“The Only Engineer in a World of Managers”

A boardroom.

Twenty managers in crisp, corporate-blue dress shirts,

standard charcoal-gray slacks,

and body language that said, “We were born to lead.”

And then there was me.

Jeans, a bargain shirt from the outlet mall,

and a face that said, “Did someone invite me here by mistake?”

Back then, I was the only engineer

in a world of managers.

There was no promotion track for engineers.

The only way forward

was to cross over into management.

So when a management position opened up,

I wanted it, badly.

But instead of giving me the chance,

they hired someone from the outside.

Why?

Because I was a “great engineer”…

but not a manager.

It was like telling a chef

his food is extraordinary

but he’s not qualified to run a kitchen.

That’s when it hit me:

In organizations, being good at your craft isn’t enough.

You have to project leadership potential

long before you get the title.

Ever felt like you were ready to take the next step,

only to watch someone else leap ahead of you?