Mental strength plays a key role in any engineers’ career. Particularly engineers in leadership positions or those looking to gain a leadership role. Often engineers spend time contemplating factoids or solving particular problems and miss how their mental strengths or weaknesses affect their careers. Mental strengths are key contributors to their working relationships and career advancement.

How do you become a mentally strong engineer?

Accept and embrace change.

Engineers that are mentally strong, embrace and welcome change. They fear becoming complacent and stagnant. Without change, a business is doomed to fail. Mentally strong engineers know this and embrace changes. Smart changes.

Nourish a positive attitude.

The mentally strong don’t complain about difficult problems, design circumstances, customer changes, lost production, or even other people. They recognize that these factors are generally beyond their control. They do, however, recognize what they can control and make the best out of a bad situation with a positive attitude.

Please others, the right way.

Have you met anyone that tries way too hard to please others? Or worse yet, displease others to reinforce their strengths? It’s awful. An engineer that is mentally strong strives to be fair and kind to others but is able to speak up when necessary. They navigate difficult situations with grace and poise.

Avoid self-pity.

Have you ever seen a strong engineer feeling sorry for themselves and dwelling on ways they have been mistreated? Strong engineers take responsibility for their actions and understand that life just isn’t fair. They emerge from difficult circumstances and treat them as learning experiences.

Take calculated risks.

A mentally strong engineer is willing to take calculated risks. Not foolish ones. With their experience, data, some confidence and a great team they weigh the risks and benefits and assess the worst case scenarios prior to taking actions.

Look toward the future.

There’s strength in acknowledging the past and learning from your experiences, but a mentally strong engineer avoids wasting time and energy on their mistakes. They avoid the “glory days” and spend their mental energy creating a better future.

Learn from mistakes.

Do you know the definition of insanity? Repeating actions and expecting different results, right? A mentally strong engineer accepts responsibility for their mistakes and uses them as a learning experience. Keen self-awareness is perhaps the greatest strength of successful engineers and executives.

Celebrate others’ success.

It takes true strength to feel genuine joy and excitement for other engineers’ successes and mentally strong engineers have this ability. They’re not jealous or offended when others succeed. They may, however, take close notes on what they did well. They are willing to work for their own success, without shortcuts.

Refuse to give up.

Failures are learning experiences. Even the greatest of engineers admit their failures. They are also willing to admit them. Mentally strong engineers are willing to fail again and again as long as they are learning from every failure. As a result, they use these hard lessons to help themselves and others.

Recognize blessings.

Mentally strong engineers know that the world does not owe them a salary, benefits, or even a comfortable life. They plan to succeed on their merits and excel at every stage along the way. They accept their blessing and treat their situation and those around them with gratitude.

Practice patience.

Whether it’s a design, a license, an educational goal or even a promotion mentally strong engineers are in it for the long haul. They are not fooled by immediate results. They apply their time and energy in small doses and celebrate each achievement. Certainly, genuine change takes time.

How do you practice mental strength?

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