PROGRAM DIRECTOR
William J. Endres, Ph.D.
Richard and Elizabeth Henes Endowed Professorship
wjendres@mtu.edu
906-487-2567
PROGRAM VISION
a capstone design program that consistently delivers
such high value to its customers that they are inspired
to continuously search for projects to work on with us
“Great vision without great people is irrelevant.”
–Jim Collins, Author, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t
The greatness or goodness of my vision for this program is for others to decide.
But if it is deemed great, that is irrelevant without
our students, staff, and advisors being great, which they are.
QUICK LINKS TO COURSE BOOKS
(limited/internal access only)
Math to Mettle: Supporting, Selling, Struggling, and Surviving in the Practice of Engineering Design
SOME GUIDING PRINCIPLES
“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”
–Vince Lombardi, Head Coach, Green Bay Packers (led team to 5 NFL championships in 7 years)
my take on it…
As a Chicago Bears fan it pains me to quote a Packers coach.
But, he was a great one and spot on! Gotta give credit where credit is due.
“Good is the enemy of great.”
“Greatness is not a function of circumstance.
Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.”
–Jim Collins, Author, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t
my take on it…
I see a lot of “good” competition out there;
to win these days you need to pursue greatness… excellence.
“Begin with the end in mind.”
–Stephen R. Covey, Author, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
my take on it…
This is the second habit.
It means to “begin anything with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination.”
Your destination is delivery of great value to your customer that exceeds their expectation,
and receipt of personal fulfillment through doing so.
Think!
Your brain differentiates you from machines and computers.
Your thinking is what can deliver the greatest value; it is what you will be paid for.
Really, you will always fall short of your potential if you just go through the motions.
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
–Stephen R. Covey, Author, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
my take on it…
This is the fifth habit.
This is not about listening more and talking less.
(the “two ears and one mouth” thing, which is true)
It is about when you are listening to someone…
don’t listen to yourself as you prepare in your mind what you are going to say back to them.
Try it; it’s not easy! I struggle with it regularly but with increasing success with regular practice.
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
–Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States (and others since)
my take on it…
First, give the caring. Second, when on the receiving end, remember…
1. Even the most caring person is not perfect in showing it.
2. Sometimes great caring does not seem so; they may know something you don’t know.
(sometimes called “tough love”)
ONLINE CONTENT
Throughout the online content here, bold-face text is used to
highlight words or phrases that are extra important
and/or linked together in contrast or similarity;
bold-italic text is used to indicate a verbal emphasis you
would hear if the words were being communicated verbally.
Work-Product Guidance ⇒ how to do the work
Doc-Prep Guidance ⇒ how to present the work
SUGGESTED READINGS ON LEADERSHIP
Students at times have asked for more suggested readings
on leadership beyond the scratch of the surface in class and in Math to Mettle.
A short-list of content I have found to be useful is documented here.
“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”
–Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States
(click here for a quick-read article on five reasons why)
CREDITS
thanks to the students
— who are the motivation for developing this content —
and a special thanks and acknowledgement to those students
who have provided exemplary work that has been used
throughout as “examples of great work”
thanks to numerous professional advisors, mentors, partners, and customers
associated with my business ventures for helping me continue to learn
so much in the practice of leadership, selling, surviving, and serving
for the benefit of customers and employees
valuable input, review and/or feedback on this content has been provided by
Dr. Nancy Barr, Dr. Jim De Clerck, and Dr. Paul van Susante, among others
| © 2017, William J. Endres | Updated June 20, 2022 |