bring together the resources at their disposal/command even when that outcome
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may seem unreasonable or unreachable by others. Up until now you could count on improving and perfecting your skills by taking one step after another. However, the next step for you demands a leap. A phase-shift. And rather than always having the comfort that one foot is safely on the ground until you transfer your weight to the foot that's landing, this will require you to have both feet off the ground at the same time. Even the best performers learn to fly using a safety net. The best safety net is not someone who has observed what you're going through from the sidelines. The best safety net is someone who has lived what you are living, right now. Steven Cerri began his career as an aeronautical engineer with a B.S., advanced to geophysics with an M.S., and then became a technical manager with an MBA, and general manager of a large software company. As someone who has struggled with the issues of being an engineer in the role of technical manager and leader, Steven knows that it's not an easy world to navigate. It's more like a satellite traversing an asteroid belt. Everyone who wants to be a professional at what they do, at some point in their career, needs a safety net. And Steven can be your safety net. Steven can guide you through the surprises, the difficulties, the dark and light corners, to the other side, to the clearing, where your decisions move the team and the project forward smoothly. Steven will bring the safety net of his experience to teach you to do these things on your own in the shortest amount of time and in the most elegant way possible. The safety net is called training facilitation and personal coaching. Each approach provides you with a specific form of learning and a specific safety net. Depending on where you are in your career and what you want one might be better at the present time than the other. And there is only one way to find out. Either send Steven an email at steven@stcerri.com requesting a free phone consultation or call him directly at +1-925-735-9500 to discuss what you want to accomplish now, or check out the website, www.stevencerri.com, for scheduled courses and more information.
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What executives and decision-makers are saying about Cerri

We recently used the services of Steven Cerri during our strategic planning sessions. We were at a point where we needed to really challenge ourselves, our assumptions, and to determine if we had a general consensus in our direction. We brought Steven in to lead us through the whole process, which I would classify as a complete success. Due to Steven's operational background in technology firms and market planning, he was able to very quickly grasp the essence of where we were in our planning cycle, and what key issues we faced. His facilitation style during the planning meetings with the entire Senior Leadership Team was right on. After the session, I received many positive compliments from my managers about the outcome of the meeting and the material covered in the active discussions that we had. We accomplished all that I had hoped we would and the output of the meeting has become the foundation for the ongoing planning work we are now doing in putting our year 2000 plan together. In addition, our Sales department has on several occasions used Steven for sales process, team communication, and sales management training. This shows Steven's versatility as a great resource for top management to get in and operate at different levels within an organization- and to really learn about what's going on in a broad sense and make significant contributions to any organization. GeoGraphix, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Landmark Graphics Inc. that develops and markets vertical market software for the Oil and Gas Industry. Our applications are used to find and manage reservoirs of oil and gas, cover the range from geologic mapping and interpretation of the subsurface structures to full-scale seismic interpretation and petrophysical analysis. Our customers are the geologists, geophysicists, and petrophysicists within the Oil & Gas companies of the world. Due to Stevens operational background in technology firms and market planning, he was able to very quickly grasp the essence of where we were in our planning cycle, and what key issues we faced. His facilitation style during the planning meetings with the entire Senior Leadership Team was right onWe accomplished all that I had hoped we would and the output of the meeting has become the foundation for the ongoing planning work we are now doing in putting our year 2000 plan together. Bob Stevenson, Past President, GeoGraphix, Inc.
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With all the many things going here now... (this coaching program) has proven very useful, especially the systematic portion. Kim Treptow, Procurement Manager, Zebra Technologies.
What Engineers, scientists, and nontechnical professionals are saying about Cerri
It gave us good tools to evaluate ourselves and help us decide our future. I thought it gave an accurate and insightful picture. Randall W. Steve is a wonderful speaker and is very knowledgeable and has enough relevant technical experience in his past that he presents very credible and wise. Thanks, enjoyed it. Tom K. Steve clearly knows the material, responds well to questions and made the class very interesting: This is the best course I have taken Kathleen R. Concise explanations to complex issues. Fun and relevant group participation helped students teach each other. William V. Great presentation style and knowledgeable instructor. David G. [This class] changed how I perceive interactions between people - - It was a fun class and I learned a lot. Renee G. Instructor has aerospace background! Knows what (our company) is all about! Tom K. Steve's ability to give examples and demonstrate with exercises(was excellent). Melanie T. The material is very interesting, new concepts and good organization. Also Mr. Cerri is a great presenter; knowledgeable and entertaining. Barry S.
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The whole course is well donethe Map of the World is a good concept, good description of management on development opportunities. Also, Steven effectively solicits input from the class and creates a sense of unity for the day. Its also refreshing to hear someone disagree with some(standard, off-the-shelf) tools. that are not 100% true 100% of the time. Thanks! Beth K.
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CD-SETS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

