At Troost ILead, we believe that leadership begins with the self. As such, it is important to consider where the self is situated. For instance, are you a club leader, student government representative, community leader, parent, older sibling, design team leader, or student in a leadership course? How have your varied experiences shaped your personal understanding of leadership?
In this month’s paper, Rottmann et al., present an integrated definition of engineering leadership rooted in the experiences of 82 engineers working as technical specialists, human resource professionals, entrepreneurs, politicians, and student interns. The findings reported in their paper “An intersubjective analysis of engineering leadership across organizational locations: Implications for higher education,” were driven by the following questions:
1. How do engineers in different roles define leadership? ?
2. How do their organizational locations shape their insights? ?
Student takeaways:
The authors present five leadership narratives drawn from the experiences of engineers with a range of roles and responsibilities. Where did your notion of leadership come from? Reflect on the ways your conception of leadership fits your professional aspirations. Do the five leadership narratives change or enhance your perspective of leadership development as part of your career ambitions?
On pages 14 and 15, learn about the experiences of your peers who have worked under impactful leaders during their student internships, co-ops and PEYs. This might give you clues about the qualities to look for in managers as you assess whether an organization is a good fit for you.
If you’re a budding researcher, be on the lookout for a diversity of leadership narratives. As you gain experience and exposure to workplaces through PEY, question whether these narratives are consistent with your own observations and experiences. Consider introducing these conceptions of leadership into your own leadership development. How can Troost ILead help you facilitate this lifelong learning process?
Rottmann, Cindy, Reeve, Douglas W, Sacks, Robin, & Klassen, Mike. (2016). An intersubjective analysis of engineering leadership across organizational locations: Implications for higher education. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 46(4), 146-173.