By: William Salazar and Natalie Sommer
What qualities must a person possess to be a good leader? What qualities must a person possess to be a good engineer?
These were the topics discussed on June 8th by Balvinder Blah (Con Ed, NY-IEEE Secretary), Jignasa Ray (MTA Bridges and Tunnels, NY Section Conference Coordinator), DeVry faculty and students, and IEEE members, at DeVry College of New York.
We all know that an engineer must have excellent knowledge of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). As Blah and Ray stated, during their hour and a half seminar, this list is not complete. A good engineer must also be an expert communicator, among many other qualities. These include understanding the information received as well as offering proper and effective feedback. This is by no means an easy task. These skills must be honed and willfully practiced. Incidentally, these skills are also necessary to be a good leader.
“What are the qualities of being a good leader?” asked Ray and Blah. A plethora of answers spilled into the room, including: imagination, integrity, anticipating the needs of the job, good listening skills, open-mindedness, assertiveness, knowing how to delegate tasks, and excellent time management. The list goes on. Although the definition of a good leader varies from person to person, it is clear that good leaders must have the respect of the people who work for them. To command respect, leaders must check themselves. That is, an intrinsic evaluation must be performed. This requires complete objectivity – identifying personal strengths and weaknesses.
A list of one’s strengths and weaknesses can be obtained from family, friends, and fellow coworkers. Identifying strengths and weaknesses is a way to target areas that need work or improvement; by using one’s strengths it may be possible to expedite the process. For example, if impatience is identified as a weakness, and attention to detail is identified as a strength, one may be able to overcome any mistakes made while working on a project by focusing on one’s ability for paying attention to detail. Also, a weakness can be spun around into a strength. For example, a perfectionist may be viewed as someone who is detail-oriented and conscious of the bigger picture. Nonetheless, as Ray mentioned, it is important to address the possible problem of perfectionism in keeping up with deadlines. Finally, a weakness may require one to overcome an anxiety as is often encountered in public speaking. Blah mentioned that through perseverance and focus, she was able to develop great public speaking skills, as was evidenced in the presentation.
An engineer with good leadership skills can become an innovator and team leader. Blah and Ray emphasized the importance of integrity and truthfulness. A good leader knows what is best for the company or project. A vision of how decisions will affect the company in the near and distant future must exist.
In conclusion, Ray and Blah offered their support to our students by sharing their work experiences and struggles. Their presentation also included a discussion of the benefits of being an IEEE member and volunteer. Students were made aware of the many resources that IEEE offers. The DeVry College of New York IEEE student branch is thankful for such an enlightening presentation!♦
Natalie Sommer has been a fulltime faculty member of the Electronics department at DeVry College of New York for nine years. She also serves as Chair of the Computer Engineering department and is the advisor of the DeVry-NY IEEE student branch. She has taught a variety of courses including Physics I and II, Digital Electronics with VHDL, Circuit Analysis, C++ Programming, and Signal Processing. She earned her B.S.E.E and M.S.E.E. from Union College and finished ABD in Electrical Engineering at Syracuse University. Besides teaching, Natalie enjoys spending time with her husband and three sons.
William Salazar graduated with an Associate’s degree from New York City College of Technology in Computer Information Systems in 2003. In 2005, William continued his education at DeVry College of New York and in 2009, he graduated Magna cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering Technology. During his academic career in DeVry, William joined the IEEE Student Chapter in hopes of educating himself more in Electrical Engineering and meeting other like-minded individuals.
As part of the IEEE student branch, William has been the Treasurer, Secretary, and President. Being part of the IEEE, William has been an avid IEEE member and officer for DeVry-NY Student Chapter. He and his fellow officers, along with their advisor, have coordinated several IEEE events for DeVry such as: a soldering workshop, an MTA Tour, and a seminar with guest speakers Jignasa Ray and Balvinder Blah from the IEEE New York Section, to name a few.
In 2006, William began working for DeVry’s Academic Support Center as a peer tutor. Upon graduating from DeVry, he was promoted to Professional Tutor. He is currently working for NAVCO (North American Video Corporation) installing surveillance systems, and also for DeVry as a Professional Tutor. He will be continuing his education in the Graduate Program for Electrical Engineering during the Spring in City College of New York.