2-CD SET: "TRANSITIONING FROM ENGINEER TO MANAGER
As your career moves from an engineer role to that of a Team Leader, Supervisor, Program Manager, Director, and beyond, your success is determined by how well you step up to the new, different, and often overwhelming challenges placed before you. Those new challenges are not technical but managerial. Often you get promoted because you do your individual technical tasks well and the assumption is that If you can do your technical job well you can obviously manage other technical professionals doing the same or similar jobs. Right? Often this assumption is completely wrong! Its a myth. In fact there are plenty of myths out there regarding what you have to do in order to successfully transition from technical professional to technical manager. In this 2 CD set, Steven Cerri will expose the five major myths that are often used to rationalize a technologists promotion to manager and show why they dont work and why theyre not true. Hell then replace those myths with four tools that will clearly define your success as a technical manager and show you why this new approach to the selection and preparation of new managers works so well and has a much higher success rate. Hell also include a plan for making your transition. The CD will provide you with a whole new way of thinking about your career and your transition to management. And yes, compared to your technical work, management is a new career. This 2 CD set, with nearly 2 hours of presentation by Steven Cerri is available for $67.00 plus shipping and handling ($12.00). Are you ready for this new career called technical management? Are you ready for this transition? This CD will open your eyes to what has to happen to allow you to say Yes! Order now at THIS LINK: http://www.stevencerri.com/index.php/products/index/ GET A FREE TEXT VERSION! Take this opportunity to get a FREE text version of the 2CD set on "Transitioning From Technical Professional to Technical Manager". This text version is normally priced at $14.95 but if you order at the above link, its also FREE.
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3-CD SET: SUCCEEDING WITHOUT MICROMANAGEMENT!

Most new managers are very concerned about being perceived as a micromanager. Engineers dont like to be micromanaged and they certainly dont want to be called a micromanager. And yet, some tasks and some people seem to require very close monitoring. So what do you do? What do you do when you dont want to be a micromanager and yet your direct report and the task seem to require you to stay very close to the work being done? There is an answer that will wipe out any concern you might have about being a micromanager. In my 3-CD set titled Succeeding Without Micromanagement youll learn exactly how to set up an environment where you as the manager can manage in whatever way is necessary to get the job done and yet you wont be perceived as a micromanager. The information and tools in this 3-CD set will remove any concern you might have of micromanaging. And if you are a direct report and you are concerned about being micromanaged by your manager, this 3-CD set will show you how to set up a manager/direct report relationship with your manager that will keep them from micromanaging you. This 3-CD set, with over 3 hours of presentation by Steven Cerri is available for $97.00 plus shipping and handling ($12.00). There is no need to be a micromanager and no need to be micromanaged. Order now at THIS LINK: http://www.stevencerri.com/index.php/products/index/
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15-CD SET: FROM ENGINEER TO LEADER!

This 15-CD set contains Cerris latest information and processes for advancing from engineer to technical manager. These 15 CDs are pact with information, examples, tools, case studies; the information you need to become a successful manager. The titles of the CDs are: CD# Module # CD Topic CD#1 Quick Start Getting Started CD#2 Module 1 Communication Is Everything CD#3 Module 2 Human Communication Models CD#4 Module 3 Getting Noticed CD#5 Module 4 The 10 Pitfalls CD #6 Module 5: The 10 Secrets of Success CD#7 Module 6: Behavioral Subroutines CD#8 Module 7: Contextual Management CD#9 Module 8: Six Functions of Executives CD#10 Module 9: Art and Skill of Delegation CD11,12,13 Module 10: Succeeding Without Micromanagement CD#14 Module 11: Case Studies CD#15 Module 12: Putting It All Together
This 15-CD set, with nearly 12 hours of presentation by Steven Cerri is available for $397.00 plus shipping and handling ($20.00). This is the first step on your management path. Order now at THIS LINK: http://www.stevencerri.com/index.php/products/index/
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WHATS NEXT?
The topics in this ebook are covered in more detail in the training courses and coaching programs delivered by Steven Cerri. More information can be found at the STCI web site: www.stevencerri.com where you can learn about Cerri and his programs and sign up for the ezine/newsletter. Or you can email Steven directly at steven@stcerri.com with your questions. Please be as specific as you can and Steven will attempt to respond within 48 hours. Also, you can call Steven directly at 925-735-9500. A partial list of Cerris training programs is listed below followed by information on coaching programs:
TRAINING & FACILITATION PROGRAMS

