Peter Tanchak began his career as a pipeline engineer at a time when the industry was rumbling to life in a way never before seen in Canada. The excitement surrounding the industry attracted many professionals from a wide range of educational backgrounds – some of whom had little to no pipeline experience.

And so, to engage the younger generation and to help facilitate the passing of technical and engineering knowledge from mature to young pipeliners, Peter became a founding member of the Young Pipeliners Association of Canada (YPAC). Last year, the organization partnered with the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA Foundation) to set up a mentoring program.

“There are now a substantial number of young people in the industry but there’s also a large number of people nearing retirement,” says Peter, an infrastructure and planning engineer at Enbridge. “We needed to capture the experiences and knowledge of pipeliners over the last 35 years before all of the older generation retires. We connected for this program so that CEPA Foundation could provide most of the mentors and YPAC could provide most of the mentees.”

The MentorCity platform offers the ideal solution for this mentoring partnership. The platform makes it easy for both CEPA Foundation and YPAC members to find a mentoring match.

“It’s basically a maintenance free platform and I’ve received only positive feedback from members,” says Peter, adding that the program is halfway through a one-year pilot.

Although a member of YPAC, Peter himself is a mentor. With six years of industry experience, he felt it was important to advise and guide new industry entrants. His mentee is a pipeline newcomer based in Edmonton. Their monthly mentoring sessions are conducted entirely by phone, as Peter is based in Calgary.

“I wanted to share my experiences with young professionals and encourage them to always be open to opportunities throughout their career,” says Peter, who worked as a field engineer at the start of his career.

“But what has surprised me most in my own mentoring relationship is that I’m also getting so much out of it.  I’d say it’s a two-way street. I’m learning as much from my mentee as he’s learning from me.”

The actions that you take speak louder than your words. When you don't follow through on the things that you say you will do, you won't receive the results that you are hoping for.

At some point you may need to redefine or end projects to make room for new projects, priorities and challenges. Embrace this change, move on and move forward.

Depending on the conversation your role as a mentor will shift. For a difficult decision - ask your mentee questions to guide them in making a decision that's right for them. For job search and advancement opportunities - provide feedback,  strategies and follow-up techniques to stand out from the competition and be proactive. For conflicts with colleagues - listen, ask questions that help them elaborate and reflect on their feelings, share stories of how you handled these situations, role play, and help them develop an action plan.

Dear Mentors,

My name is Megan Murphy, and I am a graduate student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.  I am looking for mentors from MentorCity to participate in a study on formal mentoring programs as part of my PhD Studies in Organizational Behaviour.

I am inviting you to take part in a 30-60 minute one-on-one interview at a convenient time and place for you.  Interviews can be done by phone or by video chat (e.g. Skype). I hope to learn about the expectations and challenges of being a mentor in a mentoring program. 

The goal of this study is to get a better understanding of what makes individuals interested in being a mentor.  In order to increase our understanding I am asking for mentors to answer some questions about their participation in a formal mentoring program. I am interested in understanding what kind of expectations you have from dealing with the mentoring program, and more about the process of being a mentor.  This is not an evaluation of your performance in the mentoring program, nor is it an evaluation of the program itself. 

If you are interested in getting more information about taking part in this study please feel free to contact me directly: Tel: 905-525-9140 Ext: 26179 or murphyme@mcmaster.ca. Your participation is completely voluntary and you can stop being in the study at any time by contacting me.

In addition, this study has been reviewed and cleared by the McMaster Research Ethics Board.  If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a participant or about the way the study is being conducted you may contact:

McMaster Research Ethics Board Secretariat
Telephone: (905) 525-9140 ext.2314
Gilmour Hall – Room 305 (ROADS)
E-mail: ethicsoffice@mcmaster.ca

Sincerely,

Megan Murphy

PhD Candidate, MOBHR
DeGroote School of Business
McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Be truly appreciative of the people who are there for you during life's crazy journey. Be grateful for all their kind gestures, their thoughtfulness and when they go an extra mile for the relationship you have built with them.