Why Do Engineers Need Social Skills?
Aka “But I just want to build a fast racecar.”
During the FSAE Michigan competition, I was chatting with one of the Design Judges about getting my team to communicate the ins and outs of their design in a clear and logical fashion during the design competition, and also in general, which is what led to this article.
I will admit – back in my younger days in college – I naively thought that if my engineering design was the best, that it would be obvious to those looking at it. (Whether that be professors in a class or judges at a student competition.) And I did not really understand why my engineering course work had such an emphasis on communication through written and oral presentations.
The ability to convey your designs and the choices that led you to that solution is an important part of engineering, especially when working as part of a team, regardless of if it is part of your coursework, part of an FSAE team, or an actual job. Now, with decades of experience in academia and industry, I thought I would take a stab at why engineers need social skills and how it will help you in both your career and possibly life.
Three reasons to develop social skills:
1. You will not engineer on an island.
No matter how desirable it might seem, unless you are following the instructions for a Lego kit in your apartment or house, you will have to interact with other engineers when generating and implementing your design. We have all had moments where we wish the person we were talking to would just get it – whether it is understanding a concept or a flaw in a design – sometimes things that are very obvious to you are not obvious to others. Being able to understand the perspectives your team members and bosses are coming from is an important skill to have. Misunderstandings can lead to frustration and result in poor designs and implementation.
Trying to show some empathy (aka “thinking about what other people might be thinking”) is a good idea for many reasons. This process can help to ensure there is better communication and integration between the different subsystems of the team. It can also help you understand why new members want to join and what they expect, and you can tailor their projects on the team accordingly. Also, more team members who are committed will help reduce the overall work, if team management is implemented appropriately.
These skills will also help when you are trying to convince sponsors to help your team. If you understand what your sponsor’s goal is, then it will make it easier to convince them to give you money. They might be looking to promote their company or recruit talent from the team. Being able to tailor sponsorship packages (which might be putting a logo on a car or giving them a receipt for their tax deductible donation) is an important skill to learn.
2. You are the product, not the car.
While FSAE is a competition, the reason there are sponsors (and design judges) in attendance is in part to recruit talent to help their companies. The way that they decide who to hire is not as straightforward as some of the engineering problems that you will solve in class. What employers are looking for is someone who can describe what they did, and why they chose to design it in that method.
Design judges know there is not a perfect solution, but they want to see your thought process and what you thought was good and bad about your design. In reality, everything we design and build is subject to constraints, even if you are in Formula 1 or NASA. Also, no design is perfect as everyone is limited by money, time, and resources. Most of us who have been working in the field for years would rather hear where you thought the strengths and weaknesses were of your design rather than hearing claims you made the perfect, flawless widget.
In the real world, we would rather have someone who admits their mistakes when they happen, than someone who pretends they know everything and hides issues. Being able to communicate your strengths and weaknesses is a critical skill when looking for a job, as well as when participating in the design event! (Side note: People like your faculty advisor and other professors can serve as a job reference to confirm what skills you possessed when working on your FSAE team).
3. It’s okay to feel your feelings.
and express them in an appropriate way.
Humans are not robots! We have to interact with each other and it is helpful to make sure that you don’t hurt people’s feelings when you are trying to get your car built, or when you date. From my years of experience, some people tend to be very aggressive and mean when designing their cars. It is okay to take a step back and think about your actions.
Additionally, it is important to be able to give feedback in a tactful manner, as you do not want to demotivate your team members, especially when working on large projects like building an open wheel race car. It is okay to describe why a design is bad, without being a jerk, given that we were all new to engineering at one point. The way feedback is given can play a big role in people deciding to stay on the team or project.
You can use tact to deliver criticism while still getting your point across. It is okay to be mad at your teammates when they do dumb things, but it is important to express this in an appropriate fashion. FSAE can sometimes promote an aggressive culture, and it is okay to let newcomers learn without being so judgemental.
I also know that a lot of people started wrenching on cars to avoid emotions, but I promise, it’s okay to talk to other people to understand what you are going through. A corollary to this is that it is okay to communicate when you are unable to deliver your design or product due to changes in your situation. (Whether that is due to studying for class or other commitments outside of the team). In fact, most managers would prefer getting a heads up than being surprised with delays later, so that they can plan accordingly.
In conclusion:
Having social skills can help improve coordination between multiple people performing complex tasks, and get better ideas and problem identification from teammates, which should in turn reduce everyone’s stress, while resulting in better outcomes.