In this article I am going to talk about a fault many engineers are cursed with, but, by definition, should not be. It is also a fault that can be exacerbated in a global context so it is even more important for global engineers.
If you want to ensure you are not cursed with this fault, then read on.
The curse I talk of is using indicators as opposed to facts to make your engineering decisions.
Each word above makes sense to you, I am sure; and the sentence likely seems sensible enough as well. But I will use 4 examples I have experienced personally to make it clearer to you.

Caulking glue for precise location control
This was an interaction between two engineers who needed to find an adhesive to:

1. Mount objects that needed to stay in place as the adhesive cured.
2. Release minimal chemicals during curing so that it did not pollute other nearby systems.

One engineer did the sensible thing, reviewed test data on as many available adhesives and then tested samples of those showing most promise.
The winner was an adhesive used in domestic applications, was cheap and came in a big caulking tube like one you would see on construction sites.
The other engineer, upon seeing the winning adhesive expressed surprise and apprehension. They were expecting something that would come in small containers, like you would see in a laboratory, require mixing, and be expensive.
The other engineer, given the scientific rigour used to select the winning adhesive, should have checked their bias. But they did not, they actually let this bias continue to guide them.

Metal putty or metal augmented two-part epoxy matrix
When a company was looking for a way to adhere a part to an assembly for quick experimental assessment, one engineer used metal putty. If you do not know what this is, then it is basically a glue (a two-part glue) with a high concentration of metal whiskers added. These whiskers make it much stronger than ordinary two-part glue. And, once mixed, it is mouldable like a putty. So you can work it into any shape you like – ideal for experiments when you want to explore different geometries.
The experiment worked, but others had issues trusting the results.
Why?
Because of the word “putty”. It just sounded so agricultural or domestic to them. I know this is the case because they actually said this.
If it had been called “Metal Augmented Two-Part Epoxy Matrix” or “MAT-PEX”, then they probably would have been more accepting of the results.
Of course, you know, when you think about it, that the name should have no influence on the rigour of the experiment or the results at all.

Old textbooks
When new editions of a textbook are published, it usually involves a few extra sections based on feedback from lecturers, the use of different units, case studies that seem more recent, or maybe to leverage new learning technologies. The fundamentals will not change. Nevertheless, I have had cases where people thought they would not learn as well because they had an older textbook.
This was not because of the difficulty cross-referencing reading tasks allocated for their studies. It was simply because the book looked old.
Assuming they could read Latin, such people would look at an original copy of Newton’s Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica and assume, because it is so old, that it had nothing useful on the laws of motion.

University education
Does it matter where you studied engineering? Do you think you are taught different fundamentals at different universities? Do some say “now, everyone, keep this quiet – the real formula is F = m a2!”?
The answers to the above in order are: no, no, no.
What is more important are things like: how you studied, and the specific educators and the assignments they set.
Nevertheless, people will, at times like when they are employing engineers, think the place of study will reflect someone’s engineering knowledge and engineering skill. This is at its worst when people assume foreign universities offer less applicable education – without even knowing anything about those universities.
I have mentioned in a prior issue the best way to select an engineer when employing – and it had nothing to do with the place of study.
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The common theme and the lesson for the global engineer
You can likely induce from the above that the general issue at play is an emotional bias based on perceptions that are not questioned – as opposed to the use of facts and logic. The last example is likely the most applicable to the global engineer – for practical reasons – but, as you move from one place to another, the use of logic over instinct, bias and intuition becomes even more important.
So, do you tend to judge based on feelings or logic? When you read the above examples, can you imagine yourself making those same mistakes or would you look at the unadulterated facts? 

This is the next article in the culture check series. The previous ones looked at Western and Sino backgrounds. This time, I am focusing on an Indian background.
As before, this about recognising tendencies that can arise from a cultural, philosophical, and economic environments. You might recognise yourself in parts of this – I have a Bangladeshi colleague who describes his home country as an Islamic nation with a Hindu culture. You might recognise colleagues – depending upon where you work. Or you might see none of it at all. The point is awareness so that we can grow as engineers.
And, as with the other articles, I am focusing on potential limitations. Engineers like problems to solve.
There are three aspects I will consider: the perennial caste system, fatalism, and economics.

