You don’t need to be an engineer to think like an engineer. Even as we witness the rapid advancement of AI, engineering thinking will continue to play a role across all aspects of leadership innovation, whether in business models, technology, products, processes, solutions or services. Organizations will need leaders and people who think systematically to generate value and create real-world impact. Engineering methodologies have always been driven by curiosity, discovery and the solving of complex problems. As leaders, our curiosity doesn’t always start with answers. It often begins with questions that lead to discovery and problem-solving. Some of the most powerful outcomes became a reality because someone asked important questions like “Why,” “How” and my favorite, “What if?”
In 2016, as a member of the National Academy of Engineering, I participated in a study called “Building a National STEM Workforce Strategy,” which focused on future workforce needs. One of the study’s many conclusions was that engineering is more than a great profession that offers strong job security, competitive pay and the chance to solve meaningful problems. It is also a discipline that provides a structured approach to identifying opportunities, addressing problems and making decisions. This is valuable across many industries and job roles because it provides a foundational way of thinking and fosters continuous learning and adaptation.
So why does engineering thinking matter in the age of AI? It matters because AI will continue to get better at generating answers, and our value as humans will increasingly come from our curiosity, judgment and relationships. Thinking like an engineer starts with defining the opportunity or problem and ends with execution and measuring results. A simple framework to follow:
- Lead with Curiosity
- Get to Root Cause
- Challenge the Status Quo
Lead with Curiosity
It starts with asking better questions like “Why,” “How” and “What if?” Curiosity has been the driving force behind our evolution, acting as a catalyst for discovery, innovation and ongoing learning. I coined the phrase “Curiosity Advantage,” which describes the power of constantly exploring new ideas to broaden knowledge and capabilities, adapting to unknown situations by learning from new experiences and different environments, and productively challenging the status quo to develop better alternatives. The three steps:
- Ask the Right Questions — Why is this happening?
- Listen to Learn — How do others see it?
- Make Judgments Under Uncertainty — What if we’re wrong?
Get to Root Cause
It starts with understanding the real problem. You should not focus on or be fooled by symptoms. Instead, determine the causes of the problem and fix the causes. Getting to the root cause means being curious enough to dig deeper for details in order to gain a clearer understanding of why something happened. The three steps:
- Define the Right Problem — Why did the problem occur?
- Understand the Facts — How did the problem occur?
- Fix the System, Not the Symptoms — What if we’re solving the wrong problem?
Challenge the Status Quo
It starts with reimagining better solutions. If things are working, leave it alone is a common mindset. In some cases, this is the best answer. Still, it is also true that things change over time, and new ways emerge to drive better processes, methods or techniques that are more efficient, effective and often differentiated. The three steps:
- Question Assumptions — Why do we believe this is true?
- Understand Trade-offs — How do the options compare?
- Generate Alternatives — What if there is a better way?
Whether you are an engineer by training or not, adopting a philosophy of engineering thinking by leading with curiosity, getting to the root cause and challenging the status quo can help you with a systematic approach in generating meaningful outcomes and adapting to an age of continuous change and innovation.
