Management and leadership

This chapter focuses on social and behavioural skills, often referred to as the ‘soft skill’ set. In first establishing yourself as a civil engineer, it is the technical skill set that typically takes precedence; these are the ‘hygiene’ factors that are particularly favoured in the early stages of your career. ICE (2018) recognises that, alongside the breadth of technical skills and experience needed, soft skills are becoming increasingly important, reflecting the rise of multidisciplinary working, spanning the boundaries between functional areas, teams, departments, divisions, organisations and geographies. A legacy of COVID-19 is also a greater use of virtual, remote and hybrid working.