President’s Notebook
APEGA
THE EVERYDAY LIST
they celebrate Members for influencing or helping others. The Outstanding Men- tor Award, the Community Service Award, the Excellence in Education Award, and the Women in Engineering and Geoscience Champion Award — these go to Members with roles particularly suited to everyday leadership. Our awards are examples of the selflessness and service that lie at the core of professionalism. A leadership thread, after all, runs through our Code of Ethics . I’ll single out the requirement that we “uphold and enhance the honour, dignity and reputation of (our) professions and thus the ability of the professions to serve the public interest.” To me, this says that our individual reputations affect the overall reputation of our professions. Most of us hope that others describe us in positive terms, even when they disagree with us. We hope we matter, in other words. We hope we’re having a positive impact on the people around us — the stranger on the bus, the student in our class, the Member-in- Training on our work team. But hope is a really poor strategy. If you want to matter, you have to make yourself matter. There is certainly value in quietly and competently going about your technical work. But there is also value in influencing others to be the best they can be. Here’s another connection. APEGA requires that all of us keep current, through the Continuing Professional Development Program (CPD Program). The opportunities for everyday leadership in CPD are legion. CPD is not only about taking courses or attending presentations. Giving back to your professions, your technical societies, and your communities — all of this qualifies as professional development. APEGA considers giving back to be part of your own education. The Association even offers a formal mentoring program, allowing you to give back in a direct, one-on-one, everyday leadership way.
This is a subject dear to me, so I hope you’ll excuse a bit of corniness. Let me offer you an everyday way to be an everyday leader, by providing a few suggestions you can use in your own lives and careers. • Recognize — What positive things have I said about others? • Empower — How have I helped others reach their goals? • Demonstrate Self Respect — What have I done to be good to myself? • Express Gratitude Often — Have I said thank you to someone?
THANK YOU
With the last point in mind, I have to say that my high school counsellor was but one of many influences. A parade of other leaders have played important roles in my personal and professional growth. Among them are my colleagues, students, other professional women, APEGA Councillors and other APEGA volunteers, and, of course, APEGA staff — including CEO Mark Flint, P.Eng., and his predecessor, Neil Windsor, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.), FCAE, P.E. (Hon.), along with Al Schuld, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.), a former Registrar of APEGA who recently retired.
FINAL KEEP-IN-MIND POINTS
• Great leaders create opportunities. • Never underestimate your ability to influence the future. • Recognizing the simple does not mean little. So thank you, everyone. Lead on!
Questions or comments? president@apega.ca
SUMMER 2015 PEG | 5
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