February 8, 2010
Featured Guest Blogger: Robert Mote
Motagg’s Blog by Robert Mote
Let’s connect on LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/robertmote
The engineering analysis is always a hot topic, in any drawing office, on any project. Applying national standards, to the letter, and increasing levels of sophistication into the analysis to prove the design is adequate, is often revisited and debated throughout the project life. However, the process of preparing the engineering calculations is an unspoken subject almost anywhere in the world. Proving your design, on paper, to the same degree as the analysis, is often in the way and a matter of faith. The engineer is only concerned with proving to themselves, rather than the reader, that the design is fit-for-purpose.
Engineers doing conventional calculations, often have to number the pages themselves, add titles, collect and arrange different software outputs. These reports are often long on quantity, time-consuming to handle and short on quality. Read the rest of this entry »
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Calculations | Tagged: engineer's calculations | 
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Posted by motagg
February 4, 2010
I thought today I would write about a subject people tend to avoid, conflict in the workplace. Webster’s Dictionary defines conflict as the following:
a) competitive or opposing action of incompatibles : antagonistic state or action (as of divergent ideas, interests, or persons) b) mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands
I define conflict as a clash of perceptions. Typically conflict arises when two people perceive a situation in two different ways. More simply put, one person thinks they are “right” and the other is “wrong,” and vice versa. If people could find a way to lose this “right/wrong” mentality and consider that the other person is looking at the situation differently (not wrongly), I believe the amount of conflict in the corporate world would be drastically reduced. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Career Development, Leadership, Workplace Relationships | Tagged: confrontation, workplace conflict | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Fasano
February 1, 2010
Featured Guest Blogger: Angela Cristina Negro
The Professional Careerist, Managing Your Career Through Personal Development – Helping young engineering professionals navigate the choppy waters of building a career
Let’s connect on LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/angelacnegro
It happens to everyone. The minute you land your new job, you’re so excited. Your heart is racing, you have this desire and drive to do your best, you’re putting in extreme effort to show your boss you were the right hire and you’re off…you feel exhilaration, you feel excitement, you feel unstoppable. Slowly, the novelty of the job wears off. This can take anywhere from a couple of months to a couple of years. But the newness does eventually subside. And with the loss of its sheen, the job becomes more and more of just that…a job. Eventually, you find yourself in the offensive place that no one ever wants to admit they occasionally find themselves in, that smelly gutter that runs parallel to everyone’s career, the …R…U…T…
So, how do you know you’ve fallen in? Well…I really only go by one rule. You know you’re in therut when: Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Career Development, Career Goals, Professional Development | Tagged: career advancement, career change | Permalink
Posted by angelacristinanegro
January 28, 2010
Lately during my career development seminars, attendees have been asking for advice on interviewing. In this article I intend on providing you with some recommendations when trying to make a sale. This absolutely pertains to job interviews, because when you go on a job interview, you are selling your biggest asset, YOURSELF!
The most important aspect of selling is asking meaningful questions. If you understand the needs of the individual or organization you are selling to, then you can clearly explain to them how you can fulfill those needs. So if you find yourself doing most of the talking on an interview, you may want to re-think your strategy so as to have the prospect start to do the talking, giving you the information you need to close the deal. Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Career Development | Tagged: converting sales, job interview, sales | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Fasano
January 20, 2010
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I recently completed a certified professional coach training program at the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) and it was an amazing experience. I have to say I was extremely nervous going into it, being a civil engineer with a technical background, however I instantly fell in love with coaching and it is now totally natural for me.
As part of the training, one of the books we were required to read was “Breaking the Rules” by Kurt Wright. The book focuses on being your best and how people and organizations can achieve their maximum potential. The author states that being at your best cannot occur until you gain real-time access to your intuition or your “right brain.” This was extremely scary to me being a civil engineer who operates mostly from the analytical portion of the brain or the “left-brain”, however as I read the book I became fascinated with the message. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Career Development, Workplace Relationships | Tagged: intuitive, solution focused, whole brain thinking | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Fasano
January 18, 2010
Featured Guest Blogger: Babette Burdick
Sales Aerobics for Engineers
Internet Business Development Strategies for Manufacturers, Distributors and Service Companies
Connect With Babette On Linkedin 
Read The Sales Aerobics For Engineers Blog
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If you are waiting for your employer to “discover” you – and advance your career – I’d suggest taking a different approach. After all, your career is firmly in your own hands to advance, providing you take the steps to develop new opportunities or recognize those which are placed in your path.
Many of us suffer not from fear of failure, but fear of change. Just as we criticize our employers for being paralyzed and not wanting to move beyond the known or status quo, so we, too, find too many reasons not to make necessary changes to our careers. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Career Development | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Fasano
January 11, 2010
Featured Guest Blogger: Robert Mote
Motagg’s Blog by Robert Mote
Let’s connect on LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/robertmote
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I work in the Oil and Gas industry and I know there will be many exceptions and variations on what I write but I can only write about what I know and what I have learned. Please take the time to add comments where you feel the exceptions and variations may apply, or if you agree. My views are indeed a narrow slice of the broad spectrum.
Before we look at the building blocks to our calculations, we need to look in the mirror first. How has the engineering profession stood the test of time of the last fifteen years? That is not a long period of time is it?
We will look at transformation, traditions, technology, talent drainage and toxic habits. Read the rest of this entry »
8 Comments | Calculations | Permalink
Posted by motagg
Featured Guest Blogger: Robert Mote
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