Leadership lessons for engineers: how technical experts become great leaders. Ron Higgs
“If you expect the unexpected, then you're not going to freeze when things happen.”
Ryan Castle sits down with Ron Higgs, leadership coach at Wolf Management, former Naval Flight Officer, and aerospace engineering leader who now helps technical professionals transition into effective people leaders.
Ron shares three practical leadership principles drawn from aviation, engineering, and years of coaching: stay open and curious, build genuine relationships before trying to lead, and always expect the unexpected. He explains why many technical leaders struggle when moving from individual contributor to manager, and how frameworks like “connect, inspire, lead” help bridge that gap.
If you lead engineers, technical teams, or fast-growing organizations where communication, trust, and execution matter, this episode offers practical tools for building stronger teams and leading with clarity when things don’t go according to plan.
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