Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/738204
10 The PCB Design Magazine • October 2016 Andy Shaughnessy is managing editor of The PCB Design Magazine. He has been covering PCB design for 17 years. He can be reached by clicking here. Here is Question 1, followed by the top re- sponses and the percentage of respondents who chose each. What are the three most important traits and skill sets of a great leader today? 1. Ability to inspire others – 72.7% 2. Empowerment of employees – 47.7% 3. Integrity – 40.9% Inspiration is the big winner here. Almost three-fourths of respondents want a leader who inspires them. They want to be inspired—they need to be inspired, or they'll leave a job. That's one of the most common points we hear regard- ing millennial staff. Coming in second is employee empower- ment. Do you feel free to make decisions on your job? Some designers I know say they like their job primarily because they do get to take the initiative and make decisions on the fly. But some managers just have a difficult time letting go—they'd rather micromanage every single de- cision than let their employees make decisions. In third place is integrity. I thought it was interesting that integrity wasn't higher up on the list. I guess for most people in this industry, their manager's integrity is important, but not that important. Give it some thought: Does your manager possess these three qualities? Whether you're currently a manager or not, this issue is a must-read. This month, we have quite a lineup for you. Natasha Baker, founder of SnapEDA, discusses what it takes to moti- vate members of the millennial generation, and what it means to be a manager vs. a true leader. Michael Ford of Mentor Graphics focuses on the evolving role of managers in the electronics in- dustry, and some of the challenges and exciting opportunities the boss may face in the upcom- ing years. IPC President John Mitchell shares six leadership lessons he's learned in 20 years this industry. (I really liked No. 4: Remove the bad apples.) Next, Leo Lambert of EPTAC talks about the changing landscape of training for electronics professionals, and how training companies like his can help managers who have lost technolo- gists to "brain drain" over the years. And Dave Dibble of Dibble Leaders shares the results of the Biz Brain IQ Test, co-developed with I-Con- nect007, that we offered to readers inside our publications. The answers may surprise you. We also feature the results of our leadership survey. Give it a look—do you see yourself in any of the answers? Finally, we bring you col- umns by regular contributors: Barry Olney of In-Circuit Design Pty Ltd., John Coonrod of Rogers Corporation, and Alistair Little of Elec- trolube. It was great seeing some of you at SMTA International in Chicago. We'll be seeing you all on the road again soon. Until then, see you next month. PCBDESIGN LEADERSHIP VS. MANAGEMENT