Kate Leone on Why Jumping to Solutions Is One of Engineering’s Most Expensive Bad Habits

In Episode 4, Matt sits down with Kate Leone, a mechatronics engineer whose experience spans humanitarian engineering, robotics, telecommunications, and major infrastructure projects.From growing up between Camden and Hong Kong, to Engineers Without Borders projects in India and Nepal, and into large Australian infrastructure programs, Kate has developed a sharp instinct for understanding problems before jumping to solutions.This episode explores why engineers are trained to move fast, how risk often starts with silent confusion, and why problem framing is a technical skill that directly impacts project outcomes.Additional ResourcesVisit our website: fullsendengineering.comEmail Matt: [email protected] with Kate on LinkedInHave you ever seen a project jump to a solution before the problem was fully understood? What happened, and what would you do differently now? Share your experience in the comments and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode!Timestamps[00:00:00] Introduction to Kate Leone[00:02:00] Growing Up Between Camden and Hong Kong[00:04:30] Learning to Relate to Authority[00:06:30] Early Interest in Architecture[00:08:30] Choosing Engineering Instead[00:10:45] Discovering Mechatronics and Robotics[00:12:00] University Internships and Early Rejection[00:14:30] Landing an Internship in Hong Kong[00:17:00] Early Site Experience[00:20:00] Engineers Without Borders[00:22:30] India Fieldwork Experience[00:25:30] Why Technically Good Solutions Fail[00:27:30] Learning to Frame the Real Problem[00:30:00] Designing Low-Resource Solutions[00:34:30] Nepal Project and Rapid Prototyping[00:39:30] Returning as a Facilitator[00:42:30] Capstone Project and Assistive Technology[00:45:00] End-to-End Project Ownership[00:50:00] Transition to Major Infrastructure[00:55:30] Defects, Testing, and Asset Performance[01:00:10] Silent Confusion and Engineering Risk[01:07:30] Automation and the Future of Engineering[01:14:30] Advice for Engineers[01:20:30] Final Reflections and Wrap-Up