Caste and the idea of “the right way” and staying in your lane
The caste system, while officially dismantled and certainly less rigid than in centuries past, has had a long and deep influence on Indian society. It organised life around inherited roles. If you were born into a particular group, there were expectations about what you would do for the rest of your life to make an income.
It is wise to note that there were reasons such systems existed. One benefit often overlooked is environmental continuity. If your family and descendants were going to fish the same waters for generations, you had every incentive not to overfish and protect those waters from others. Long-term role continuity can create long-term stewardship – there is a reason this land was able to support so many people. I am not defending the system; I do not care for it, personally, but it did not arise without logic.
But there were not just expectations about what you would do within your caste. There would often be implicit understandings about how it would be done. This would be handed down from one generation to the next because it was established that it would maintain the balance of things. It could also dictate what you should not do – to make it clear which caste you are in.
Often, discussions about the caste systems focus on organisational and social mobility. That is not my focus here. There is plenty written elsewhere about promotion, opportunity, and structural reform. What I am interested in is something more subtle.
When a society has long embedded the idea that roles come with prescribed practices, it can create a strong psychological tendency toward standard procedure.
In engineering, this can show up as a preference for:

• Established standards
• Accepted methods
• Approved processes
• “The way it is done”

Now, standards are not the enemy of engineering. In fact, they are often essential. They encapsulate accumulated knowledge. They protect safety. They provide consistency.
But engineering excellence is not the same as procedural compliance.
If your background encourages the belief that there is a correct, inherited way of doing things, you may be less inclined to reframe a problem. You may ask, “What is the standard process here?” before asking, “Is this the right problem?” That is a subtle but important difference.
Framing is about questioning the boundaries and assumptions. It is about asking whether the standard process even applies in this context. A cultural leaning toward prescribed practice can sometimes make that reframing instinct weaker.
Still, when translated into engineering, the “there is a way” mindset can become a constraint.
Then there is the issue of being a sensual engineer. I have spoken before about the benefits of experiencing the physical aspects of a problem. Touching the thing that is of consideration, listening to it, taking it apart yourself and putting it back together. In the caste system, for many who become engineers, this physically and be an anathema to one’s caste. Thus, the caste system can sometimes limit the experience and perception an engineer will have of an engineering challenge.

Karma, fatalism, and first principles
Another influence often associated with Indian culture is the idea of karma. Whether one believes in it literally or not, when you grow up in an environment where ideas of fate, destiny, and moral causation are frequently discussed, it can subtly shape perspective.
One possible tendency is fatalism.
If something does not work, it may be interpreted as “not meant to be.” If a project fails, there can be a sense that forces beyond control were at play. Even without conscious belief, this ambient perspective can influence how problems are approached.
In engineering, this can weaken first principles thinking.
First principles require you to assume that outcomes are governed by natural laws. If something failed, it failed because of identifiable causes. If something works, it works because of physical relationships. There is no moral dimension. There is no destiny. There is only cause and effect.
A fatalistic undercurrent can reduce the instinct to dig back to fundamentals. It can encourage trial and acceptance rather than analysis and derivation.
Further, it can result in acceptance of how things are – for oneself and others. This is not what engineers are meant to do. They should always be thinking of ways to make thing better for all.
There is, however, another side to this.
Karma can also be interpreted as personal responsibility and perseverance. If you are being tested, you might iterate relentlessly. You might refine and adjust repeatedly to prove worth. In that sense, the same philosophical environment can produce extraordinary persistence.

Developing economy and the power of jugaad
India has developed rapidly, but it remains shaped by decades of operating under resource constraints. From that environment has emerged something widely recognised and even celebrated: jugaad.
As described in Jugaad Innovation by Navi Radjou and his co-authors, jugaad refers to frugal, improvised innovation. It is the art of making things work under severe constraints.
The classic example is the missed call. You ring someone a predetermined number of times and hang up before the call connects. They see the missed call from you with the set number of rings, and they know to meet you at the station. No cost incurred. Communication achieved.
That is ingenuity.
From an engineering perspective, growing up in an environment where cost sensitivity is constant can create a powerful instinct to optimise for affordability. You become highly alert to waste. You find alternative paths. You adapt quickly.
This is an advantage.
However, constant adaptation can also create inconsistency. Engineering systems often rely on repeatability, traceability, and disciplined configuration control. If ad hoc cost-saving improvisation becomes habitual, systemic robustness can suffer.
Systemic thinking requires you to ask not just, “Does this work now?” but, “What are the long-term interactions across the whole system?” Jugaad can sometimes prioritise immediate functionality over systemic integrity.
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What does this mean for you?
If you are from an Indian cultural background, then ask yourself:

