I was watching the Super Bowl a couple weeks ago and was struck by how the referees spot the football after each play and how it’s really an approximation or “best guess” of where the football actually progressed to. This approximation suddenly becomes an exact science when the chains are brought onto the field to … Continue reading
Planning, Analysis, Design…Who Are You?
A deeper look into the profession of stormwater and floodplain management engineering. Who are you? If someone asked you, “Who are you? Are you a planner, an analyst, or a designer?” what answer would you give? Do any one of those items describe who you fully are or are you really a combination of all … Continue reading
Check Yourself Before You Wreck…Others
Consulting is the business of finding balance. Somewhere in the insanity you must find the balance between taking care of the projects you have, managing your team, overseeing your business, and carefully keeping an eye open for the next opportunity and positioning yourself for the win. Since I’ve never been on the client side I … Continue reading
The Way We Win Matters
I’ve talked to my team a lot over the last several years about the ups and downs of the business and in particular the competition we have with other companies. It’s been an interesting dynamic to watch. As our company became more and more competitive with the established consulting firms we began hearing feedback regarding … Continue reading
The Engineering Business Cycle: Lessons Learned on How To Avoid Common Operations Mistakes
After 5 years in being in business now we’ve gone through the pain of trying to get work in the door, getting too much work in the door, not performing to the level at which we need to perform, not being able to win work, and then seeing work coming in with almost no effort … Continue reading
Repeat Performance
In the summer, my wife and I enjoy the occasional escape to Vail for the weekend. We enjoy the beauty of the Vail Valley and walking along the bike path that follows Gore Creek, walking through Vail Village and Lionshead, having a beer or a snack on an outdoor patio, and we especially enjoy a nice dinner … Continue reading
Providing Value vs. Selling
As challenging as it may seem, I am realizing how important it is that I provide value to the people I am meeting with for Business Development. Not just, “how can I get work from you,” or “what do I need to do to win the next project,” but “is there something new I can … Continue reading
Being the Underdog and Other Martyr Related Musings
I posted this on my personal blog MyThreeSheep, but think it has a lot of relevance in the consulting world, especially for those of us who have our own business or dream of starting one so I decided to post something more personal today. Hey, that sounds like my luck I get the short end … Continue reading
The Myth of the Multi- Tasking Engineer Part III: Clear Job Role Definition
My wife, who is in the professional recruiting and staffing business and is a successful sales account manager, laughed at me when I described for her my different jobs as a group manager in an engineering corporation. “That’s four different jobs,” she laughed, “no wonder you’re burnt out.” I had to admit, I didn’t disagree … Continue reading
The Myth of the Multi- Tasking Engineer Part II: My Personal Experience as the Multi-Tasker
My career path is almost identical to many of the the engineers I know. Upon graduating from engineering school I had little idea what I really wanted to do. What I did know was I needed a job and everyone was demanding I have experience to hire me, but how do you get experience when … Continue reading