CCAL’s BMO Mentorship Program. Mentors; Their Experience and Thoughts about Mentorship

CCAL asked current CCAL mentors Shannon Bruce, Steven Paget, Elyse Tomie and John McCarthy to respond, in their own words, to some questions about their mentorship experience.

Shannon Bruce (advertising, business administration)

Describe your motivation for being a BMO Mentor?
It is such a privilege and pleasure to be a source of information, guidance, life experience and hopefully, reassurance to someone who is starting to chomp down on life.  Anything that I can do to help is a thrill!  Also, there were no resources even close to resembling the mentorship program when I was progressing through my Bachelor of Commerce degree and as an alumnus, I am very proud of the (fmr) Faculty of Management / Haskayne School of Business / CCAL for nurturing and leveraging resources that manifest in the mentorship program.

 

Steven Paget (petroleum technologist, equity research, corporate strategy, securities, finance instructor, Haskayne/MRU)

Why is mentoring important for students?
My experience has been that students like to hear about working life - about the highs and the lows, about how we got our jobs, about the culture of the different businesses where we have worked. Every student has his or her own passions, interests and experiences that they bring to the table. I love it when students dig in and work hard and show they want to succeed.

 

Elyse Tomie (real estate – development/leasing, retail leasing)

What you have learned and what interests you when speaking to students?
Having a mentee has provided me with a new lens of thought; I find that I look back on decisions that I have made with a new appreciation for what I did right and what I could have done differently. In engaging in discussions with students, there are a lot of “things I have done” that I can provide insight on, but there are also a lot of experiences that we draw parallels on….i.e. teamwork is teamwork, the same challenges that a student may be experiencing as part of a group project are often no different than the challenges that I’ve experienced in an office setting. We work together to find solutions. It's not all about advice, sometimes is just listening and understanding…I like to think, 1 cheerleader is often enough.

 

John McCarthy (Engineering, MBA, consulting, international public policy)

What are some key themes in a mentoring dialogue?
Mentors are not a technical resource…Google (and your profs) do a much better job!  However, there are a lot of unwritten rules related to business and careers and mentors can provide a neutral thoughtful and experienced commentary.  When I think about the folks I have had the opportunity to work with, I am surprised how often the conversations move to some common things: how to set goals; developing business relationships, how to balance work and life commitments, how to plan for the short, medium and long term.  Sometimes it is just talking about the business and office climate.

 

For more information about CCAL’s BMO Mentorship Program and other business leadership development opportunities, visit https://haskayne.ucalgary.ca/ccal