• Do I default to standard procedure before reframing the problem?
• Do I ever attribute outcomes to circumstance before returning to first principles?
• Do I optimise for cost at the expense of systemic robustness?
• Do I avoid physical aspects of engineering because they I think they are beneath me?

If you work with Indian engineers, or are moving to India, ask similar questions from the other side:

• Am I misinterpreting procedural preferences as lack of creativity?
• Am I undervaluing frugal innovation because it looks informal?
• Am I failing to recognise when persistence is strength rather than stubbornness?
• Do I need to communicate more the value of trying something new and being prepared to be a bit more physical?

As I have said before, your background is not your destiny. But by noting how it affects you, you can improve yourself further.
That is what makes someone not just a local engineer, but a global one.

When going for a job, engineers know they can do that exact job. They know they do it well. They would not have applied otherwise. But when it comes to explaining why they can do the job (be it in their resume, their cover letter or the interview), the message does not always get across.
So the job goes to someone else – likely someone who previously had a job that was almost the same (that’s the go-to-move used by many employers).
You have probably experienced the above yourself.
In the previous article, The Need for Willpower, I talked about how frustrating it can be to have strong global engineering skills while working for people who are certain they know better.
I also said I would explain how you can use these to better explain yourself when going for a job.
So let’s talk about that now.
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For graduates: proving you understand engineering, not just exams
Graduate engineers often look identical on paper.
Same degree. Same subjects. Same grades.
What interviewers are really trying to determine is whether you understand engineering, or whether you simply learned how to pass engineering exams.
This is where noting framing, first principles, and systemic thinking can give you the edge.
Point to any example you can and explain:

• how you framed the problem,
• where you relied on first principles, and
• how you considered the system beyond your immediate task,

you will then immediately distinguish yourself from the majority of graduates.
Design projects or any work experience during study are best here. They are often the closest thing students experience to real engineering practice: incomplete information, competing constraints, trade-offs, and uncertainty. If you have access to design projects — especially open-ended ones — leverage them heavily.
For example:
“At first I thought this was a materials problem, but after reframing it as a thermal–mechanical interaction, the constraints became obvious…”
or:
“Rather than relying on testing, which would be time consuming, I went back to first principles to inform my decision. I found that…”
and:
“I didn’t want to simply assume what was presented. I considered the broader system for opportunities or risk and found that I could…”
Statements like this tell an interviewer something very important: you weren’t just executing procedures — you were thinking like an engineer.

Experienced engineers: making expertise transferable
For experienced and senior engineers, the challenge changes.
At this level, employers aren’t just evaluating what you’ve done. They’re trying to work out whether your capability is locked to a specific industry, organisation, or economic environment — or whether it travels.
This is where global engineering fundamentals really matter.
Instead of listing achievements, you explain how you think:

• how you’ve reframed problems when projects stalled,
• how you’ve used first principles when standards, precedent, or organisational habit were misleading,
• how you’ve thought systemically to uncover risks or opportunities others missed.

Crucially, you make explicit that these are generalised attributes:
“It should be noted that I was not following standard procedure. They’re engineering fundamentals applicable to all industries. Industries like [INDUSTRY YOU ARE APPLYING TO]. That’s why they apply even when the context changes.”
This is especially important if you’re moving between industries, organisations at different levels of maturity, or regions with very different economic backgrounds. Engineering does not exist in a vacuum — constraints, incentives, and decision-making are shaped by economic reality just as much as by culture or structure.
Being able to articulate that awareness signals depth.

Engineering managers: scaling judgment across people and contexts
For engineering managers — engineering leads, heads of R&D, CTOs — the emphasis shifts again.
At this level, you’re no longer just applying framing, first principles, and systemic thinking yourself. You’re developing them in others.
Strong candidates for these roles can clearly explain:

• what good engineering judgment looks like,
• how they encourage it in their teams,
• and how those attributes need to be interpreted differently across industries, cultures, organisations, and economic environments.

