Why engineers make great CEOs • Hacker News Board

Re: Why engineers make great CEOs

#31

Post by bahahahap » Wed, May 07, 2014, 1:33 PM UTC

sergiosgc wrote: post #26

bottled_poe wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, an engineer can perform managerial work with limited formal training... You seem to be implying that a business degree has little value.

As an engineer with an MBA, I can tell you that an engineer breezes through the hard sciences part of management. It's all about modelling, and that's the core training of an engineer. The social sciences aspect of management is not so easy, but if there is underlying aptitude/informal training present, the jump from engineering to management is not that hard.

"...not that hard."

For a business major to do the vice versa would be virtually impossible (programmer is possible, but not 'engineer' in the traditional sense).

Re: Why engineers make great CEOs

#32

Post by UK-AL » Wed, May 07, 2014, 1:39 PM UTC

programminggeek wrote: post #29

A lot of engineers would make terrible CEOs because they don't understand the basic tenants of business. Most software engineers don't like charging appropriately or spending appropriately on things that make the company money. There is a huge aversion to sales, marketing, and advertising. If the CEO doesn't make sure the company makes money, the company will fail. I see this a lot in smaller companies. Larger compan…

However an engineer would be hard to bullshit to in those areas. They would focus on the numbers, and try to calculate returns.

Re: Why engineers make great CEOs

#33

Post by michaelochurch » Wed, May 07, 2014, 2:00 PM UTC

I'm of mixed minds about this. On one hand, if your CEO isn't smart enough to appreciate engineering, R&D, and the cultural needs of high talent, you'll never get anywhere. The long-term result of having a business-driven technical organization isn't having a lower talent level. It's losing all the talent.

On the other hand, it's really simplistic to assume that engineers are "the good guys" and that having an engineer-turned-CEO will guarantee an engineer-driven organization. There are plenty of self-hating, Benedict Arnold engineers who'll gladly sell technology out to management. For some reason, a substantial portion of the engineers who become executives are that kind, and I don't know why, but it gives the good engineers who move into leadership a bad name.

Re: Why engineers make great CEOs

#34

Post by JoeAltmaier » Wed, May 07, 2014, 2:06 PM UTC

Engineers think the world would be a better place if only Engineers were in charge. Marketing types think a good customer sense is critical to the top job.

Its like government - military men think a military leader is needed; business wants a businessman etc.

I think the best leader would be - a leader. Someone who gets competent advisors, makes decisions and inspires the crew to do their best.

Re: Why engineers make great CEOs

#35

Post by thenmar » Wed, May 07, 2014, 2:21 PM UTC

programminggeek wrote: post #29

A lot of engineers would make terrible CEOs because they don't understand the basic tenants of business. Most software engineers don't like charging appropriately or spending appropriately on things that make the company money. There is a huge aversion to sales, marketing, and advertising. If the CEO doesn't make sure the company makes money, the company will fail. I see this a lot in smaller companies. Larger compan…

The flip side, of course, is the non-technical CEO walking down to engineering and shouting, "We need more money! Double the number of lines of code you are producing!"

Re: Why engineers make great CEOs

#36

Post by dworin » Wed, May 07, 2014, 2:22 PM UTC

I've found that many organizations tend to have a 'dominant function', and CEOs tend to come from that function. So if engineering calls the shots in your company, or is the main driver of success, the CEO tends to come from engineering. If the company is driven by sales, the CEO tends to come from sales.

That's why you see so many oil company CEOs who are geologists or engineers, tech company CEOs who are developers, and CPG CEOs who are marketers.

Re: Why engineers make great CEOs

#37

Post by imgabe » Wed, May 07, 2014, 2:27 PM UTC

programminggeek wrote: post #29

A lot of engineers would make terrible CEOs because they don't understand the basic tenants of business. Most software engineers don't like charging appropriately or spending appropriately on things that make the company money. There is a huge aversion to sales, marketing, and advertising. If the CEO doesn't make sure the company makes money, the company will fail. I see this a lot in smaller companies. Larger compan…

tenets

Although if your business happens to have tenants, you should understand those too.

Re: Why engineers make great CEOs

#38

Post by this_user » Wed, May 07, 2014, 2:27 PM UTC

Disruptive_Dave wrote: post #23

"They’re detail-oriented, analytical and trained in systematic problem-solving. Engineers’ basic qualities make them good candidates for the top." There's a significant element missing in this line of thought and it involves emotions/people. By this reasoning, a robot might also make a damn good CEO.

I'd argue that being too detail-oriented may be a bad quality for the average CEO. The CEO's job is first and foremost to see the big picture, develop the grand vision and general roadmap and then hire the right people to delegate implementing the details to. There are people who can do both and those are the truly great CEOs. But unless your name is Jobs or Bezos, you probably shouldn't try to do it.

Re: Why engineers make great CEOs

#39

Post by judk » Wed, May 07, 2014, 2:37 PM UTC

weland wrote: post #21

derekjobst wrote: post #4

Perhaps this is not indicative of a rise of engineers who become interested in management, but individuals already interested in management (or are of that mindset) choosing to get a degree in engineering instead of Business. Given the tremendous value of an engineering degree, especially as a guaranteed high level of income, it makes sense practically minded managers would prefer such a safety net.

> Given the tremendous value of an engineering degree, especially as a guaranteed high level of income, it makes sense practically minded managers would prefer such a safety net. Practical experience (of a practicing engineer) shows that the value of an engineering degree outweighs that of one's work only in the first couple of months, or even weeks, on a job. The skills of incompetent engineers are in significantly…

That level of basic incompetence is not in scope for a discussion of CEO candidates.

Re: Why engineers make great CEOs

#40

Post by judk » Wed, May 07, 2014, 2:38 PM UTC

bahahahap wrote: post #31

sergiosgc wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an engineer with an MBA, I can tell you that an engineer breezes through the hard sciences part of management. It's all about modelling, and that's the core training of an engineer. The social sciences aspect of management is not so easy, but if there is underlying aptitude/informal training present, the jump from engineering to management is not that hard.

"...not that hard." For a business major to do the vice versa would be virtually impossible (programmer is possible, but not 'engineer' in the traditional sense).

Programmer seems to be the largest market for "engineering" business leads these days.