Better Listening Builds Better Careers

Mechanical engineers learn to be decisive, solve problems, and provide answers. But this same instinct can also create blind spots, especially when engineers fail to listen long enough to fully understand what someone is trying to tell them.

“People want to feel heard,” said Richard Friedman of Friedman & Partners, a long-time consultancy to the engineering industry. “Engineers and other highly educated professionals sometimes feel compelled to have all the answers, so they may spend too much time talking and not enough time listening. Whether it’s a client, a staffer, or someone else on the project team, if they don’t feel heard, they won’t want to work with you.”

Better listening leads to better decisions

For technical professionals, this can be difficult. The same expertise that helps engineers analyze problems can create pressure to offer answers before they’ve fully explored the issue.

“Employees in expertise-driven professional services firms are especially vulnerable to poor listening skills because they’re so invested in their expertise,” Friedman said. “They often think they’re listening when they’re not. Instead, they’re doing what is called ‘reloading’—they’re thinking about their next response instead of listening to what the other person is saying.”

The cost of poor listening isn’t just hurt feelings or damaged relationships; it’s missed information. When professionals stop listening too soon, they often overlook facts, perspectives, and concerns that could lead to better decisions.