Hey, it’s Collin. Welcome to Engineering Echelons, a newsletter full of ideas and insights to help engineers excel at management.

Here’s what I’ve got for you this week.

• New and noteworthy news

• A management perspective to consider

• Leadership insights to delve into

• And more…

First time reading? You can subscribe here.

Alright, let’s get into it.

Noteworthy Headlines

Economy is cooling, says construction economist (ENR)

Highlights:

• Overall growth is still expected in 2025, but the economy is softening.

Construction Backlog Stable (ABC)

Highlights:

• Construction Backlog Indicator remained unchanged at 8.5 months in September.

• Over the past year, backlog has declined in the commercial and institutional and heavy industrial categories, while it has increased substantially in the infrastructure category.

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Management Perspective

I recently spoke to an engineering manager who had just reposted a position for the third time on LinkedIn. His company has been trying to fill this position for a year, but has had little traction.

This isn’t just any position. It’s a team lead. That means he has a team of engineers without a leader… and it’s been that way for a year.

I asked how the team was doing and he said there were definitely stress points: the team needed more guidance and leaders outside of the team had little time to provide support.

I then asked what they’ve done to try to recruit a team leader. He said, “We’ve posted the position to job boards, including LinkedIn, I’ve changed my LinkedIn status to ‘hiring’, and we have an internal recruiter who helps source potential candidates.”

It turns out the internal recruiter is sourcing candidates nationwide for 30+ roles - they don’t have capacity to prioritize this position (or a few others).

There are times when posting a job and lightly using a recruiter may suffice.

This isn’t one of those times.

Hiring is not a passive activity. Especially if you’re trying to recruit the best.

Here’s what it takes.

Scour publications for professionals being recognized.

Engineering News-Record, Consulting Specifying Engineer, and others recognize professionals around the country for leadership, accomplishments, technical abilities, and more every year. It’s a good place to look for talent to recruit, or at the very least, add to your network.

Note who writes technical articles in industry publications.

Similar to the point before this, read industry publications not just for the content but for the people behind it.

Visit competitors’ websites.

Some small and medium size companies have a “Team” section on their website, which showcases all of their staff. One engineering manager I know calls this a “recruiting menu,” where you can peruse potential candidates.

Meet colleagues in professional organizations.

ASHRAE, IES, AEE, ASEM, ACI, ASCE, AEI, ULI, ASIS, and on and on. There are many professional organizations that provide opportunities to connect with and learn from professionals locally and all over the country (and world). Take advantage of them and your network will grow more robust, which will aid in recruiting.

Get involved.

This could be anything, but look for high-return activities. I’ve already covered industry professional organizations—other options include local chambers of commerce, education boards, municipal committees, and various advisory boards. Each of these provide opportunities to meet more people who can directly or indirectly help you hire talent.

Tap into your network.

Talk to the people you already know. Even competitors because they may have some intel about another company or certain individuals that you can use. I do this a lot. In fact, there is one person at a competitor I regularly meet with who tells me about good talent in a market his company isn’t in.

Talk to contractors.

Contractors have a unique perspective on the quality of professionals at different companies. And in my experience, they’ll tell it to you straight.

…and more.

The point is this: if you want to recruit high-quality professionals, it takes a lot a lot of consistent effort.

Simply posting a position and then sitting back waiting for applications to roll in is a low-efficacy strategy.

Management Insights

Warren Buffett on pressure to hit goals:

“Managers that always promise to ‘make the numbers’ will at some point be tempted to make up the numbers.”

—

Dee Hock on understanding:

“Understanding requires a mastery of four ways of looking at things—as they were, as they are, as they might become, and as they ought to be.”

—

Jeff Bezos on competition:

“Your margin is my opportunity.”

Management Resource

The Power of Asking "‘How?’ (Behavioral Scientist)

This article shows how reframing a ‘why’ question into a ‘how’ question can help shed light on decision-making, organizational influences, and more. This tactic shows leaders how to get to the answers they are seeking.

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Get in Touch

Did something strike a chord? Tell me about it.

Or…

• Let me know if you’ve found something worth sharing.

• Let me know what challenges you’re having as a manager.

• Let me know what challenges you see other managers having.

Send me an email at [email protected]

Looking forward to hearing from you. See you next time.

Collin

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