march 2009 issue
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THE SUMMIT SERIES
From Micromanager to Top Mentor
It took a coaching course and a change of approach to become a good mentor, says Summit Award winner Tom Greenwood-Madsen, P.Eng.
BY JANE MARSHALL
Freelance Writer
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ON STAGE |
Remember that smothering, micromanaging teacher who just wouldn’t back off and let you process tasks your own way? Chances are that overly hands-on person thought he or she was helping and was oblivious to those annoying — and counterproductive — tendencies.
Tom Greenwood-Madsen, P.Eng., knows that micromanager all too well. In fact when he looks back to his early experiences working with engineers-in-training, that’s just the sort of supervisor he was.
“I always thought I was a pretty good supervisor, that I delegated well. Then I took a course in effective coaching,” says the engineer with ATCO Electric. “I found that the way I actually coached was 180 degrees out of phase with what I thought I was doing. I didn’t like being managed the way I was managing others, so I changed what I was doing.
“That’s when I started mentoring.”
It’s working out for his protégés and for him, too. In fact Mr. Greenwood-Madsen won APEGGA’s Outstanding Mentor Summit Award in 2008, making him its inaugural recipient. He was also among the first members to become a mentor through the official APEGGA program, joining in 2004, the year it was conceived.
His road from micromanager to award-winning mentor started with the realization he could improve. Mr. Greenwood-Madsen had to recognize his own faults as a teacher and develop a whole new tack.
“I had a tendency to meddle and steer. I think it’s really common with engineers, because usually you are giving people work that you know how you want done. So it’s pretty easy to interfere. But unless you show trust in people, they don’t ever grow where they can.”
Relaxed, Casual — But Serious
A major point he’s picked up is that learning processes are tricky and unique. That means a mentor has to adjust.
His motto is to be flexible and open-minded — key concepts that have earned the admiration of protégés. His conscientious approach has changed the lives of many future engineers who appreciate his warmth and patience.
Mentoring, coaching sessions with protégés, information sessions and the annual National Mentoring Conference put on by APEGGA are some of the chances Mr. Greenwood-Madsen gets to put his skills to use.
“What most people need to get things done is confidence. I like to get people to feel that they do have the capability.” Although he takes mentoring seriously, his approach is relaxed and casual, letting the protégé decide on the process and manage where it goes. “We talk about whatever is on their minds and it all depends on the individual.”
Graduates face many challenges as they leave school, and Mr. Greenwood-Madsen understands this. “When you come out of school you’re counting on a few people to introduce you to the industry.”
Mr. Greenwood-Madsen provides that entrée. He’s also no stranger to the world of volunteering, within and beyond his profession.
He received an APEGGA voluntary service award in 2003 and gives what he can, whenever he can, to help budding engineers. He’s chaired and spoke at APEGGA member induction ceremonies and Iron Ring workshops. And he volunteers for the City of Edmonton Terwillegar Park Advisory Committee, the Alberta Heart and Stroke Foundation, and the Terwillegar Riverbend Advisory Council.
His advice to prospective engineers: “Get involved. That’s what makes for good citizens and professionals. But you have to find something that appeals to you. This meets a need for me.”
Perhaps part of what makes Mr. Greenwood-Madsen such a good mentor is his wide range of interests, most notably his love for music. How about this: he owns 42 bass guitars. That is not a typo — 42. “I’m over the top,” he admits.
He has a poignant connection to music. When his now-deceased brother was diagnosed as terminally ill, Mr. Greenwood-Madsen took some time away from the hospital to shop at a nearby mall. Like many people in the post-Beatles era, Mr. Greenwood-Madsen was in a garage band with his brother when they were teenagers. A stop in the mall’s music store inspired him to buy a bass guitar.
Even in the midst of a disheartening situation, he was able to be flexible and find something positive. That spark spawned many music-filled evenings with his 1960s and ’70s rock band.
The Ponytail Story
Middle-aged rockers like their ponytails and Mr. Greenwood-Madsen is no different. But he was willing to shed his for the right cause. Last year he had his head shaved to help fight cancer.
Fellow ATCO employees and the company itself rallied for his cause. “We raised around $43,000 all together, with ATCO Electric matching employee donations and donations in-kind.” Even the hair itself went to good use, to the Cross Cancer Clinic wig shop for chemotherapy patients.
Ponytail-loss aside, the extra efforts on and off the job are worth it, Mr. Greenwood-Madsen says.
“I don’t think this should be a chore. I do this because it’s fun,” he says with a laugh.
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