PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Kathy Sendall, CM, P.Eng. Calgary • former senior vice- president with Petro- Canada • director on several corporate boards • recipient of many honours and awards The best advice I ever received came from this quote that I read very early in my career: “The more I think about it, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more
Meditation is one of the most important parts of my life and I can't imagine life without it. It changed my life in the most amazing way and that change is available to anyone who is open with their heart and mind. Owen Mierke, P.Eng. Edmonton • Project Manager with Associated Engineering • recipient of the CEA 2015 Harold L. Morrison Rising Young Professional Award • recipient of the ACEC 2016 A.D. Williams Award The best advice I ever received was satisfy yourself first. This advice came from Herb Kuehne, P.Eng., Associated Engineering’s Senior Vice-President of Infrastructure. It was early in my career, when I was completing a detailed design assignment. Let me explain: For young engineers, development is founded on mentoring and senior engineering advice to build confidence and ability. This type of development is common in every industry. As a young professional you may, over time, find yourself relying too heavily on a senior engineer or mentor to fill in the blanks or provide you with the solution, rather than seeking out the answer yourself, or at least satisfying yourself first. This can be attributed to complacency or maybe laziness, and is not fair to developing your career — and certainly isn’t fair for your senior manager. Seek out advice for things you simply do not know the answer to and bounce your ideas off peers and senior staff. In all your work, don’t assume someone else will catch what you have missed or fill in
KATHY SENDALL, P.ENG… …a positive attitude brings success in life
important than facts. It is more important than the past, than educa- tion, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say, or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 per cent what happens to me and 90 per cent how I react to it. And so it is with you… We are in charge of our attitudes.” -Charles R. Swindoll, Minister and Author This spoke to me so compellingly that I copied it and pasted it on my desk where it remained for my entire career. When faced with personal or professional challenge or adversity, it was an im- portant reminder that my attitude was what determined the impact on me. I have come to believe that a positive attitude, perspective and resiliency are perhaps the most important skills to develop to ensure success in life. Ash Khan, P.Eng. Calgary • retired oilfield executive • supporter of humanitarian projects in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including education and clean-water initiatives • recipient of a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal In the early ’70s I was a fresh graduate, having just completed my master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. I started out working in the pipeline department at Home Oil, an oil and gas production company, then a few years later I moved on to the joint ventures department.
the blanks. Satisfying yourself first applies to all engineering levels, and
by doing so you produce excellence.
OWEN MIERKE, P.ENG… …seek out your own answers rather than relying on others
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