Debunking the Myth of the Heroic Engineer

Do you remember the popular 80s-90s TV show MacGyver? The show’s protagonist was known for his ingenious engineering solutions, often using everyday items to escape dangerous situations. For example, MacGyver once created a makeshift defibrillator using candlesticks, a microphone cord, and a rubber mat to save a life. I remember watching this show alongside shows like Knight Rider and the A-Team as a child. The early to mid-80s were focused on individuals making use of technology.

Inspired by such innovative ideas, a whole generation became fascinated with the concept of using unanticipated strategies to save the day. This phenomenon dubbed the “MacGyver Effect,” has had a significant influence on aspiring engineers, who often dream of becoming the one person responsible for a groundbreaking idea. That fictional narrative of the singular, heroic engineer has shaped how we view innovation.

Take Gen AI as an example. It’s never about decades of progress and collaboration in open source and academia; it’s about a single protagonist. Ignore the fact that hundreds of people have been collaborating on this technology for decades… nope, it’s the founder of one company. The media plays into this narrative, but so do the engineers themselves. Few people in industry ever stop and say, “Nope, you’ve got it all wrong. It was a large team.” Instead, as engineers, we’ve been trained on this Design Fiction of the Heroic engineer.

Aspiring Heroic Engineers Don’t Collaborate

The MacGyver Effect has shaped engineers' aspirations and impacted organizational culture within engineering teams. In a bid to become the “MacGyver” of the organization, engineers may be hesitant to share data and cooperate with colleagues. This competitive mindset, where everyone strives for individual recognition and promotion, can create an environment that stifles collaboration and teamwork, which are essential for engineering success.

The best engineering organizations are the ones that over-communicate and share. The teams that are exchanging ideas, some of which may not be perfect, are the ones that are pushing the boundaries. It’s the engineers that know how to ask for help from other engineers that are the real heroes. In the twenty-plus years I’ve been in the industry, I’ve never seen an example of a genius that delivers perfection in isolation. What I have seen are many engineers that fail to succeed because they are too focused on “owning” an idea or being the only people to shape an outcome.

If you have a team full of MacGyvers what that translates to is a team of people all focused on being that single protagonist who can save the day. This isn’t to say that important individual don’t exist. There are such things as 10x developers, but our focus on them driving engineering innovation doesn’t result in greater output. Hire more people you would classify as 10x engineers, and you’ll end up with more people looking to claim credit.

But, What About Tesla, Jobs, Musk?

As captivating as the concept may be, the MacGyver Effect perpetuates a misleading notion that a single individual can change the world through a stroke of genius. This idea is further fueled by the admiration for historical figures like Nikola Tesla, known for his eccentricity and unique ideas. Tesla’s portrayal as a singular genius contributes to the misperception that heroic engineers can achieve greatness on their own.

In more recent times, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk are often hailed as singular geniuses responsible for groundbreaking innovations. However, it’s important to recognize that these iconic figures were and are supported by entire teams of dedicated engineers who contribute significantly to their success. Portraying them as lone heroes inaccurately diminishes the crucial role of teamwork and collaboration in their achievements.

Don’t get me wrong. They were and are all smart, but the irony of a company like Tesla is that it’s a company led by a heroic engineer named after a mythical hero engineer. You know about Nikola Tesla because of his amazing assistant, Charles Scott, and you are driving a Tesla now is because of people like Matt Tyler, the lithium-ion battery expert they just hired from 24M.

What we’re not teaching aspiring engineers is that it takes a lot of people to innovate. We keep on emphasizing the hero.

Insist on Collaboration, Avoid Congratulating Individuals

The truth is, real-world engineering is much different than what’s portrayed in MacGyver or the stories of Tesla, Jobs, and Musk. Successful engineering projects require collaboration, teamwork, debate, argument, and input from various stakeholders. It’s crucial to understand that while individual creativity and innovation have their place, engineering is ultimately a collective effort that thrives on a community's combined knowledge and expertise.

To foster a healthier engineering culture, it’s important to celebrate and encourage creative thinking while emphasizing the significance of teamwork, communication, and cooperation. By shifting the focus from individual genius to collaborative efforts, engineering teams can work more effectively and achieve greater success working together.

I’ll get pushback on this recommendation, but if you are a manager you should avoid congratulating individuals in favor of acknowledging entire teams. Even if an individual makes an amazing contribution, reward collaborating over individual delivery. Otherwise, you’ll just be perpetuating this idea that individual engineers should strive for this independent, heroic ideal.