Description
Book SynopsisConcise, practical advice on developing important business skills. Written by a professional engineer and licensed land surveyor with over 30 years of first hand experience running his own small business. Supplements skills not thoroughly taught in the current engineer or surveyor education.
Trade Review"Provides clear tutorials on expanding basic business knowledge, managing employees, marketing products and services, understanding the legal and financial aspects of a company, maintaining a professional image and communicating with confidence." (
Book News, December 2009)
Table of ContentsPreface ix
1 Professionalism & Business 1
What Is a Professional Surveyor or Engineer? 2
The Dual Career Path 7
Being an Entrepreneur versus Climbing the Corporate Ladder 9
Types of Business Organizations and Their Structure 11
2 Managing Yourself 17
A Personal Quiz 18
Paradigms 19
Principles 22
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 23
Theory X & Y 25
Time Management 27
Interruptions 32
Procrastination 34
So What Is Personal Productivity Anyway? 36
So What’s the Big Deal about Increasing Productivity? 38
3 Communications 41
Different Types of Communications 42
The Communications Model & Managerial Effectiveness 43
Listening 45
Speaking 48
Written Communication 60
Roadblocks to Effective Communication 70
Avoiding Roadblocks to Effective Communications 71
4 Leaders, Managers, & Motivation 73
Motivation 75
Leadership 81
Summary 94
5 Project Management 95
An Introduction to Project Management as a System 96
Pitfalls of No Project Management 101
How Did I Get to Be a PM Anyway? 103
Why Is PM Necessary? 104
The Project Life Cycle 106
Planning, Organizing, & Implementing Your Projects 109
6 Ethics & Professionals 135
Introduction 135
An Ethical Dilemma 136
Examples of Unethical Behavior 138
Professional versus Nonprofessional Ethics 140
Values & Morals 142
Ethical Obligations to Others 145
Codes of Ethics 148
Enforceability of Codes of Ethics 151
The Role of Mentoring 152
7 Basics of Financial Accounting & Analysis for Managers 155
Introduction 155
Accounting Basics 158
Income & Income Statements 164
The Balance Sheet—A Snapshot in Time 169
Capital Sources 175
Budgets 177
8 Legal Issues 191
Introduction 191
Definitions 192
The Legal System 194
Basics of Tort Law 203
Professional Liability 205
9 Marketing Professional Services 211
Introduction 211
How Do Surveyors and Engineers Get Work? 212
The Selection Process—Different Strokes for Different Folks 213
What’s the Difference between Marketing, Advertising, and Sales? 216
The Market Planning Process 219
Prospecting 229
Maintenance Marketing & Cross-Selling 232
Interviews & Presentations 232
Scope of Work 238
Negotiating the Agreement 241
10 Ownership Transition 245
Introduction 245
The Leadership Development Plan 246
Planning for Ownership Transition—Exploring the Options 248
Bibliography 269
Index 271