This is where global engineering truly becomes a leadership skill.
A manager who understands that framing, systems, and first principles manifest differently depending on context is far better equipped to guide teams. Not by imposing answers, but by shaping how problems are understood in the first place.
What’s more, the fact that you know what the attributes are of the expert engineer will likely separate you from other would-be managers. You show that you are indeed an expert engineer – as expected of a manager – as well as having the required leadership attributes. A powerful combination you should articulate.

Why this works: labels make thinking visible
A lot of engineers already do these things. But they just don’t label them – making it hard for other to understand or see your ability.
When you say:

• “I reframed the problem…”
• “I went back to first principles…”
• “I broadened the system boundary…”

you’re giving the listener a framework they can link your past actions to – making it easier to appreciate and recall.
I’ve used this approach myself repeatedly when applying for roles. I link all the actions I mentioned to an attribute of engineering expertise. And without fail, people switch on. They understand what I did and how significant it was because I gave it a name and explained the meaning.
If you’ve read my book, you’ll know there are many other attributes worth developing — fixation, attachment, goal analysis, and more — particularly for leadership roles. But framing, first principles, and systemic thinking are the core.
They are the fastest way to make your engineering capability legible.
And once it’s legible, it becomes employable.
Also, if your application involves moving countries, working across cultures, or managing international teams, one book I strongly recommend is The Culture Map. It provides a practical framework for understanding how communication, authority, and decision-making vary globally — all of which directly affect engineering work.
Start mentioning these things in your next application. And all the best with that application too – along with all the others that follow. I hope your engineering career continues to be onward and upward – offering you all you wanted from it.
 

I have mentioned in a prior post about the need for willpower (and how you need fuel) when you are working on improving your engineering skill.
In that case, I was talking about how people find it easier to resist change. And how that in turn can make them feel like weights dragging you down or holding you back.
This metaphorical drag on your progress would sap your energy – and you would seriously need to fuel yourself with quality food so you could push on.
But it can sometimes be even worse than that.
Not only will people resist the change. They will sometimes tell you that you are wrong, that their way is better.
In cases like this, you sometimes need to endure working in a manner that you know is suboptimal until your time comes.
But this has likely raised questions like:

• But how does this come about?
• How is it that people can think they have a better way?
• Do they know something more?
• Should they too have learned about the importance of things like framing, systemic thinking and first principles?

The answers to these questions are:

• Luck
• Unfounded confidence
• No
• Yes

Let’s start with the first aspect, Luck – because it explains the next and so on.
I have also noted in a prior post – on starting your own engineering business – the two important elements of business success: the business model and location. These were noted by the demographer Bernard Salt. He also went on to claim that intelligence and hard work were something the laws of business did not care for – they could never overcome a bad business model or poor location. The reason why I agree with this is not only because it aligns with personal experience, but, because, being a demographer, Bernard Salt bases this assertion on the data on all businesses – not his personal experience with a handful of businesses. Thus, his assertion is objective and universal.
Those engineers who think they know the real core of engineering have been lucky enough to have worked for companies that have been successful. They assume their engineering excellence played a major role – thinking it’s all about intelligence and hard work; having no idea about the importance of the business model and location.
Being so certain company success was a result of their excellence, they can’t help but be confident.
The kind of confidence that means they have not bothered learning more – so they do not know something more.
Even though they should take the time to learn more.
It’s near impossible to argue with such people. They will have stories of how their way saved the company and how that proves they know what’s best.
As you become more informed and a global engineer, you will start to see how it was external factors that allowed for these engineers’ success.
But you will not be believed if you try to explain it. And then the frustration can set in. And all you can do is endure.
This sounds rather bleak – I know. And it is – I have lived it before.
But I have always been glad to know what I know. And I have learned to choose my battles.
And you should too. Value your knowledge and pace yourself as you apply it so you do not fatigue or become bitter. Sometimes the only thing worse than someone with unfounded confidence is a cynic who is always annoyingly right about what’s going wrong.
So next time, let’s talk about how your global engineering skills can get you a better job.