No question but that sharp technical skills and knowledge, kept current by continuing renewal and life-long learning, are basic to success in an engineering career. But no single individual, no matter how brilliant or innovative, brings a concept to fruition without the close understanding, cooperation and support of scores and perhaps even hundreds of people.
Engineering school curricula are crammed full of math, science and engineering courses, and little, if any, part of the program devotes itself to dealing with interpersonal relationships. Yet in the final analysis, it is the ability to get along with others that makes the difference between engineers who achieve and those who don't.
This lecture will address itself to such aspects of human relationships in the engineering workplace with superiors, subordinates, vendors, suppliers, customers and, yes, even with your own family. It will point up the foibles of human nature, and bring a practical insight on how to motivate people, how to gain the support, understanding and empathy of those with whom you interface.
This is not meant to be a psychologist's or psychiatrist's approach to dealing with others, but rather a practical compendium of observations and first-hand experience from one who has worked in engineering and with thousands of engineers throughout his career.