Learning to Listen Better

Another year has come and gone. Last year can be seen as a start to the ultimate Chinese curse: "We are living in interesting times." Sometimes they are too interesting.

In the spring, the dot-com bubble burst. This put all entrepreneurial engineers in a bind. The sources of money required to bring ideas to reality dried up. Not because of anything mechanical engineers did, but because too many promises of vast fortunes turned out to be nothing but smoke and mirrors.

The slowdown of the U.S. and world economy was then compounded by Sept. 11, the second day of infamy for the United States. The U.S. and much of the rest of the world was forced into taking extreme action, with our leaders calling for an active war on terrorism; thus, the priorities of the world changed again.

Energy companies in California, which in the summer had to ration electricity, were paying for electricity they could not sell in the fall. People and industries in California learned how to do more with less.

Companies seen as being bedrock firms able to weather just about any economic storm were in trouble. Some even went after governmental assistance. This occurred less than one year after reporting their greatest profits.

What is the entrepreneurial engineer to do?

It would appear that nothing is certain any more; even standing still looks like nothing more than a great big risk.

But risk and uncertainty equal opportunity. For every avenue of potential success and profit that has been cut off in recent months, there are multiple venues now available to be explored and exploited. For every need and want that disappears during turbulent times, it results in new needs and wants being created.

The key for entrepreneurial engineers is matching their capabilities and interests with the new needs and wants. This is the time to redouble your efforts to identify the needs that have been left wanting or unfulfilled.

There are a number of ways to do this, but the most important is to learn how to listen. Listening is not always a passive endeavor. Identifying and isolating a need can be an active effort, because potential customers may not be aware that the need exists. They may be aware only of the symptoms that the need creates. As a result, potential customers will express their desires in terms of a want.

People need to feel safe in the world. This need to feel secure expresses itself as a variety of wants.

We want better airline security. We want better security in public places and in our own homes. We desire to know that our children and parents are safe and protected, but what tools and new products can mechanical engineers help bring to the market that will truly address the needs that underlie these desires and wants?

I can't pretend to have the answers. I can only formulate some of the questions. I am asking those questions as they relate to my areas of expertise. As I develop those questions, I am going out into the world to ask them, and to listen. Not only listen, but also hear and comprehend the answers as expressed by potential customers.

— Niel Leon
Committee on Engineering
Entrepreneurship
leonn@asme.org

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