Soft Skills Training For Engineers, Technical Managers and Leaders
How To Be An Exceptional Individual Contributor In Your Technical Organization (2-days) Learn how get noticed as a potential manager or a high performer in areas other than technical and take advantage of your high visibility performance.
"Communicating Effectively in Your Technical Organization in Any Situation" (2-days) Learn how to turn any communication with anyone into an effective and useful exchange.
Beyond Customer Service in the Technical Organization (2-days)
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Learn how to communicate with your high-tech customer and understand their hot buttons better than they do.
Communication For Organization (2-days)
Non-Technical
Professionals
In
Technical
Learn how to communicate with the techies in your organization and be effective even when youre not as technical.
Influencing Without Authority (3-days) Learn how to influence others even when you dont have the authority to make them do anything.
Technical Executives: Teams. (3-days)
Transcending Conflict and Creating Empowered
Learn how to by-pass the inevitable conflicts that can develop and focus your team on moving forward in a positive way!
Communication Confidence for Technical Leaders (3-days) Learn how to communicate with such confidence and effectiveness that every conversation or direction you give is most effective, most efficient, and produces the results you want.
Everyday and Extraordinary Negotiation for the Technical Manager (3-days) Learn how to conduct your everyday give-and-take, your everyday negotiations, as well as those all-important, critical negotiations with smoothness and effectiveness.
Contributing, Managing, and Leading Without Micromanagement (3days)
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Learn how to contribute or manage without ever having to resort to micromanagement.
The Essential Path From Engineer to Technical Manager & Leader (4days) Learn the Six Essential Functions of an Effective Technical Manager or Leader. Learn the art and skill of delegation Learn how to move from engineer to manager and leader and do it successfully and sanely! Learn to deal with the ambiguities of Leadership in a Technical Organization Learn how to manage a diverse technical organization scattered all round the world Learn how to pick the best and most effective management style for any given situation Learn how to communicate like a leader
Engineer to Leader: Facilitation and Coaching Program (1 year) 8 days of facilitation/training, 2 days per quarter. Tele-coaching between quarterly facilitations. This tele-coaching keeps participants on track between the facilitation/training events. This program will take you from engineer to effective manager and leader by covering the following topics: Effective communication in any and all situations Contextual Definition, effectively and accurately evaluating the management situation Hierarchy of Management Styles, selecting the best management situation for a given situation.
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Six Functions of Effective and Successful Executives, what to do, when, and how. Controlling your emotional state for effectiveness.
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COACHING PROGRAMS
Coaching is a very focused process and a highly effective one, in certain situations. Not all circumstances lend themselves to coaching. Therefore, it's important to first discuss under what conditions is coaching most advantageous and to present a clear definition of the coaching process. Lets start with the latter first. The standard definition of one-on-one coaching (this is not my definition) is a relatively open interaction between the client and the coach with the client leading and the coach following. Under these circumstances the coach is not directive and not even specific. The client is understood to possess the answers to their own dilemma or situation; it's just that they need someone to help them clarify what they already know to do. That's not what I do when I coach. I arrive at the coaching process with over 30 years of engineering, scientific, management, and business experience. I know how to navigate many of the obstacles you are now facing and may be facing. For me to withhold that knowledge, that experience, that information and advice, would be a crime. My goal in the coaching process is to be as directive and informative as is useful to you to help you move forward. Anything less and I would not be providing you with the service you hired me to give. Therefore, the coaching process as I see it, is one in which we work together with me as your mentor, guide, coach, and experienced advisor. Let me give you an example. I'm currently coaching a woman whom I have coached on an off for a couple of years. She hires me as her coach when she specifically needs my help. She has advanced from the position of an engineer to manager of her own department... in two years. She has often said to me, "I told you what I wanted to accomplish and you told me who I needed to talk to in my organization and what I needed to say and what they would most likely say back to me and what I needed to say in return, etc. and it all came to pass, just as you said. It was so much easier and better than a trial and error approach that would have cost me my ability to work smoothly with different people." There are two ways to get experience. One way is through trial and error. The second is with the help of a mentor and coach. Which way makes the most sense to you? There are three different times when you might want coaching and mentoring and they are: 1. When you are in a crisis and you need help now! 2. When you know where you want to get to and you just don't know the best or fastest way to get there, such as when you want to advance your career.
