The case study is about an experience I had working with a group of chemical engineering students on an overseas community engagement project where we had to build and install water purification systems for a village. To make the project more organized, deadlines were also set for specific project objectives at different intervals. During one of the project days, however, our team faced adverse weather conditions in the morning, so the work only started in the afternoon. Naturally, we were not sure that we could complete our tasks, which included layering and gluing the walls, as well as installing the pipes and filters for the system. To make matters worse, we had to complete them by the end of the day, as we had to assist the local engineers with other installation work the next day on the same water purification system and they could not continue unless we completed our tasks. In a panic, we tried to rush our tasks without properly distributing our roles, severely compromising the quality of our construction and installation work even though we had completed them. Looking back, we could have found ways to work more effectively. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay This case study intends to identify which Rottmann et al engineering leadership leadership orientation would have been best suited in that situation, as well as ask how a better understanding of engineering leadership and its characteristics would have helped us as future engineers in grass. It would seem quite clear that collaborative optimization would be most appropriate in that situation. As highlighted by Rottmann et al, understanding collaborative optimization could have helped us develop a highly efficient work process, in which all our capabilities and strengths could have been fully utilized and exploited. In this case, the problem was a lack of direction that resulted in inefficient task allocation as the entire operation required all aspects to be completed in tandem with each other. This could have been avoided if we had done something we were more familiar with. For example, I was more familiar with layering and cementing walls, but instead I found myself working on installing the sink. However, in such a situation, a leader who only embodies the concept of collaborative optimization would not have been enough. As mentioned by Colcleugh, a catalytic leader would not only optimize task allocation, but could also serve as a source of motivation, potentially boosting member morale. If someone among us had stepped up to lead and exemplify these characteristics, the team might have experienced a motivational boost towards our goal of completing the construction and at the same time be able to fully optimize our efforts by carrying out familiar tasks such as layering of the walls that I was more skilled at this. This clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of a catalytic style of engineering leadership through collaborative optimization as it is able to motivate its members to work even more effectively. Indeed, collaborative optimization may be the most important indicator of competent engineering leadership, being the orientation most closely linked to the ideal engineering leader. Therefore,.