Why Engineers Are Becoming Top CEOs

Tumne notice kiya hai ki aajkal kuch successful companies ke leaders mein ek common thread kya hai? Pehle MBA lena aspiring CEOs ke liye jaruri tha, lekin ab aisa nahi lagta. Aajkal, kuch successful companies ke heads, jaise Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Tim Cook (Apple), Sundar Pichai (Alphabet), aur Lisa Su (AMD), sab engineers hain. Yeh kyun ho raha hai aur iska business leadership ke future pe kya asar hai, chalo dekhte hain.

The Decline of the MBA

Traditionally, MBA ko corporate sidi chadne aur CEO banne ke liye essential mana jata tha. Lekin yeh trend change ho raha hai. Recent years mein zyada CEOs ke paas engineering degrees hain rather than MBAs. For example, Harvard Business Review ne 2018 mein paaya ki continuous second year ke liye, zyada CEOs ke paas engineering degrees thi. 2018 mein, 34 CEOs ke paas engineering degrees thi, jabki 32 CEOs ke paas MBAs thi.

Ek top school, jaise Wharton ya Harvard Business School, se MBA karna $200,000 se zyada ka padta hai. Is high cost ke wajah se, kuch current CEOs suggest karte hain ki aspiring leaders ko is path ko reconsider karna chahiye.

Elon Musk ka Perspective: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla aur SpaceX, ka kehna hai ki shayad bohot zyada MBAs companies run kar rahe hain. Unka maanna hai ki business graduates meetings aur PowerPoint presentations analyze karne mein zyada time spend karta hain rather than product pe focus karna. Musk ke according, agar product accha hai, toh profits hoga hi hoga.

The Engineer’s Advantage

Engineers ek unique skill set leke aate hain. Unhe design, build, create, aur complex problems solve karne ki training milti hai. Yeh background CEOs ke liye invaluable hota hai jo apni company ke products ko samajhna aur improve karna chahte hain.

Example: Although Musk ki degrees physics aur economics mein hain, woh ek self-taught engineer hain jo rocket science books padke seekhe. Unka deep technical knowledge unhe product development mein directly engage hone aur technical challenges ko solve karne mein madad karta hai jo unke ambitious projects ko otherwise derail kar sakti thi.

Sandy Munro ka Observation: Sandy Munro, ek engineering consultant, ne interview mein kaha ki Musk ka technical knowledge unhe alag banata hai. Munro ne kaha, “Main hairan reh gaya. Maine dozens of CEOs dekhe hain. Maine kabhi kisi CEO ya president ko product ke baare mein itna jaankari rakhte nahi dekha.” Yeh technical expertise kisi bhi company leader ke liye significant asset hota hai.

Case Study: Satya Nadella at Microsoft

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, ek aur example hain ek engineer-turned-CEO ka jo apni company ko transform kar diya. Jab Nadella ne 2014 mein charge liya, Microsoft struggle kar raha tha Apple aur dusre tech giants se relevant rehne mein. Previous CEO, Steve Ballmer ke under, Microsoft ke products reactive lagte rather than innovative.

• Nadella ke Innovations:

Platform Expansion: Nadella ne bold moves kiye, jaise Microsoft Word ko iPad aur iPhone pe lana, Microsoft software ko Windows tak exclusive rakhne ki tradition tod di.

Cloud Computing: Unhone Microsoft ke cloud business, Azure, ko expand kiya, jo Amazon Web Services (AWS) ka significant competitor ban gaya.

Nadella ne apni pehli email mein employees ko CEO banne ke baad emphasize kiya, “Hamari industry tradition ko respect nahi karti—yeh sirf innovation ko respect karti hai.” Yeh mindset ne Microsoft ko revitalize kiya, aur yeh dikhata hai kaise ek engineering background company ke success ko innovative thinking ke through drive kar sakta hai.

The Role of Perseverance

Engineering perseverance aur resilience sikhata hai. Thomas Edison famously ne kaha, “Mai fail nahi hua. Maine sirf 10,000 tarike dhunde jo kaam nahi karte.” Yeh attitude CEOs ke liye critical hota hai jo numerous challenges aur setbacks face karte hain.

James Dyson ki Journey: James Dyson, British engineer jo Dyson vacuum cleaners ke piche hain, unhone 15 saal lagaye aur 5,000 prototypes develop kiye apne bagless vacuum design ko perfect karne se pehle. Unka perseverance safal hua, aur yeh move ki wajah se ek million dollar company bani.

Amazon ke Hiring Practices: Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, unka electrical engineering aur computer science ka background hai. Amazon ke early days mein, Bezos personally har candidate ka interview lete the, questions puchte the analytical thinking assess karne ke liye. Yeh focus on high hiring standards Amazon ke success ka cornerstone raha hai.

Engineers in Non-Tech Companies

Sirf tech companies nahi jo engineers ko lead karne ka fayda uthatane deti hain. Jeffrey Sprecher, CEO of the holding company that owns the New York Stock Exchange, unkke paas chemical engineering ki degree hai. Unka maanna hai ki unka engineering background in problem-solving skil unki business success ke liye crucial raha hai.

Problem-Solving Skills: Sprecher ne note kiya, “Maine kabhi aisa job nahi kiya jo chemistry ke sath kuch aur bhi karna padta tha, par jo discipline maine wahan seekha usne mujhe problem-solving ke baare mein sikhaya, aur business actually wahi hai.” Engineers ki ability to tackle complex problems kisi bhi industry mein valuable asset hoti hai.

The Future of Business Leadership

Engineers ka rise in CEO roles suggest karta hai ek shift in what is valued in business leadership. Technical expertise, problem-solving skills, aur innovation pe focus increasingly important ho rahe hain. Jo logon ko ke liye is path ko follow karna ek inspiration hai, unke liye strong foundation in math aur computer science crucial hai.

Educational Resources: Websites jaise Brilliant interactive courses offer karti hain math, science, aur computer science mein, jo problem-solving aur innovation ke skills provide karti hain. Chahe tum programming practice karna chahte ho, calculus improve karna chahte ho, ya algorithms brush up karna chahte ho, yeh resources success ke raaste mein madad kar sakte hain.

Conclusion

Engineers ke increasing number ka CEOs banna broader shift ko reflect karta hai in the business world. Jaise companies rapid technological changes aur constant innovation ki zarurat face karti hain, engineers ke problem-solving skills aur technical knowledge invaluable prove ho rahe hain. MBA ab bhi beneficial ho sakta hai, par yeh clear hai ki engineering background se gained skills aaj ke corporate landscape mein highly valued hain.

Yeh shift highlight karta hai adaptability aur continuous learning ki importance in achieving business success. Chahe tum CEO banne ka aim kar rahe ho ya sirf business leadership ke evolving dynamics ko samajhna chahte ho, innovation aur problem-solving ka mindset embrace karna importanty hai.