Engineering Leadership Training Gains Value Through Workplace Application
Brent Barcimo, a 14-year employee at a major aerospace company, says Stanford Online’s Engineering Leadership Program was valuable because its lessons could be applied immediately in his work. He argues that the harder task was not completing the coursework but finding the confidence to use and share what he had learned. Barcimo also sees the Stanford credential as evidence of continued professional development and a meaningful addition to his résumé.
Leadership knowledge becomes useful when it is applied at work
Brent Barcimo has worked at a major aerospace company for 14 years and describes the Stanford Online Engineering Leadership Program chiefly in terms of immediate workplace use. He says the content was “immediately actionable”: material he could bring into his job and begin using to become a better professional.
For Barcimo, acquiring knowledge and using it are distinct tasks. The difficult step was not simply completing the material, but finding the courage to put it into practice. As he began doing so, he says, he also started sharing what he was learning with other people.
I think a lot of people learn and they don't actually apply. And so the hardest part for me after gaining this knowledge was to actually just have the courage to utilize that knowledge.
A course video shown alongside his remarks presents a sequence of modules and supporting topics focused on developing and delivering an idea. The display identifies one module as “Pick an idea to sell,” followed by modules titled “Why New Ideas?,” “Packaging,” and “Deliver.” It also lists creating visibility, a pitch-meeting checklist, and common mistakes in delivering an idea.
| Module | Visible topic |
|---|---|
| Module 1 | Pick an idea to sell |
| Module 2 | Why New Ideas? |
| Module 4 | Packaging |
| Module 5 | Deliver |
The display does not explain the full curriculum, but it gives concrete examples of the material Barcimo calls actionable: choosing an idea, considering the case for new ideas, packaging it, and delivering it, alongside guidance on visibility, pitch meetings, and delivery mistakes. He describes the program’s presenters as “amazing individuals,” naming Bob Sutton, Rieda Katila, and Maggie Neale as particularly strong.
The credential carries value as evidence of continued development
Brent Barcimo says he was initially excited by the prospect of being affiliated with Stanford, and he characterizes the course as “super high quality.” He also valued its pacing: learners have 60 days to complete each specific class, which he says gave him plenty of time.
A photograph shows Barcimo holding his completion certificate in front of a Stanford and Stanford Center for Professional Development backdrop. He says the credential has “outsized value” in conversations with other people because it communicates an effort to seek knowledge, improve oneself, and stay relevant.
These certificates have an outsized value because you're seeking knowledge, you're trying to better yourself, you're trying to stay relevant.
Barcimo also gives the certificate a straightforward career role: he says Stanford courses appear on a résumé, considers the program a highlight on his own résumé, and says he is proud to have completed it. In his account, the Stanford association, the presenters, and the certificate matter together—but the value he assigns to the credential rests on what it represents: an ongoing effort to build knowledge and remain professionally current.