Vulnerability: A Source of Strength for Engineers

Becoming a Better Engineer — Part 4

Disclaimer: The character of James is fictional and was created for illustrative purposes. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

When James, an engineer at a tech company, was asked to lead a project designing a new product feature, he was thrilled but anxious. James hoped for a promotion, and he saw this project as a way to prove his expertise and be recognized as a leading engineer in the company.

Wanting to appear fully capable, James worked long hours trying to solve all the problems himself. He thought asking for help would undermine perceptions of his competency. James believed that adopting a strong, self-reliant attitude was necessary to be seen as an expert worthy of promotion. James didn’t collaborate with his team members and dismissed input from others. He was determined to single-handedly develop an excellent design.

However, when James finally presented the solution he had come up with, it had major flaws. But instead of being receptive to feedback and help offered by the team to fix the issues, James stubbornly defended his flawed design. He was afraid that admitting he didn’t know how to solve the problems would be seen as weakness by his manager.

James’ unwillingness to admit his shortcomings and collaborate resulted in delays in launching the new feature. It also damaged working relationships with his team members.