PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
‘To Teach is to Learn Twice’ Joseph Joubert, the French essayist, penned the above words two centuries ago. But any successful mentor will tell you that they still have relevance today. No matter where you are in your career, mentoring and being mentored are powerful ways to learn and grow. This is not lost on APEGA, which supports mentoring in at least three direct and success-building ways — the annual Summit Awards, a formal mentoring program, and the APEGA Mentoring Conference, which takes place November 2 and 3 in Calgary
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share, and let’s both enrich ourselves,’ ” says Mr. Barua, Oil and Gas Engineering Manager at WSP Canada’s Calgary office. “Not only do I get a chance to share my experience and insight, but I also ask my mentees to tell me about something they’re working on or a project they’ve done. It gives me an opportunity to learn a new subject and at the same time evaluate the presentation skills of my mentee,” he explains. One of his mentees taught him about a specialized oil and gas filtering process. Others have taught him about new mining and geotechnical techniques. He’s also picked up some computer tips. “It’s this two-way learning process that makes mentoring relationships so wonderful,” he says. WORKING IT OUT Over the years, Sam Barua, P.Eng., left, has mentored many young engineering graduates and foreign-trained professionals, sharing his experiences and helping guide their careers. He’s working with his current mentee, Cesar Garcia, E.I.T., to develop his communication and teamwork skills, and deepen his industry knowledge. Mr. Garcia, originally from Peru, studied engineering in Montreal and moved to Calgary last summer. -photo courtesy Sam Barua, P.Eng.
Lorna Harron, P.Eng., and Sam Barua, P.Eng., have a lot to say about the rewards of mentoring. The two past recipients of the APEGA Outstanding Mentor Summit Award speak of giving back to their profession, passing on their knowledge, and helping mentees achieve their career goals. Another reward that’s not quite as obvious is the shared opportunity for learning and growth that mentors themselves experience. Mentors often learn just as much from their mentees as the mentees learn from them. It’s known by several terms, including reflexive, reverse, and multi-modal mentoring. “When I meet with mentees, I tell them, ‘There are things you know better than me. There are things I know better than you. Let’s
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