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3. When you are not satisfied with where you are and you really don't know where you'd rather be. You don't have sense of your future and you want to develop a future goal and plan to get there. Because there are certain coaching and mentoring subjects that consistently come up, I've listed them below as a reminder of what many of your colleagues have requested. These are triggers that might give you some idea of important coaching topics for consideration, or you might have something you want to work on that is unique to your situation. Coaching Module #1. Effective Communication Skills For Engineers: Whether you are an entry-level engineer or a senior engineer or scientist, it's a sure bet that college didn't teach you how to communicate effectively with a wide variety of people. As engineering and science students, most if not all of our time was devoted to fulfilling our technical requirements for graduation. Who had time for a class on "Human Communication" or "organizational Influence in the Workplace"? This coaching module fills that gap. It will teach you how to effectively communicate with anyone in any situation, guaranteed! Coaching Module #2. The Art and Skill of Delegation: Delegation is clearly a requirement of successful management. And yet, delegation seems like a difficult balancing act; who to delegate to and how much to monitor and how much to trust? This coaching module will clear all these questions up and give you guidelines for successful delegation. Coaching Module #3. How To Be A Top Technical Performer: Managers from a wide variety of technical organizations have been surveyed over time to determine what characteristics they look for in the technical people they promote. This coaching module trains you and teaches you how to adopt those behaviors. Be the top performer in your organization. Be the technical professional that managers rave about and want to promote! Coaching Module #4. Managing Your Boss: Most of us think that just doing our job well is enough to get ahead. Don't be fooled. It's not. You must also manage your boss and that means understanding what your boss wants beyond just the completion of your task. It might include constant communication of the task status. It may include not being surprised by problems. It may include being able to take credit for something that you did (yes, it's not always fair). Whatever the operational quirks of your boss, if you can't manage them, you are at a disadvantage. This
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coaching module will help you assess the unique characteristics of your boss and teach you how to effectively manage upward in your organization. This is a requirement for all those who want to advance. Coaching Module #5. How To Avoid Micromanagement: I am constantly asked about micromanagement. It seems everyone is attempting to avoid being a micromanager and yet many managers end up being a micromanager in order to ensure that projects get done on time and in budget. This is not a necessary situation. There is no reason you have to be a micromanager in order to get direct reports to successfully complete their projects. This coaching module will teach you how to avoid the pitfalls of micromanagement and still get your projects completed on time and in budget. Coaching Module #6. Six Functions of the Successful Manager and Leader: What makes a manager a good manager and what makes a leader a good leader? This coaching module will teach you what you must consistently do to be a successful manager or a successful leader. This module includes a questionnaire that will show you what management and leadership traits you have currently and what traits you will want to add in order to be successful going forward. Coaching Module #7. Contextual Definition Leads to the Most Effective Management: Are you stuck in one management style? Can you vary your management style depending upon the situation? In order to be a truly effective manager and leader in this global environment where people from all over the world are working together, you need to be able to manage and lead to meet the specifics of the situation. You can't afford to be stuck in one management or leadership style. This coaching module will teach you "Contextual Management and leadership", that is, how to select a management and leadership style that is best suited to a specific situation. This module will train you to manage and lead any situation successfully. Customized Personal Coaching Program: Coaching modules can be developed specifically targeted to subjects of interest to the client. Call for a free consultation to determine which coaching module is right for you at this time or if a customized module is best. What To Do Next Coaching is a powerful process to move your career forward... or maybe to make your career. To know for sure, call for a free, no obligation, half-hour evaluation consultation. We'll talk. You
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can ask me questions; I'll ask you some questions about what you want, what your career has been like up until now, things like that. Ill determine if I think I can help you and you can evaluate if you want my help. Neither of us has to make a decision during the phone call, and at least you'll know if it's a fit or not. Call +1-925-735-9500. (For international tele-coaching, we can now use Skype as well.)
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Examples, Case Studies, and More

