[ PRinciples ]

One of the difficult things about being an engineer (…besides everything you’ve just thought of…) is being able to recognise competency. 

Knowing your own competency is essential, especially in high-risk endeavours like pipelines and other potentially hazardous industries.  Similarly, knowing the competency of the others around you is essential too.

Not often contemplated is that there are two kinds of competencies:  knowledge, and behavioural competencies.

A person can be very competent in knowledge, but behave terribly: unethically and without principles.  On the other hand, you can have an ethical, principled person who keeps making mistakes.  Neither is a good situation.