Engineers are always testing, trying, and launching solutions to problems — they are trained to be resilient.

As you become formalized in your work as an engineer, you have followed certain ways and methodologies, and breaking away from them can be a challenge.

We believe The Resilient Canvas methodology can help you refocus your energy, so you can stay resilient and leverage the knowledge you have gained as an engineer, and keep making the world a better place. Download your copy here.

The Canvas consists of four blocks that entrepreneurs, leaders, and others have followed for years. We’ve collected stories and data from thousands of people we’ve worked with over the last three years to create this canvas. Think of it as a road map that could keep you resilient no matter what happens.

The first block is MINDSET.

As you dig for solutions, this mindset could open up new doors for you and keep up-skilling your career path with a growth within the company you are in, or growth for you as an individual.

Think like an entrepreneur — and I’m not talking about making money or being in business. I’m talking about the mindset of looking for a problem and finding a solution or looking for an opportunity you can create.

Think like a leader — you may be the first one stepping into this area, field, or way of doing something. That comes with responsibilities and challenges that cause some people to push back or look down on your ideas because you don’t have a different title.

Act with compassion and empathy — You must find a way to relate to people to make sure they understand where you are coming from. While we can’t all understand what a painful process someone could go through because we haven’t experienced it, we understand that pain can be translated — so find ways to be compassionate as you relate to others.

Under the Block of SELF, we have two sections — YOU and WHAT’S AROUND YOU.

Engineers don’t work in a vacuum — you are often surrounded by other engineers. Being aware of who you are, your capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses is important. We have five ideas that you can explore regarding acknowledging what is going on and knowing the information source. What’s around you is important because you are surrounded by other engineers and that “group think” approach sometimes needs to be changed or challenged by diversifying the crowd.

In the BUSINESS category — the third block — we talk about listing what you have, coming up with ways to leverage what you have, coming up with ways to offer something new or modified, and of course piloting a new idea, task, or project.

This works well, especially for engineers trying to grow their job within a company or to move to leadership or advance their careers.

The last block on the canvas is MOVING FORWARD — how to communicate and keep operations moving, and how to keep things rolling beyond today.

Participating in our course will help you think a bit deeper about these four blocks. You can download the canvas at no cost from our website, or join our next cohort to learn how to leverage this canvas and resiliency to advance your engineering career and engineering mindset. Sign up today!

BEFORE YOU GO

We see our blogs as opportunities for dialogue. Please share your thoughts as comments.

1. What can you do to break the patterns you might have created in the past, and become comfortable being a bit uncomfortable?

2. What steps can you take toward leadership roles, or advancing your career beyond the mindset of an entrepreneur or leadership?

3. What advice can you share about staying on top of the game and advancing your career?

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Faris Alami is Founder and CEO of International Strategic Management, Inc. (ISM). He works internationally, presenting Exploring Entrepreneurship Workshops and other entrepreneurial ecosystem — related ventures.