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
Inflation slowed to 3.5% in June (WSJ)
Highlights:
Consumer prices were up 3.5% in June from a year earlier, lower than the expected 3.8% and improving from the 4.2% inflation rate in May.
Oil prices, however, have rebounded in recent weeks, which suggests July won’t bring as much good news as June.
Why recruiters can’t find workers and new grads can’t find jobs (The Washington Post)
Highlights:
It’s not AI—there is projected to be a shortage of tens or even hundreds of thousands of nurses, physicians, teachers, engineers, pharmacists, mental health counselors, construction workers, and airplane mechanics—all jobs that AI generally can’t do.
The cause is twofold:
Mismatch between college majors and job openings (e.g., too many finance majors).
A protracted decline in birth rates is coinciding with a record wave of retirements.
Construction Backlog Indicator slips, contractors remain confident (ABC)
Highlights:
The ABC Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 8.8 months in June, down 0.3 months from May, but up 0.1 months from June 2025.
Only the Middle States region experienced backlog growth on a monthly basis in June; the Northeast region backlog contracted sharply.
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Management Perspective
In the professional world, both what you know and who you know are important to your long-term success.
There are four combinations of the who you know vs. what you know matrix.
High Knowledge, High Visibility
This is the best combination. Because people know you—and more importantly, they know what you are capable of—you become the go-to trusted advisor. Your network acts as a megaphone for your expertise. These people command the highest fees.
High Knowledge, Low Visibility
In this combination, few people (or people of low influence) know you exist. Because your knowledge isn’t shared, you miss out on key projects, referrals, and leadership opportunities.
Low Knowledge, High Visibility
You’re well known, but not necessarily in a good way. People know there isn’t much depth beneath the surface. In many industries, this leads to a lack of trust and reputational damage.
Low Knowledge, Low Visibility
This is the worst combination. You don’t have expertise, and you don’t have a network. Irrelevance describes it.
Take stock of where you are. If you know a lot, but lack the network, get out and meet people. Attend conferences. Speak at events. Join an industry group.
If you know very little but seem to know all the players, refocus on your actual craft. Develop the foundational knowledge that can actually support the weight of your network.
I’ve heard it said before that knowledge is the engine, but your network is the fuel. An engine without the fuel is just an expensive statue; fuel without an engine is a mess.
Find the balance: prioritize your technical knowledge with your people network, and grow both in lockstep with one another.
Management Insights
Michael Ovitz (co-founder of Creative Artists Agency) on curiosity:
“If you understand how to have a deep curiosity about everything—and I mean everything—you have an edge that cannot be beaten.”
—
Albert Ellis (psychologist) on owning your problems:
“The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own.”
—
Bill Gurley (businessman and investor) on success:
“Success requires balancing a deep knowledge of history with an obsessive focus on the technological edge where disruption happens.”
Management Resource
Inside consultants’ messy shift from hourly billing (WSJ)
As AI threatens to make the billable hour obsolete, professional-services firms wrestle with reinventing how they charge clients. This article explores how some companies are navigating the change.
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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