What Does A Typical Management Situation Look Like? As Ive stated previously, to most engineers management is a new career. As an engineer, scientist, or technical staff, your education and career were devoted to the pursuit of the right answer. Indeed, in nearly any technical or scientific problem there is a right answer. F=ma is an equation representing the Newtonian universe and the answer does not depend on your blood sugar level or your mood for the day. A given force applied to a given mass will produce only one value for the acceleration that mass will experience. Whether in the area of electronics, statics, dynamics, chemistry, fluid dynamics, physics, or mathematics, geology, or biology there are right answers. Your tests in college were not taken in essay form in a test blue book. As an engineer there is a right answer. This is not the case for human interactions and therefore it is not the case for management. There is seldom a right answer when it comes to most management decisions. There are answers that work, answers that are effective, answers that get the job done; not necessarily the one-and-only right answer. Being an effective manager is not about having the one-and-only correct answer in a given management situation. Its about motivating people and building teams in ways that work, in ways that achieve the operational objective. There often isnt even one best way to manage in a given situation. A given situation may have several paths to the desired operational outcome. And the most effective way to manage will depend on several important factors. I call this process Contextual Definition and it consists of several parameters including, the people involved; the project risk; the time involved; and the relative expertise of the team versus that of the manager.
Management examples Here is an example. Imagine you are the manager of a software product development team. Your team has been moving the product development along. Its now Friday, and Monday is the scheduled first product shipment date. Your team discovers a bug in the software that is a dealbreaker. There is only one person who really understands this portion of the software well enough to fix it quickly but the whole team will need to work together to get the fix implemented and the software out the door by Monday.
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You know as their manager that the team has been working hard for the last six months and everyone was looking forward to some time off this weekend. There is frustration, disappointment, and some anger at the situation the has developed. The world certainly would not come to an end if the ship date were missed; but thats not what your company is about. You make and keep your commitments to your customers, your employees, and to your stakeholders. Therefore, you really want to make the delivery date; it is a message about who your company is and what it stands for. You have announced your schedule to the world, your boss is expecting it, and you are on contract with your customer for the delivery date. What do you do? Do you order everyone to stay and fix the software? Do you ask everyone to stay and fix the software? Do you ask the team for ideas? What is the best way to handle this situation? How do you positively motivate the team? Whats the best approach? A new manager would be looking for the right answer. In most cases, a new manager would probably come up with an answer that got the product out the door on time and made the team angry, frustrated, and alienated. While there isnt one right answer, there are several ways to approach the team and the situation to get the product out the door on time and produce a positive environment.
Scenarios Lets look at two scenarios and the choices a manager might have and what might influence the selection of the best choice. Remember, since there isnt a right answer in management, only effective answers, were looking for the best choice from several possible workable choices. In the following two scenarios Ill outline each respective context and the possible motivational strategies:
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Scenario #1 Lets suppose you are managing a very aggressive team of people, most with Type A personalities, who are of equivalent respective competency. Lets further imagine that you have already established a strong team relationship; youve worked together for some time and each member of the team supports the other members. Under these circumstances you have at least two management choices. You could simply direct the team to get the job done over the weekend. Under these conditions, they would probably comply and feel OK with it. Or you could pose the problem to them and they, more than likely, would volunteer to work the problem over the weekend (this actually happened to me when I was managing a team in a situation similar to the one Ive outlined above). Therefore, in this scenario, with this situation and with this team, you could either be very directive or you could just ask them to solve it. More than likely, they would do whatever necessary to get the job done. Scenario #2 Suppose in this scenario, you have a relatively new team with little cohesion. Youve not worked together very long and their competency is not consistent across the team. Under these circumstances, you could simply direct the team to work over the weekend. But you would have to monitor them carefully and closely as they worked through the weekend and your direct approach might generate some ill feelings. Or you could ask for input from the team and see if they voluntarily step up to the task by working the weekend. While you want them to work the weekend, you also want them to feel that they are signing up as a team. If they dont come to that conclusion on their own, then you could step in and direct them. In either case, theyll work the weekend, but you want to be careful to establish early on that they all have a voice in the decision process. Once you have all agreed to work the weekend, you could indicate that youll monitor them closely through the weekend because this is such an important task. In either of these two scenarios, the important point is that you have several management styles that will move the software out the door on time. There is, however, no right answer. There are several answers that will be more or less effective depending upon the circumstances and the teams responses to your management choices. As an engineer making the transition to manager, you must be ready to adopt a new paradigm, a new way of looking at the world, one that allows for ambiguity, uncertainty, and a lack of the right answer. Also, in either scenario you must communicate with the team in a way
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that allows your messages to be heard. It is important that you use the tools of effective communication in order to avoid the outright rejection of your ideas.
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Biography of Steven Cerri

