As systems engineers, what can we do to create a better tomorrow? our principles and positions, we have the opportunity to make a unique and positive impact. But we must look beyond our technical contributions and embrace our leadership responsibilities.
Systems engineers are familiar with the concept of perspective in the technical domain using viewpoints to explore, analyze, and specify their solution. Embracing perspectives from the human dimension is the starting point for systems engineering leadership. To satisfy and delight, the systems engineer must see the world, the challenges, and the opportunities from the perspective of others as they look at the problem and solution space. This requires the social dimension, emotion, interest, and empathy.
Systems engineers can have a unique and positive impact if we look beyond our technical contributions and embrace our leadership responsibilities. Doing so requires that we apply perspective, influence, and leverage to unlock our strengths in combination with those around us and lead for a better future.
Perceptual Positions by Gary Koyen provides framework beyond self, other, and team that enables us to position the systems engineer to leverage the power of perspective for leadership. Based upon 30 years of personal experience and insights from INCOSE’s Technical Leadership Institute, these ideas have been synthesized with the concepts of leadership through influence and the leverage of transdisciplinarity.
Perspectives enable the systems engineer to perceive through the viewpoint of customer, user, team and self, unlocking essential insights. Influence is how the system engineer most often leads – not from a position of authority and power but from within the team. Transdisciplinarity including both holism and looking across the full lifecyle empowers the systems engineer to leverage team insights for maximum effect.