In this episode of Engineer Your Success, our special guest, Morgan O’Brien sheds light on the topic of alignment with who you are as a leader. She discusses how important it is to have boundaries and communication in order to be respected.

Here’s a bit about Morgan’s passion:

Morgan is a people-focused engineer currently working as a Senior Engineer Project Manager for the CA Department of Water Resources, on major flood risk reduction projects around the Sacramento Area. She is very interested in leadership and strives to lead from wherever she is within an organization. This has resulted in taking on a few extra roles, including Leadership Development Coordinator for the Floodplain Managers Association Emerging Professionals Committee, as well as being the Professional Advisor to the UC Davis Society of Women Engineers section. Morgan is an avid backpacker, who enjoys reading, as well as restoring her 1925 home. Morgan believes that there is always an opportunity to learn and be better, and often quotes Brene Brown. She LOVES to dive into topics that are hard to talk about because that’s where she finds the most growth. 

Let’s dive in!

[00:01 – 09:59] Finding Your Passion and Acting Upon it

• Engineers working on developing harder skills such as people skills
• Being passionate about work and applying principles in innovative ways
• How curiosity was key in overcoming the difficulty of communication

[06:53 – 22:24] Exercising Leadership and Staying Curious

• The importance of management skills and informal leadership
• Start your own thriving family businesses with great marketing
• Staying curious and avoiding letting frustration take over

[22:25 – 38:36] The Significance of Setting Boundaries

• Be open to new opportunities and do not be afraid to try new things
• Understanding ourselves to effectively set boundaries with others
• Making changes now to improve your quality of life

[38:37 – 39:51] Closing Segment

• Connect with Morgan! (links below)
• Parting Notes

Connect with Morgan on LinkedIn

Shoot her an email at morganemobrien@gmail.com 

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You have the strength of a hero within you. Check out my website https://betteryou4u.com/ and learn how to unlock your potential and achieve success both in business and in life.

Tweetable Quotes:

“Having that sense of curiosity is a key trait for people that are growing, that are learning. For leaders and effective communicators, having that curiosity helps you make that connection.” – Dr. James Bryant

“Management is important, but there’s a place for being able to lead from wherever you sit, whether it’s formal authority or not, and making sure that you have the skills to be organized and [that] everyone has what they need, but also inspire them to move in the same direction.” – Morgan O’Brien

“Curiosity is the key to openness and being able to admit that you do not know everything can be a way to invite people in to actually contribute and help move the team in the direction that it needs to go.” – Dr. James Bryant

“[We] need to advocate [setting boundaries] for ourselves. We’re the only ones who are going to know our boundaries, so we can actually be the only ones that can set them… Once we’re aware of that in ourselves and knowing what it feels like when someone crosses a boundary, then we can more effectively set them.” Morgan O’Brien