TECC 48: The Engineering Career Coach Podcast – Five Strategies to an Innovative Engineering Career

In this session of The Engineering Career Coach Podcast, I interview a rocket scientist, Brett Hoffstadt who provides five strategies for building an innovative engineering career, which is one where you continuously implement innovative ideas and actions in your career. “Think safe to fail not fail-safe.” – Brett Hoffstadt In the Take Action Today segment at the end of the show, I challenge you to immediately implement innovation into your career. Brett Hoffstadt is an aerospace engineer (aka rocket scientist), project manager, inventor, music composer, innovation catalyst and author of How to Be a Rocket Scientist. When he thought about what career he wanted to pursue, he thought about the hobbies that he loved most: radio controlled-airplanes and playing piano. Being practical, airplanes won. Innovation is defined as creating a new product or service that has value in the marketplace. The marketplace can be within your company or within yourself, through personal development and improvements. Most importantly, understand that innovation involves failure and continuous learning. Listen to this session and learn how to build an innovative engineering career through the following 5 strategies: Know yourself – Let your passion and goal shine through, know your SWOT. Read, listen to, and watch innovative thinkers and doers on a regular basis – Make it a constant habit of improvement in an innovative way. Find at least one innovation 'wingman' or 'swim buddy' – Find someone who can give you emotional support and accountability. Figure out what experiments you can do without any need for permission or authority – Try new things and take on the mindset that it is safe to fail and not fail-safe. Think like a lean start up entrepreneur –Think as an entrepreneur and follow the process: Build-Measure-Learn-Repeat, do something see what happens and then adjust. Brett discusses these strategies in details during this episode, and gives examples of how he has implemented them. Books mentioned in this session include: How to Be a Rocket Scientist Linchpin The Lean Start-Up Running Lean Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down  Resources and links mentioned in this session include: How to Work Smarter as an Engineer by Utilizing Both Sides of Your Brain How to Be a Rocket Scientist Website Engineer Your Innovation Website Engineering Career Success Summit TECC Episode 19: How to Work Smarter as an Engineer by Utilizing Both Sides of Your Brain Seth Godin Click Here for Session #48 Transcription How do you think can you be innovative in your engineering career? Please leave any questions you might have or stories you might share on how these strategies or your own have helped you to build an innovative engineering career. Please leave your comments or questions in the section below. If you enjoyed this post, please consider downloading our free list of 33 Productivity Routines of Top Engineering Executives. Click the button below to download. Download the Productivity Routines To your success, Anthony Fasano, PE, LEED AP Engineering Management Institute Author of Engineer Your Own Success