Leading and Management in Engineering Projects

Leading is a management function that "involves influencing others to engage in the work behaviors necessary to reach organizational goals."
Leadership indicates that a person or group must assume the role performed by leaders.

Leaders influence others through the power they possess.
Effective engineering managers perform leadership roles to maintain effective work.

A person in a higher position has legitimate power over those in lower positions.
A supervisor can issue orders to workers in their units.

Reward power is the ability to give rewards to those who follow orders or requests.
Rewards can be:
- Material: money or other tangible items.
- Psychic: recognition.

Referent power is when a person gains compliance because others want to be identified with them.

Expert power comes from providing specialized information regarding specific areas of expertise.

Power of the Position: Based on what leaders can offer others.
- REWARD POWER: "If you do what I ask, I'll give you a reward."
- Coercive POWER: "If you don't do what I ask, I'll punish you."
- Legitimate POWER: "Because I'm the boss, you must do what I ask."
Power of the PERSON: Based on how leaders are viewed by others.
- REFERENT POWER: As a person with whom others like to identify.
- EXPERT POWER: As a source of special knowledge and information.

Leadership is "the process of influencing and supporting others to work enthusiastically toward achieving objectives."
Effective leadership is essential for a unit or division to achieve its objectives.
A non-functioning leader will prevent the achievement of objectives.

THE DESIRE TO LEAD: Leaders with a strong desire to lead possess extra effort to use when needed.
PERSONAL INTEGRITY: A leader is well-regarded when they have integrity, which includes "honesty, honour, incorruptibility, rectitude, righteousness, uprightness, and similar virtues" (V.K. Saraf).
SELF-CONFIDENCE: Leaders need self-confidence to conceptualize, organize, and implement tasks effectively.
CREATIVITY: Leaders require creativity to provide solutions to complex and challenging problems in their units or divisions.
FLEXIBILITY: A leader should be open to adapting different methods.
ANALYTICAL ABILITY: The ability to analyze is a desirable trait for overcoming challenging aspects of leadership.
KNOWLEDGE OF THE COMPANY, INDUSTRY OR TECHNOLOGY: A well-informed leader is better positioned to provide directions to their unit.
CHARISMA: Charisma helps leaders achieve their goals, and subordinates may willingly undertake their tasks.

Human skills refer to the ability of a leader to deal with people, both inside and outside the organization.
Good leaders know how to get along with people, motivate them, and inspire them.
Human skills include motivating, coaching, communicating, morale building, training and development, help and supportiveness, and delegating.

Conceptual skills refer to "the ability to think in abstract terms to see how parts fit together to form the whole."
A clear and well-expressed presentation is a basic requirement for effective implementation.

Technical skills refer to the skills a leader must possess to enable them to understand and make decisions about work processes, activities, and technology.
When a leader has technical skills related to their area of responsibility, they will be more confident in performing their function.