Engineers should leave the world a better place than they found it!

Today, we are joined by the executive director of the National Engineering Foundation, Pat Natale. In this conversation, you’ll hear all about Pat’s incredible career, why he always prioritizes people in business, the power of marketing and diversification, and so much more!

We go on to discuss how the public’s awareness and understanding of infrastructure investment has changed and why it should not be political. We also dive into his experience at PSEG and some leadership lessons he learned throughout his career.

Finally, our guest offers some final words of wisdom for anyone who is new to the engineering world.

Thanks for tuning in!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The importance of the ‘people’ side of business.

• Which diversification programs are working according to Pat and the power of marketing.

• Pat shares how the public’s awareness and understanding of infrastructure investment.

• Why infrastructure and engineering should not be political.

• Final words of wisdom for engineering students and new engineers.

Quotes:

“[Engineers are] the doctors of infrastructure, and we’re going to advise you on what you need to do.” — Pat Natale

“I believe engineers should leave things better than we found them.” — Pat Natale

“Engineers need to be able to communicate effectively.” — Pat Natale

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Pat Natale on LinkedIn

United Engineering Foundation

Changing the Conversation

Messages Matter

The Tipping Point

Think Big, Act Small

Jason Jennings Books on Amazon

The O-Ring Case Study

National Academy of Construction

Leadership Blueprints Podcast

MCFA

MCFA Careers

BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

How can today’s leaders best empower the new generation?

Melissa Smith is a Leadership and Innovation Consultant for a boutique firm in Michigan called Innovatrium, and she joins us today to share her career journey, and key insights she has learned along the way. Join us as Melissa unpacks the four personality categories that guide her as she builds international teams.

We discuss the five things that an idea needs to succeed, which include a birthday, and Melissa shares what she loves most about the new generation and how we can best support them to harness their enthusiasm most effectively. Melissa gives us a glimpse into her interior world with the quotes she lives by, why she would like to be remembered as a try-hard, and more.

Tune in today to hear all this and more.

Key Points From This Episode:.

• The four personality categories that she builds her teams around.

• How her work is structured through the framework, experimentation, and a final step forward.

• The five things that an idea needs to succeed.

• What Melissa believes the next generation needs from us as leaders.

Quotes:

“We create teams around these four different personalities to bring about innovation and new ideas.” — Melissa Smith

“You have to overcome the inertia that is the status quo, and that’s the hardest part.” — Melissa Smith

“What we can give [the next generation] is our ears, to listen to the challenges they have [through] a lens of wisdom and lived experiences, but to have them keep [their] enthusiasm.” — Melissa Smith

“To go at all things with enthusiasm and to put your whole self behind them I think is where I’m at.” — Melissa Smith

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Melissa Smith on LinkedIn

Innovatrium

The 6 Types of Working Genius

Moonshots

Range
Simon Sinek
The Infinite Game

Leadership Blueprints Podcast

MCFA

MCFA Careers

In the final episode of Leadership Blueprints for 2024, BJ Kraemer focuses on Christmas gratitude, reflecting on the year, and planning for a successful 2025. The episode emphasizes the importance of annual reflection as a tool for growth, acknowledging wins and losses, and setting clear, actionable goals for the coming year.

Key Points From This Episode:

· The significance of the movie It's a Wonderful Life as a lens to understand gratitude and perspective.

· Kraemer’s personal annual reflection process, which includes reviewing his calendar and photos, identifying wins, losses, and lessons learned.

· Planning and prioritizing goals for 2025 with a focus on professional, family, and personal objectives.

· The power of habits and systems in achieving success, with advice on creating an "ideal week" and building consistency.

· A closing message on reframing challenges as lessons and expressing gratitude to those who made an impact.

Quotes:

• “No year is a failure if we learn from it.” — BJ Kraemer
• “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” — William Arthur Ward
• “The person we want to become is a direct result of the goals we set and achieve, the people we meet, and the books we read.” — BJ Kraemer

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• It's a Wonderful Life
• BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn
• Leadership Blueprints Podcast