Engineers are different
Engineers and technicians are usually good tinkerers. Technically gifted people impress with accuracy, attention to detail, perseverance and bite in what they like to do. Construction, production and development are their specialties.
On the other hand, engineers and technicians often have an above-average need for learning and developing in their personal ability to communicate and handle conflict as well as sales and customer orientation and, in particular, in the area of employee leadership.
This learning need in social and leadership behavior causes problems, especially in project work. The result: Lack of communication or a lack of transparent leadership leads to missing deadlines and cost explosions – with direct or indirect effects.
Special system dynamics do the rest. Some things work quite differently in development and production – topics like leadership culture and leadership development.
“Engineers are different – our approach is as well!”
Ralf Juhre
Over many years of training practice, we have acquired specific skills in the design and implementation of social skills and leadership culture development measures specifically for the needs of engineers and technicians. This has been achieved through numerous training weeks with hundreds of engineers and technicians. In addition, we have worked very concretely on specific projects on site.
Our concepts developed with and for customers have been tried and tested and have proven their worth in the practice of many developments and production companies.
We are happy to give you qualified references on request.
A for authenticity
This means honesty, sincerity, and truthfulness. Things are called by name. With their pronounced ability to analyze, Engineers quickly notice when someone is trying to fool them. The trainer must not pursue any hidden agendas, training contents must be made comprehensible through personal experiences.
M for maximum proximity
The culture of “homo technicus” cultivates the classical distancing. This is accompanied by a lack of openness to reflect. However, to achieve learning success, it is important to achieve openness in the seminar. This can be achieved by very simple elements, e.g. the open, barrier-free chair semicircle as well as through the sophisticated didactics of the seminar, which emphasizes participation. Participants should feel appreciated by the appearance of the trainer.
P for practical relevance
By nature, engineers and technicians want to comprehend everyday life. Pointless idle talk is a waste of time to them. That is why it is so important to offer them the opportunity to clearly understand examples and objects as well as to experience them in an experiential way. Therefore, we deliberately use exercises with a clear thematic relevance, the reflection and transfer into the everyday life of which offer important learning experiences.
E for Empathic Communication
The language of “homo technicus” follows clear logical rules and procedures. In this context, empathy means to engage as a seminar leader in this particular type of communication: to structure thoughts clearly, to use tables and flowcharts for illustration purposes. At the same time, consideration must be given to the communicative deficits common to many engineers and technicians. The practice of emotional communication and feedback must be controlled with great empathy and the “homo technicus” needs to be convinced of its advantage.
L for learning responsibility from the participant
Since engineers and technicians often work independently and are used to developing processes, the self-governed small group with clear work specifications provides the ideal learning environment. Individual work and tests also help the participants to actively participate in the seminar and to learn autonomously. For all forms of learning it is important to clearly agree on the set rules and times. The trainer does not interfere during the problem-solving process and only becomes active again during the assessment and reflection.