2009 Issue

11 A LL PEOPLE ARE GOVERNED BY well-known laws such as Laws of Nature, Laws of Physics, or Laws of Thermodynamics. As engineers, we have to even live by little-known laws such as Laws of Attraction, although to a lesser extent. Over the years I have been subjugated to what I have come to term, Laws of Engineering. In an effort to retain my individuality, I fought against these laws for years to no avail. For example, when a client would call, I would wait until it was convenient for me to call back. You can imagine how well that worked. I finally realized that these engineering laws are set, and there is nothing any of us can do to change them. Fighting them will only bring misery. I was like a canoeist paddling upstream, always tired. A few years ago, I turned my canoe downstream and started paddling with the current. I believe that I have become more successful. I now offer what I have learned to new engineers. All you silver-haired engineers already know these laws. You will nod you head in agreement as you read what is to follow. Laws of Engineering apply universally and they govern all that I do as an engineer. The rules are: No good deed goes unpunished. You cannot get new work just by doing good work. They’re mad because there are so many reasons to be mad. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished No good deed goes unpunished is the first law of engineering for the simple fact that you have to live by sound and established engineering principles to be a good engineer. You cannot blow smoke and expect to be successful. Youmust know your stuff and stick by your principles. Never cheat on an engineering principle in order to do someone a favor. You will always pay for it in the end. For example, downsizing a pipe to save a few dollars is never the right thing to do. We all know the saying that the bitterness of low quality remains long after the ecstasy of low price is forgotten. Never give in to a momentary gain for long term poor quality. It will never pay off. I had an experience where I allowed a contractor to retain an already-in- stalled duct fitting of low quality. He implored me not to make him make a change, as the corrective effort was not worth the gain. I reluctantly granted his wish. At the end of the project, I was unable to achieve the required airflow out of the end diffuser. One small compromise of quality in an otherwise quality project caused a lasting problem. Never compromise. Now this is not to say that you should be stubborn. There is always more than one way to skin a cat. (Can I say that?) Problems occur and they always will. Being a stubborn engineer won’t get you anywhere either. Be willing to listen and try something different. But in the end if you sacrifice sound engineering for ease, you will pay for it because no good deed ever goes unpunished. You Cannot Get New Work by Doing Good Work The second rule is: You cannot get new work simply by doing good work. That is, you cannot expect to pick up new projects as an engineer just be- cause you did a good job on the last one. It takes something more. It takes extra effort. You have to go the extra mile. Oh I know what you are thinking: It shouldn’t. You think you should be able to earn the next project just be doing quality engineering. Unfortunately, people do business with people, not with companies. Youmust be friendly, cordial, helpful, honest, and all the other things that you learned as a scout. I recently adopted a new slogan. I have to be as good as my competitor can lie. Getting the next project is really a measure of personal commitment. When you get to the point that you want to be part of the group that brings projects into the firm, know that it takes real commitment. It takes staying past 5:00. Sometimes it takes working late into the night or on weekends. You must be genuine and sincere in your professional relationships with others. You must work harder than you have worked before. Your effort must not be contrived or fake. For example, I have seen many times people who are not very committed to success and working hard, leave one company to join a new company. Unhappy with their station in the firm, they made a job change. Then, with a renewed desire to achieve, they become more committed at the new company. A little advice: It will probably be easier for you to just be more committed where you are. You don’t have to make a job change. The key to success is that if you want to be successful, work really hard, and do it for a long period of time. Do good work and something extra and you will get new work. They’re Mad Because There Are So Many Reasons to be Mad I am sure you have heard the saying you can’t please everyone. That is to say, no matter how hard you try, you can’t please everyone because everyone wants something different. For many years I thought that, not only could I not please everyone, I couldn’t please anyone. Besides the fact that this concept is generally true, there is a way to overcome the anger inherent to every con- struction project. The anger that exists is simply due to the law of averages which says that if you have enough balls in the air, you will drop one eventually. Simply stated, because projects are so complex, there is bound to be at least one thing happen that is bad, so people will be mad in the end. Now you can either run from that anger or face it. Running from a problemhas never solved it. I have runmy share of times, I know. When a problemoccurs, you are better off turning towards it, squaring up anddoing everything in your power to solve it. In so doing, the anger usually melts away and the fact that you tried to help with something difficult will go a longway. Yes, therewill still be the occasional clients that choose to still be mad, but there will be less anger. Also, smile and apologize profusely and often. I have found that you and I must take personal responsibility for everything that is wrong with the universe. Yes, everything. Until we do so, we will just blame someone else and take no personal corrective action. Taking no cor- rective action means that we will make no progress. Personally, I believe that there is nothing more frustrating than lack of progress. Remember the three rules of engineering: No good deed goes unpun- ished, you cannot get new work just by doing good work, and they’re mad because there are so many reasons to be mad. Always do the right thing, go the extra mile and resolve problems. I offer this information to all who would hear. I implore you to learn from the mistakes that I have made. In so doing, you will be a more successful engineer. Of course, the only thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history. Mr. Davis is a graduate of the Brigham Young University, and a licensed professional engineer. Mr. Davis is a recognized authority in the design of complicated HVAC systems for commercial projects. The Three Laws of Engineering BEN DAVIS, VAN BOERUM & FRANK AND ASSOCIATES Unlike politicians we engineers have to live in reality. We cannot say something is true when it is not. Oh we can try, but we always pay for it. Unfortunately, most of our designs are constructed. If our designs do not actually work, heads roll.