Jeff Perry
Jeff Perry is a leadership and career expert known for helping individuals, teams, and organizations unlock their potential in all facets of life. Given his background in engineering, business, and leadership, he specializes in working with engineering and technical professionals, but the principles he shares are universal.
He is the author of the bestselling book, “The Intentional Engineer: A Guide to a Purpose-Driven Life and Career for Engineers and Technical Professionals.”
Jeff received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University, and a MBA from the University of Washington.
You can reach Jeff on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffcperry or learn more at jeff-perry.com.
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your Entrepreneur journey/venture/initiative.
I grew up in a typical USA middle-class suburb in Utah, and quickly found tendencies for math, science, and engineering while also enjoying sports and outdoor activities such as snowboarding, basketball, and boating.
I decided to pursue mechanical engineering, but then after graduation got into software development for a few years. After realizing that wasn’t a great fit (I didn’t like staring at code all day), I went back to mechanical/manufacturing engineering and process improvement, and got into engineering leadership.
Then I had opportunities to run internal training/coaching programs and I LOVED it! That lit the fire for more of a focus on personal and leadership development, which is what I do full-time now.
So I went from building products and processes to building people!
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business /initiative? What motivated you within to say YES, go for it!”
It was finding this intersection of experiences and interests that I had and seeing a way to turn it into something that had impact.
I was able to combine my wide engineering/leadership experiences with my deep passions and interests in building people, so now I get to serve as a coach, trainer, speaker, and author building careers and leadership in engineering/tech professionals.
Tell us something about your initiative or current role. What is it about, and what impact are you trying to make?
I’m currently embarking on a new writing project – writing a series of books for career and leadership development. The first one will be on professional networking, and future books will be on topics such as job interviews, personal branding, communication skills, negotiations, and more!
For each book, I’ll also have a related online course people can also get access to! That’s a big endeavor, but a suite of resources and writing I’m excited to get out!
Your journey and your vision are very inspiring, but are there any achievements or accomplishments you would like to mention?
Writing my first book, “The Intentional Engineer” was a big endeavor. I thought I wanted to write a book at some point, but never actually committed to it for a long time.
Then I had a mentor who suggested I get on it, and I also had a speaking opportunity that would be perfect to share my book at. So I committed to writing the book, and went from idea to publishing in 3 months!
It’s been great to see the response ever since, and the way it has helped many people.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
I’d love to build people and help them increase their capacity to handle difficulty, change, and complexity. If we can do that, then they can do great things!
For example, the primary people I work with are in engineering/tech. Those people build some of the most important technologies and design infrastructure used by all of us! If I can influence more engineers to be their best, then the impact they can have on the economy, technology, innovation, and in their communities can be immense!
Women are a growing force in the workplaces worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. What are your thoughts about women leadership today?
We need more of it!
My favorite manager I ever had was a woman. She had a different way of leading me than any of my male leaders, but she was SO good!
Women should always have a strong voice in companies, communities, and the world!
What would you want to say to our young leaders/audience reading this?
Define your intention. Get clear on the life you want to live and the kind of person you want to become.
Then act in accordance with that vision so you can create the impact you were meant to have on this planet!
But it starts with you!
If I can help, you might consider starting with some of my free resources at jeff-perry.com/resource.