Consulting-Specifying Engineer - February 2008 - (Page 27)

BY AMY K. SMITH, PH.D., Training Manager, PSAV Presentation Services, Schaumburg, Ill. s the world squeezes down staff sizes, enlarges requirements for billable hours, and we spend more work days than not constantly behind one project or another, there seems to be no room for our own curiosity within our fields. Gone are the days where we had time to thoroughly investigate a topic about which we wondered, spend time building researched arguments for the right thing to do, or just stayed up on our professional reading for our own professional development. Who has time for mentoring? This is the first major myth of professional mentoring: There’s just not enough time for it. Perhaps because so many people misconstrue what mentoring is, there is a lack of it and, among the mentoring programs and efforts that do exist, experiences can be frustrating or faulty at best. And in a world where time is money, mentoring is expensive and costly. After all, whom would we bill for the time spent mentoring? There’s the second myth: Mentoring is expensive. In fact, when we juxtapose time and cost, studies indicate that a 1% increase in employees’ productivity impacts the bottom line by 3% in profitability (Mossop, 2008). Examining that ratio in light of the cost of other professional education venues, such as conferences and seminars, which can include travel time, costs, and materials, mentoring costs are dwarfed in comparison. Other myths proffer that mentoring only can be beneficial under formal, structural guidance from a society, institution, or our own firms and businesses. False. Many mentoring programs aren’t “programs” at all. Rather, some of the most successful, enriching, and lasting mentoring examples informally span years and cross industries as one-on-one relationships. Some believe that mentoring belongs solely to human resource professionals—it’s their jobs to set up and monitor the mentoring systems. While this does happen, this myth begs the question of who should own mentoring? You should own mentoring. Great mentors are not born, they are made, crafted from a deep passion for and knowledge of their fields and a desire to share. But that’s not all. Some believe that great mentors only come with extensive experience. Again, not true. Some great mentors are the young engineers who provide great questions. These questions become the foundation for learning on both sides of the relationship; mentors and mentees are the ones who can see situations through a different lens and ask why. Mentoring is not an activity for only sages with years of experience, free time, or on the crag of their careers waiting to jump to what’s next. Simply defined, mentoring is the transfer of knowledge and experience to an immediate need or struggle to enhance skills, gain understanding, or change behavior. Mentoring feeds the basic human need of belonging to something larger than ourselves, ascribing ourselves to the big-picture purpose of our engineering field. A Mentoring survey results In November, Consulting-Specifying Engineer editors surveyed readers about their mentoring programs. Out of 580 respondents, 36% have a program, while 15% are working on one. The results were typical, and showed that many myths are still out there. Mentoring programs aren’t time-consuming—that’s a myth, and the results agree: • Only 16% of respondents said mentoring programs “Take too much time” • Only 27% of companies who don’t have an mentoring program said it’s due to “Not enough time in the day.” Pair with seasoned engineers Assistance in selecting conferences, seminars Support continuing education Networking events Pass on required reading Dues and society memberships Career counseling Study help 0 81% 57% 57% 51% 51% 50% 49% 36% 20 40 60 80 100 Figure 1: Of the 36% of respondents with a mentoring program, most have a program to help novice engineers gain a foothold in the building and construction industry. Additionally, 48% of the respondents who have a mentoring program say that it often falls by the wayside due to project stresses. Respondents could select more than one option. Source: 2007 Mentoring Survey of Engineers, Consulting-Specifying Engineer Better, more experienced workforce Better understanding of entire engineering process Stronger teamwork atmosphere More dedicated workforce/ employee retention Veteran engineers learn from novice engineers Financial returns (ROI) on mentoring investments Novice engineers earn licensure faster 0 76% 70% 70% 59% 37% 26% 26% 20 40 60 80 100 Figure 2: Program benefits vary; a more experienced workforce and a better understanding of the entire building process also ranked high on the list of those companies looking to start a mentor program. Respondents could select more than one option. Source: 2007 Mentoring Survey of Engineers, Consulting-Specifying Engineer Consulting-Specifying Engineer • FEBRUARY 2008 27

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer - February 2008

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - February 2008 Contents Viewpoint News M/E Roundtable How To Write Control Sequences Mentoring Engineers: Myths, Motivations, and Models Keep Young Electrical Engineers Grounded Protecting a Vulnerable Population Codes & Standards Case Study New Products Equipment Lifecycles Advertisers Index Green Space

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - February 2008

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