Super Bowl Sunday. Pulling for Saints - - mainly because of their connections to the Southlake Carroll Dragons. The Saints also have a quarterback from a university famous for their engineers. The New York Times had an article on Drew Brees yesterday, the Saints quarterback. Shorter than most quarterbacks. Better than most, too. The article referred to him as a “Five-Tool Player.” The list included shoulder strength (“awesome”), core strength (“unreal”), hand-eye coordination (“great”), movement (“great”), and awareness (“amazing”). This raised an interesting point - - what would say a “Three-Tool Engineer” look like?
Dr. Atul Gaande has written several books that reflect on performance issues within the medical profession. One of his books, Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance (2007) lays out several ideas and attributes that translate very well into the idea of a “Three-Tool Engineer.” How about Diligence, Do Right, and Ingenuity as the tools or attributes you would like to see in an engineer?
Engineering fundamentally is about diligence. Engineering diligence is giving sufficient attention to detail to avoid error. It is about checking; double checking, re-checking in the context of responsibility and risk. Diligence as a virtue - - we are put into positions where we must act diligently. It is one of our biggest challenges and obstacles - - yet it defines our expectations and performance more than anything else.
Engineering is not just things, technology, and processes. It is a very human profession. Like everything else human, it is subject to and troubled by human failings - - avarice, arrogance, insecurity, and misunderstanding. The second tool is a foundation and instinct to do right. It starts with beliefs, attitudes, and character mixed in a bowl of codified ethics in a global economy of different cultures, standards, and practices.
Thinking anew - - the “Figure It the Hell Out” in combination with the “Make It Work” profession. It is not just about superior intelligence - - character is very important. The ability to have the mental and physical characteristics to constantly search for new solutions. It is a journey on a path that demands more than anything a willingness to recognize failure and problems - - to not paper over the cracks, and to change.
Enjoy the game - - remember what it means to be a “Three-Tool Engineer” - - we have all accepted the responsibility, the core question is how one does such work well.
Dr. Atul Gaande has written several books that reflect on performance issues within the medical profession. One of his books, Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance (2007) lays out several ideas and attributes that translate very well into the idea of a “Three-Tool Engineer.” How about Diligence, Do Right, and Ingenuity as the tools or attributes you would like to see in an engineer?
Engineering fundamentally is about diligence. Engineering diligence is giving sufficient attention to detail to avoid error. It is about checking; double checking, re-checking in the context of responsibility and risk. Diligence as a virtue - - we are put into positions where we must act diligently. It is one of our biggest challenges and obstacles - - yet it defines our expectations and performance more than anything else.
Engineering is not just things, technology, and processes. It is a very human profession. Like everything else human, it is subject to and troubled by human failings - - avarice, arrogance, insecurity, and misunderstanding. The second tool is a foundation and instinct to do right. It starts with beliefs, attitudes, and character mixed in a bowl of codified ethics in a global economy of different cultures, standards, and practices.
Thinking anew - - the “Figure It the Hell Out” in combination with the “Make It Work” profession. It is not just about superior intelligence - - character is very important. The ability to have the mental and physical characteristics to constantly search for new solutions. It is a journey on a path that demands more than anything a willingness to recognize failure and problems - - to not paper over the cracks, and to change.
Enjoy the game - - remember what it means to be a “Three-Tool Engineer” - - we have all accepted the responsibility, the core question is how one does such work well.
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