In Vol. 5 No. 2 and 3 issues of ESME Newsletters ESME posed twice the questions “Are Engineers Good Managers?” We endured the patience of getting the “Yes” or “No” responses to no avail. The responses were expected from many professional engineers who assumed the positions (of management) and from those who aspire to be a manager; and perhaps from those who do not want to be a manager too. Although no one dared to discuss the topic, perhaps because of its degree of sensitivity, we have to.

Prior to presenting our views and treat the topic from our angularized telescopes, let us state the opinions and views of management students. Management students define “a manager “ as “ one who has work done through others” In short they mean he doesn’t have to know production process than the company policy. Furthermore, they say that management requires flexibility and fast decision unlike engineering which is too rigid. Engineering students seem to accept the opinions and definition of management students when they say “--- we are taught that there are right and wrong answers. It isn’t as if in college we are given essay tests where we get to argue. In our world of engineering, if the answer is 3.14, it ‘s 3.14.

HOW TO SUCCEED AS A MANAGER?

1. The Manager Role: There is no such things as born manager. Managing is an art, but it is based on knowledge and skill that can be learned.

A manager is one who plans and mobilizes all resources to execute his plans in order to achieve results. He doesn’t want to risk failure (s).

2. The Cause and Prevention of Failure

There are many routes to managerial failures; but they all boil down to one thing; inability to achieve the results sought by top management. You can reduce the risk of failure by understanding its most common causes, acquiring the basic ingredient of competence and undertaking an on-going program of self-analysis and improvement as insurance against obsolescence.

3. Why the switch from Engineer to Manager is difficult

Moving from engineering to management is seldom as simple as it appears. You can improve your chance of success by observing two caveats. Be sure to carefully analyze your motivations for the shift; and remember that very personality traits that made you a good engineer could work against your becoming an effective manager.

Well-experienced engineers who have played management roles conform to the opinions of engineering students when they say, “Good engineers do not necessarily make good managers”. But they encourage fellow engineers by saying “Fear not – you can learn to lead.”

In our country we have very wide and rich experience concerning the assumption of managerial position of public enterprises. The post was assumed by management graduates, military officers, engineers, administrators, accountants, science students, and amazingly by undergraduates. If we scrutinize and evaluate their performances, we may discover that some of them have managed well and others might have mis-managed, very badly. But, one thing is true; all managed by the Book- Management Manual and do not differ much from administer. But unlike administrator, a manager is one who makes decision.

The author came across well-noted managers in this country: One is a civil engineer; the other is a management graduate; amazingly, one was an undergraduate. Is it a talent? The answer is “yes” and “No”…. Beyond doubt it requires training. In the next sections, we have to share you an abridged excerpts we read on “How to succeed as a Manager.” It must be noted well that it is and abstract - a pin– hole through which you might view a very wide professional field of management laying a-head of you.