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

• Something to consider

• Some insights to delve into

• And more…

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Alright, let’s get into it.

Noteworthy Headlines

What happened the last time Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum (Reuters)

Highlights:

• Price volatility. Prices rose, then fell, but ultimately remained above pre-tariff prices.

• Mixed report on job creation. Employment in the metal production industry increased while employment growth was reduced in industries that depend on metal prices as inputs for production (e.g. manufacturing).

Steel Prices Surge 4% in February (ABC)

Highlights:

• Construction prices rose 0.6% in February from the prior month.

• Iron and steel, steel mill product, and softwood lumber prices all increased sharply in February.

Q1 2025 Construction Cost Insights (Gordian)

Highlights:

• Q4 2024 to Q1 2025 material cost change

  

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Management Perspective

When it comes to developing and executing a company vision, there are two main types of people: missionaries and mercenaries.

Missionaries are strategic and in it for the long haul. Mercenaries are opportunistic and in it for the short term.

Missionaries are seeking to make meaning. Mercenaries are seeking to make money.

Missionaries fret over values statements. Mercenaries fret over financial statements.

This concept was popularized by legendary venture capitalist John Doerr and further extended by Jeff Bezos in the book Invent and Wander.

There is value in both types of perspective. However, building great companies requires long-term, altruistic people. There will be sprints along the way, but the race is long.

As a leader, how you treat your team influences the way they behave. It’s important to understand this, especially through the lens of missionaries and mercenaries. If you treat a missionary as a mercenary, you can change that person to act like a mercenary. They lose passion for the vision and detach emotionally from the team. Instead, they become shortsighted and become interested in what they get out of the arrangement. Or leave.

The team makeup of missionaries versus mercenaries has a direct impact on the culture of the workplace. And it has a major impact on recruiting (mercenaries aren’t around for long, so recruiting efforts are heavier to replace those employees).

And so on.

What type of leader are you? And what is the makeup of your team? What behavior are you rewarding? Answers to these questions lend insight to what your team culture and future look like.

Management Insights

Simon Sinek on how great companies hire:

“Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, they hire already motivated people and inspire them.”

—

Peter Drucker on assigning work:

“Effective executives put their best people on opportunities rather than on problems.”

—

Keith Granet on the value of repeat clients:

“Over the years I have learned one critical lesson: it’s a lot easier to do great work and retain an existing client than to continually search for new clients.”

Management Resource

Turning the Worst Ship in the Navy into the Best (FS)

Turnarounds are some of the most challenging efforts for leaders. This synopsis of the book It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy outlines how Michael Abrashoff changed the performance of the ship USS Benfold from worst to best in three years without changing out the crew.

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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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