Elevating the Engineer Archetype with Farnoosh Brock

0:01Boom! Shake the room, Fire Nation! JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire! Brought to you by the HubSpot podcast network, the audio destination for business professionals with great shows like I Digress. Today, we'll be breaking down how to elevate the engineer archetype. To drop these value bombs, I brought to Farnoosh Brock and EO Fire Studios. Farnoosh is an electrical engineer, entrepreneur, trainer, and speaker. She elevates the impact of engineers and IT leaders through self-leadership, communication, and emotional intelligence skills. And today, Farnoosh will We'll talk about why success can be so elusive, the unique gifts and challenges of engineers, and how a mentor or a specific program can close your gap in knowledge, Fire Nation, and so much more.

0:45And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Farnoosh and our sponsors. Nudge, hosted by Phil Agnew, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Ever notice how the smallest changes can have the biggest impact? On Nudge, you learn simple evidence-backed tips to help you kick bad habits, get a raise, and grow a business. Oh, and it's the UK's fast-growing business podcast. A recent episode on how to win any argument shares decade-long research into persuasion from a world-leading neuroscientist. Listen to Nudge wherever you get your podcasts.

1:17Many EO Fire listeners have launched non-food franchises, and Franbridge Consulting has guided them. Franbridge's founder and frequent EO Fire guest, John Ostenson, has done more placements than any other in the country. and his service is free. Sign up for a consultation with John or get a free copy of his book, Non-Food Franchising at franbridgeconsulting.com. Farnoosh, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with. John, it is so good to be back for 2.0 version of this conversation with you. Thank you for having me.

1:54All right, something that most people may disagree with I don't believe the advice, just be yourself, is particularly helpful for entrepreneurs or professionals. When we say, you know, this is just who I am. This is just how I show up. This is just how I communicate. This is just how I build relationships, talk and work. I believe we might be sabotaging the very goals that we are trying to create in business. We might be closing doors that we're trying to open or alienating the very people we're trying to attract, which is precisely what I was doing. And I'll give you an example. So early in my career, for many years, I believe that this is a story.

2:43I am not someone who does cold outreach. It's just not who I am. It's not my style. It's not my personality. It's not me. and in my recent pivot to working with the university systems where I didn't know a single person I realized over a lot of trial and error that cold outreach may just get me what I want which was to work with these universities and bring my my impact to the future engineers So I started cold outreach and it was very hard, scary, exhausting. But let me tell you, I landed contracts with top engineering schools like Duke University, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern. And now this cold outreach in an authentic way that resonates with my values has become my number one marketing strategy in business.

3:40I still can't believe I'm saying that. So just to wrap it up and give it back to you, I believe if you replace just be yourself with who do I need to be in order to achieve my goals and my dreams in entrepreneurship or career, how do I need to show up? How do I need to grow and evolve? That might be more helpful. I love that because listen, Fire Nation, if you are not evolving, if you're not progressing, if you are not on some incremental level improving, then you're stagnating and in this world if you're stagnating you're dying i mean that's what we are doing in this world right now with all of you people listening to entrepreneurs on fire it's we're helping you evolve progress get incrementally better i love the quote you know don't compare yourself to anybody else but compare yourself to you yesterday are you winning that comparison because if you are you're winning at life and today we're talking about elevating the engineer archetype.

4:41And I want to start by saying, listen, Farnoosh, success can be so elusive. I mean, especially when somebody never sits down to actually define their version of success. So can you talk us through defining success for one's career and understanding its evolution over time? Right. And I will start with the biggest takeaway I would like for your fire nation because it's a long and deep topic. But I would say regardless of your personal goals in your career, in your journey, the one constant in every career beyond engineering, in every career is the relationships that you build and the ones that you build trust in and the ones that you can influence because no matter what, you're going to need supporters, advocates, mentors, enablers.

5:35You will not have a career all by yourself, especially and hopefully if you are aiming high. And we want you to aim high, right? So I would say as you are navigating your career, define at least one element of success by how well you are building and nurturing key relationships. Can you elaborate a little bit on that? The first thing I would say is the level of relationships evolves as well. Let's say you're early in your career. Early in your career, your roles and responsibilities are to be able to do your job well, to make the right impression, and to maybe keep that ecosystem of relationships small.

6:21So you might have to build relationships with your boss, your boss's boss, your peers, your customers, clients, partners. Five years plus into your career, you want to move up the proverbial ladder or grow your business. Those relationships have to evolve. And so you might have to be building relationships with people that are outside your first network, for instance. How do you build those relationships? How do you leverage your small network to get recommendations and referrals and earn the trust of those people to make those recommendations to others so that you can reach larger people who can enable your bigger goals?

7:04And I realize this is more in generic concepts, but I can always give you examples to make it more tangible. Well, what I want to move into is, listen, we're talking about the engineer archetype and how to elevate that. So I want to talk about both the unique gift as well as the challenges that engineers and other, quote unquote, super techies face on the career path. Yeah, good one. Because engineers have a different way of thinking. They are analytical. They're very logical. They see the world through that lens. And they are key to solving our big, complex problems in society, small or large scale.

