President’s Notebook
MASTER APEGA
Everyday Leadership — Pass it On
BY CONNIE PARENTEAU, P.ENG., FEC, FGC (HON.) APEGA President
My journey to the APEGA presidency began with the perfect career choice — a choice that stemmed from the right suggestion from the right person at the right time. I was one of perhaps 100 high school students my guidance counsellor would talk to in an average year, but he knew who I was and what I might become. He saw things in me that I didn’t know were there, and he made a suggestion that would, as it turns out, profoundly affect my life. I’ve said this before but it bears repeating: Being your President is a huge privilege. I get to lead a great organization at a critical time in its history. But I did not get here without the support, influence, and leadership of others. The same holds true for my other professional and career accomplishments. And it all started with a counsellor who was simply doing his job. “There’s a panel discussion on engineering happening at the university,” he said. “Your math and science marks are strong. Perhaps you should go.” I knew nothing about engineering. In fact, I didn’t even understand what it was. So of course I had no clue it would turn into an incredible career. Still, I acted on my counsellor’s suggestion, and in doing so found my passion. I’m embarrassed to say I can’t remember the counsellor’s name. But in a way that’s appropriate. All leadership — but especially the everyday kind that’s available to us all — is not centred on the person doing the leading. It’s centred on the recipient of the kind word, the timely
piece of advice, the positive reinforcement, the nudge in the right direction, the carefully crafted criticism. Everyday leaders sometimes fade into the background of your life, but their impact carries on as you carry on. They are empathetic, understanding and selfless. They find time, as they go about their regular business, to recognize the abilities and strengths of others. Sometimes the things they notice are latent or well-hidden — it takes that outside observer to make them apparent. That’s certainly been my experience.
THE APEGA CONNECTION
By now you may be wondering, what does any of this have to do with being a Professional Engineer or Geoscientist? Let me connect it to you and your Association. North American society has a propensity for celebrating the individual. (I make this point in an edition of The PEG that features about 10 photos of me!) There’s really nothing wrong with this propensity, but we do need to remind ourselves that individual achievement is only one element in any success story. Most of the recipients of our Summit Awards are individuals. Listen to their words and a universal truth emerges: no one succeeds without support. Do recipients heap praise on themselves? No. Instead, they inspire us all with their humility and their willingness to give others credit. At least four Summit Awards directly connect to the topic of this column, in that
4 | PEG SUMMER 2015
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