The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Engineers

Time for the evolution lecture regarding our species - - Homo ingeniumist.  We are in evolutionary times (they may more correctly be revolutionary times) that requires our species to think differently - - which ultimately means think better and more effectively.  We can start with Covey's self-help axioms and see how they fit into our evolutionary advancement in the context of a civil engineer.

1. Habit 1: Be Proactive - - From sustainability to climate change to energy/water constraints, our species needs a much more thoughtful, insightful, broader, and proactive connection to some of our pressing problems.  We need engineers willing to take on public leadership roles that are advocates for debates, discussions, and action regarding what we should all consider as the "Big Three" of the planet.
2. Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind - - The species needs to work on the vision thing.  From the simplest endeavor - - the 20-minute staff meeting to the 40-story building.  Always think in terms of goals and outcomes.  Work on your ability to communicate that vision.
3. Habit 3: Put First Things First - - The species needs more Darwin and less Adam Smith.  Our survival is fundamentally about attracting and supporting the right people, willing to do the right things, for the right reasons.  It is a Darwinian selection process.  Our species survives because of our character, values, and culture - - putting those attributes out front to the public.
4. Habit 4: Think Win-Win - - The jungle our species works in is $14 trillion dollars in debt.  Any advancement in the quality of our infrastructure will not come solely from the public sector.  Our species needs to embrace public-private partnerships and working solutions that produce effective and long-term win-win situations.  Our survival depends on our ability to network and work with other species outside our historical networks and spheres of interest.
5. Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood - - We need to understand God's golden communication ratio - - 2 to 1.  We have two ears to one mouth - - use them in that proportion.  If you cannot write the King's English in the age of social media or are not well spoken in the age of YouTube - - your value to the species is limited.  Evolve and get better.
6. Habit 6: Synergize - - The species is taught to pull complex systems apart and understand every nut and bolt.  But the species needs other members that can put things together and see the interconnections of complex systems.  The jungle is getting more and more complex and interconnected - - where holistic vision is needed for survival.  Don't get lost in the forest because of the trees.
7. Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw - - If you just graduated, plan on working until you are 75-years old.  The jungle has changed.  Think about how you as an individual will need and want to evolve over the next 50 years.  Never reading a book or learning something new is not an alternative in our new Darwinian world.  Find other members of the species that you can network with over this 50-year journey.