7:49They come up with ideas that can really change the way we work and live and play and navigate our lives. And their brains are like mini computers. We need engineers. And I'll give you a quick, quick inspiration. I'm just back from my Europe trip. And our last stop was in Geneva. And if you're ever in that part of the world, you must go to CERN, which is the world's largest laboratory, right? that is where incredible scientists and engineers have created what is called a large hadron collider, the kind of technology that, you know, accelerates protons to the speed of light and mashes them together to study these unsolved mysteries of our universe.

8:33It's mind-blowing. But I give you that example because that is thanks to the engineers and scientists. So that's the unique gifts of our engineers. The challenges are that our engineers have to work with non-technical counterparts in order to communicate their ideas, their challenges, their needs to grow funding and resources on their projects. They have to navigate with others to resolve conflict, to disagree in a way that doesn't alienate others. And it's very hard for engineers to do that, to connect and relate with non-technical world. And I come from an engineering background. I experienced this and I have worked with hundreds of professionals who are brilliant at what they do, but they may not be so good at building those relationships.

9:32So the result of it is they might get dismissed, they might get misunderstood, and then they get discouraged in their careers, and everybody loses, I believe. So I think that for them to be able to communicate and lead effectively on top of their engineering brilliance is what we need for them to bring their maximum impact to our world. Fire Nation, I know that you want to bring your maximum impact to the world. That's why you're listening to this show. So you can listen and learn from people like Farnoosh and others, strategies, tactics, lessons learned, experience that's going to help you move forward.

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12:49John has served as an Inc. 500 franchisor and is a multi-brand franchisee himself, and he does more placements than any other in the country. Sign up for a free consultation call with John today or get a free copy of his book, Non-Food Franchising, at FranBridgeConsulting.com. That's FranBridgeConsulting.com. Farnoosh, we're back. And you believe that leadership, EQ, and communication skills can elevate the engineer reputation in the workforce. Tell us more about this. Yes. And I am so passionate about this on a visceral level, John, because I struggled with the very things that I hope to change for the future engineer in my career.

13:35You know, I was a hard worker. I was the top performer on my team and I was left behind in the advancement. I received the top certifications. You check off all the boxes. And this is not a single case. There's a lot of people who go through that. And the missing link, which I only unfortunately understood in hindsight, looking back at my career, was that I was not communicating in a way that really delivered my message, the right tone of voice, the right phrasing, the right timing. I wasn't able to read emotions. I wasn't able to relate and connect with my bosses, with my executive sponsors, with my customers, especially when my emotions were heightened, which happens in a stressful work environment every day.

14:30And so I was overlooked. I was dismissed And I blamed my bosses for the longest time. But in looking back, I realized those were the missing links to close the gap between my hard work and the achievements, right? And I believe the worst part about this is that you don't know what you don't know. You don't know why you might not be progressing in your career, especially since you've done so well. And so it takes a lot of self-awareness, perhaps some coaching and mentoring, somebody who can point out your blind spots and say, you know what, you came across very off-putting in the meeting. and that alone can help you at least be self-aware and then start to wonder, how do I need to present myself and show up so that I am welcoming even as I am disagreeing with my senior VP over there, right?

15:29And so I believe that can help you a lot in your career and I see this all the time when engineers elevate these skills even a little bit. they start to be received differently and be heard differently which is very gratifying now fire nation of course we're using a lot of references to engineers and super techies but i really hope you're understanding how this can apply to your life to your business to your journey if you're not an engineer or in a super techie field or career path because these are things that work And these are strategies and tactics that are proven over time. And we do also, Farnoosh, talk a lot about coaching and mentorship on Entrepreneurs on Fire.

16:17So I kind of want to talk with you now about how, you know, maybe a mentor or maybe a program can close the gap in the engineering education. Yes. And can I go back and comment on what you shared earlier about the application of everything we're talking about, communication, leadership and emotional intelligence, not just to engineers. And in fact, I do want to emphasize, I happen to love engineers, but I also train leaders of organizations on these very skills, leaders at all levels, individual teams in different verticals. So not just a technical engineering field, right? And these skills are universal.

17:00Even if you don't have a career and you have a different way of going about your life, to be a leader, have self-leadership and communication is going to help you be more fulfilled and increase your own wellness. So there is that. But I love that you promote or you advocated ideas of having a coach and a mentor and that outside perspective. So please remind me, what element of that did you want me to speak to, John? Mostly how mentorship and potentially programs as well could close the gap in the engineering education. A coach, a private coaching or private mentoring, especially if the mentors are in your organization.

17:47So they're in your own ecosystem. They understand. And let's start there because mentoring is very accessible to most of you in a career in the corporate setting. Mentors are people who are above you in their career, ideally not the same line, chain of command. So there's no conflict of interest. And this is a person who cares about you. And this person understands the internal politics, dynamics, things that you may not see and you may be overstepping on without realizing it. And so even one or two sessions with someone who wants to see you succeed, and believe it or not, mentors get a lot from giving back.

