The Engineer Personality

To say that the software engineering personality is one of the rarer ones among us is an understatement. The stories illustrate a few of the unusual traits common to the group. How can we understand this viewpoint?

Genius: Keeping It Simple

Software engineers are smart. To reach the senior ranks, IQ levels tend to be in the top handful among the population. Being smart and an expert in an esoteric field can lead to a degree of confidence. It is a type of confidence that can lead to “always right” thinking. How do leaders communicate convincingly?

All-Stars: Loving the Spotlight

All fields have that handful of individuals that are the go-to people, the key cogs, or the clean-up hitters. They get the most points, the biggest hits or the critical goals. How can the leader direct that energy? How to have the All-Star share the glory?

Introverts: Do Not Tap on the Glass

Internal focus is a requirement of engineering success. Being less outgoing, or preferring not to gravitate to social or collaborative tasks can be an advantage to a pure coder. However, the software game today does not hinge on the single engineer, but requires a higher level of team coordination. How do leaders draw out those skills?

Uncommon Sense: A Special Gift

A person who can see a problem in real time and find a good solution with known resources is an individual with common sense. And then there are software engineers. What is the gift that finds inscrutable problems in logical pathways through a mix of memory and intuition? A bit nuts. How do we help in adding some common sense to the uncommon people?