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…
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Alright, let’s get into it.
Noteworthy Headlines
Architecture firm billings remained soft in July (AIA)
Highlights:
The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for July was 46.6, a modest decline from June.
This ongoing slump in business conditions has now stretched to nearly three and a half years, the longest in ABI’s history.
Nearly 1/3 of surveyed firms completed or considered an M&A activity in the past year.
Proposal activity holding up as construction spending slows (ENR)
Highlights:
PSMJ’s Net Plus/Minus Index for proposal activity came in at +23.4, compared to +20.4 a year earlier.
All 11 client markets tracked remained positive, led by energy and utilities at +59.6, water and wastewater at +44.6, and heavy industry at +41.9.
2026 Top 400 Contractors (ENR)
Highlights:
Top 400 Contractor revenue rose 11.8% to $671.4B in 2025, propelled by a surge of data center projects that have intensified power generation and infrastructure needs.
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Management Perspective
The quality and timeliness of information flowing to you is an important input to your effectiveness as a leader. That’s why many leaders invite their team to bring problems to them.
They’ll say things like, “My door is always open.” And they mean it.
But when someone actually walks through the door with a problem, the same relaxed openness isn’t there anymore. The leader might not even notice it happening. Body language stiffens. Their questions get pointed. And even though nothing is explicitly said, the team member picks up on the difference.
Repeat this behavior enough times, and you’ve made an already uncomfortable act (reporting issues) even harder. The team adjusts their behavior accordingly: gloss over issues, or only bring problems that are already solved. The big ones stay hidden and fester.
There’s a better way to react when problems land on your desk:
Be curious. Ask questions to understand the issue.
Separate the problem from the person who raised it.
Work the problem together instead of taking it over or handing down a verdict.
Say thank you. Tell them directly that you’re glad they brought it to your attention.
Leaders need accurate information to be effective. Are you behaving in a way that keeps this information flowing to you?
Management Insights
Travis Kalanick (founder of Uber) on entrepreneurship:
“The lifestyle of an entrepreneur, I believe at its core, is: I can take more pain than the other guy, and I’ll prove it.”
—
Jim Collins (management consultant and author) on mentorship:
“Mentorship—being a mentor and being mentored—is a relationship, not a transaction.”
—
Rita Levi-Montalcini (Neurobiologist and Nobel Prize winner) on using your head and your heart:
“Rare are those people who use the mind; few use the heart; and really unique are those who use both.”
Management Resource
When there’s nowhere to promote a star employee (HBR)
Rising stars expect promotions and growth. What happens if there isn’t an immediate pathway up for them? As a manager, you have to address the gap between their expectations and the organizational reality.
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
Engineering Echelons is a brand of Echelons, LLC
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