Steven Cerri holds the following degrees: Bachelor of Science, Aeronautical Engineering Master of Science, Geophysics Master of Business Administration
Steven Cerri is an expert in the transition process from engineer/technical professional to organizational leader. He personally has made the transition from engineer, to program and product manager, to vice president of engineering, to director of training in high tech companies, to general manager, to entrepreneur, to trainer, consultant, and facilitator. Steven has done landmark work in the areas of transitioning technical professionals to positions of management and leadership; maximizing technical employee performance and productivity; and aligning organizational leadership. He understands people and organic structures in fast-paced and challenging business environments, and has successfully managed a number of start-ups, mergers, turnarounds, and "entrenched" teams. Steven Cerri began his career as an aeronautical engineer working on the space program. An engineer, scientist, and businessman by education, Steven is a senior consultant, trainer, and coach. Steven specializes in training engineers and technical staff to become effective managers and leaders, effective communicators and negotiators, and effective at technical customer service. Steven has trained and coached hundreds of technical professionals. He is contributing author of the IEEE book: "The Balanced Engineer, Essential Ideas for Career Development." He has authored scores of unique and innovative training and change-management programs for technical organizations and publications for business and public markets including: "Transitioning From Technical Professional to Manager and Leader" "Effective Communication Tools for Engineers" Beyond Customer Service in High-Tech Organizations" "Coaching and Mentoring for the Technical Manager" "Building Effective Process Improvement Teams" "Processes for Effective Communication for Sales and Management" "Conflict Resolution" "Process Analysis for Initiating and Managing Effective Change in Technical Organizations".
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During his career Mr. Cerri acquired a reputation for helping competent technical employees who were poor managers become highly effective technical managers. Steven took management control of a group responsible for first-pass-yield at a printer manufacturer where the first-pass-yield had remained at 75% for over 12 months. With Stevens guidance the first-pass-yield rose to 98% in 8 weeks. Steven has also been instrumental in the turn-around coaching of employees who were about to be laid off for lack of fit in their organizations. These employees were great engineers but lacked the ability to interact smoothly and effectively with their colleagues. They ultimately became some of the most valued employees in their organizations.
Steven is a contributing consultant and speaker on the PBS production entitled: "Taking the Lead: The Management 2000 Revolution", a 26-episode management curriculum, currently airing on PBS television and on 42 US college campuses. He has presented papers at National IEEE Conferences titled: "Transitioning from Engineer to Manager" and "Effective Communication Skills for Engineers". He is also completing a book titled: "Interpersonal Communication Tools for the Technical Professional". Mr. Cerri appears in International Whos Who of Professional Management. He has been an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University and University of California, Berkeley, and is currently adjunct professor of management at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the Technology Management Program which is part of the Engineering Department. He has trained Total Quality Management, and has completed certification courses as a personal and professional coach. He is a Certified Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and has delivered NLP-based training in a variety of technical and non-technical organizations. Steven Cerri has conducted trainings in China, England, Italy (in Italian), as well as in the United States. Mr. Cerri is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the American Society of Training and Development.
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Steven Cerris Ten Rules!

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About Steven Cerri

Partial List of Clients

Why Read A Book By Me?

How To Achieve Your Full Potential

Pitfall #2 Id rather be right. than be effective.

Pitfall #5 I assume everyone is a professional and will do their jobs well.

Pitfall #6 If delegation doesnt work Ill just do it myself.

Pitfall #8 I dont want to change myself just to talk to non-technical people.

Pitfall #9 I dont have to think systemically. Im paid to do my task.

Pitfall #10 What got me here will get me there.

GET 1 HOUR OF FREE COACHING!

CERRIS COACHING PROGRAMS

Why what you learned in college is limiting your growth as an engineer.

What executives and decision-makers are saying about Cerri

CD-SETS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

3-CD SET: SUCCEEDING WITHOUT MICROMANAGEMENT!

15-CD SET: FROM ENGINEER TO LEADER!

TRAINING & FACILITATION PROGRAMS

Beyond Customer Service in the Technical Organization (2-days)

Communication For Organization (2-days)

Technical Executives: Teams. (3-days)

Transcending Conflict and Creating Empowered

Contributing, Managing, and Leading Without Micromanagement (3days)

Learn how to contribute or manage without ever having to resort to micromanagement.

Examples, Case Studies, and More

Biography of Steven Cerri

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