18:28So you don't have to feel like you're asking for favors. Just a few sessions can simply give you a cue to your blind spots. Things that you don't even know you're doing that might be hurting your own goals. and then you can work on strategies to change and everyone is capable of change to maybe just build a different relationship, show up differently at a meeting, send your communication with a different tone of voice. And once you've had initial success from a mentoring session, then you're going to be so much more inspired to change and create different results. And of course, coaching is very different.

19:08These are individuals that you hire outside of your company and you might be investing in yourself or your company might be doing that. But often you have to invest and you have to decide that the outcomes of coaching relationships are going to really be worth it. And of course, I believe they are worth it because I have walked the talk and I have done years of coaching with fabulous people, but you have to come to that realization and then experience the right coaching for you. And I can't recommend it enough. Fire Nation, I as well. I mean, I look back on my journey, my career with mentorship, with coaches, with programs like masterminds and things along those lines, absolutely invaluable.

19:55And this is Entrepreneurs on Fire, Farnoosh. So I want to talk about entrepreneurship. I want to talk about leadership because you believe that both of these things, entrepreneurship and leadership, are one of the best ways to maximize an engineer's contribution. Tell us more about that. Yes. And I want to make a distinction here that when we say entrepreneurship and leadership, entrepreneurship, you can be an entrepreneur and have entrepreneurial mindset even inside of an organization. And that is a very accepted approach in innovative companies. So there is that. You don't have to be out on your own, so to speak.

20:32And leadership is for everyone, whether you are individual contributor, a business owner, or a senior VP with a fancy title, right? So I believe these skills can be applied and absorbed by all. And once you get into the mindset of I am an entrepreneur and I am a leader, and let's just keep going with the engineer, with our engineer character, you not only feel empowered, not only see and own your own ideas and start to drive them, as well as your relationships and conversations, right? You're leading all of that. Then not only are you going to get a different reaction in an ecosystem like the corporate world, you are seen as a leader.

21:23You are heard. You will have the ear of that executive sponsor who could fund your big idea. And then you have a team of people and your impact just grows exponentially. Right. And if you're an entrepreneur in the world and you are an engineer and you want to bring your ideas, you have to have self-leadership. You have to be a leader. You're going to be presenting these ideas to, say, fundraisers in a fundraising session where you're hoping to convince some investors to go with your company and your idea. and these skills are only going to elevate those ideas that need to see the light of day, so to speak.

22:05Farnoosh, I think you have dropped so many value bombs here today that what I would love to do right now is tie this up with a bow. So take a step back and share with Fire Nation what you think the one key thing, the one key takeaway that you wanna make sure our listeners walk away with from this conversation today. I will give you one of the phrases I use. I remind myself and I remind others, careers or businesses are long. Relationships are key. Build them, nurture them, really and truly show genuine care and interest in those relationships. And I believe that will really help you achieve your beautiful goals and dreams.

22:51And Farnoosh, if Fire Nation wanted to connect with you, wanted to learn more, what is your call to action for our listeners today? I would love for you to connect with me on LinkedIn. I use that platform to share my ideas and to learn about your journey, professional journey. So you can connect with me on LinkedIn and that's it. Just find me on LinkedIn and we can take it from there. Maybe we can have a conversation. And I wish you all well. So thank you so much, John. Well, Fire Nation, you're the average. Of the five people you spend the most time with, you've been hanging out with FB and JLD today, so keep up that heat.

23:31For links to everything we talked about, including Farnoosh's LinkedIn, go to eofire.com. Just type Farnoosh, F-A-R-N-O-O-S-H, in the search bar. The show notes page will pop right up. Farnoosh, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation. For that, we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side. My absolute pleasure. Thank you, John. Hey, Fire Nation. A huge thank you to our sponsors and Farnoosh for sponsoring today's episode. And hey, Fire Nation. Over the last decade, I've interviewed more than 4 ,000 of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, and I've created a revolutionary 17-step roadmap to your financial freedom and fulfillment.

24:08I put it all into my first traditionally published book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success, personally endorsed by Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk. The Common Path to Uncommon Success. It's the step-by-step guidance that you need to achieve the lifestyle of your dreams. Visit UncommonSuccessBook.com and I will catch you there or on the flippity-flip side. Nudge, hosted by Phil Agnew, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Ever notice how the smallest changes can have the biggest impact? On Nudge, you learn simple evidence-backed tips to help you kick bad habits, get a raise, and grow a business.

24:44Oh, and it's the UK's fast-growing business podcast. A recent episode on how to win any argument shares decade-long research into persuasion from a world-leading neuroscientist. Listen to Nudge wherever you get your podcasts. Many EO Fire listeners have launched non-food franchises, and Franbridge Consulting has guided them. Franbridge's founder and frequent EO Fire guest, John Ostenson, has done more placements than any other in the country, and his service is free. Sign up for a consultation with John or get a free copy of his book, Non-Food Franchising, at franbridgeconsulting.com.