If people aren’t getting a point, use smaller words or a louder voice - it’s patronizing but they won’t get that either (Robert's Rule #23)

Engineers are generally thinkers. There are those times, however, when we are certain we've thought a problem through and really don't want to be annoyed with the facts. In times like these, meetings where there are more than one point of view - meaning my (right) point of view and the (wrong) point of view everyone else has - can be difficult

In those meetings it's important that a few things occur in order for you to be successful. First, if people aren’t getting your point, you should use smaller words or a louder voice - it’s patronizing but they won’t get that either. Second, you must keep your composure. If you lose your composure, nothing else will matter, because most will dismiss you as emotional (as opposed to rational). Third, you must monitor the quality of any decisions you make in a heightened state of agitation.

Remember, you're facing a serious threat in these heated meetings, these are serious dangers. A misstep in this area is one of the most effective means of destroying any image you may have as a politically savvy team-player as well as a thought-leader.

I know it seems obvious, and you probably wouldn't believe the stories of meetings I've been in that have descended into shouting matches, or worse, into cold, dismissive, condescending, passive-aggressive olympic-quality events.We, as a member of a team, can only be our best when we not only are contributing but also recognizing how all of our teammates look up to us.

Ok, enough channeling Machiavelli's Prince.

There will be times when you are the big fish in a little pond and your teammates will look up to you as the expert. There will be many more times you will be the medium (or more likely, small) fish in a large pond and doing anything other than keeping your composure and working together to resolve the conflict will get you derisively labeled a 'big fish'. So, keep the rule if people aren’t getting a point, use smaller words or a louder voice - it’s patronizing but they won’t get that either (Robert's Rule #23) in mind as well as keeping in mind that the rule that is really an anti-pattern, unless you really want to be a 'big fish'.

Don't be afraid to be wrong (Robert's Rule #19)

[Tweeted 2011-06-14]

I know it seems pretty obvious, but leadership is leading. You would think that this doesn't need to be said, but often it does, because apparently we forget.

You might be amazed at just how many people in the industry are unwilling, likely because of office politics, to step out on a limb. Sure, you could be wrong; but you might not be. Since this isn't really about being ill-informed, we'll assume that you're doing more than making lucky guesses, but even if you're not, if you're not making judgements and, more importantly, letting people know what those judgements are, you're not leading.

What's the worst that could happen if you express a reasoned judgement and you're wrong? It's usually not as bad as you think. (Remember, we're assuming that you're just wrong, not ill-informed and wrong, because that's another problem.) Some of the world's greatest minds were wrong; some of them were wrong frequently. So, we're (most of the time) talking about other people knowing you were wrong...and if that's the case then this may come as a surprise...everyone is wrong sometimes, and you hiding that you're wrong doesn't mean other people think you're never wrong.

On the other hand, what if you hide your judgement all the time? If you hide your judgements people won't assume you're right all the time, they'll assume that you believe you don't know enough to make a reasoned judgement or that you're too afraid to express your judgement for some other reason. Generally, neither of those are well-received in scientific or engineering communities.

So, make a reasoned judgement, learn to express the judgement in a manner that reveals your reasoning, and most importantly, don't be afraid to be wrong (Robert's Rule #19).