Leadership Book Club (2020)

After the launch of the Leadership Book Club last year, it is back  – and (hopefully) better than ever! If you didn’t get a chance to participate last year, we covered 4 leadership books over the year, sharing 10 questions you could use to lead your own group on this blog.

This year we’re going to try a slight pivot – moving to a few more books and a few less questions. I’m thrilled to get another chance to meet with inquisitive minds to share different perspectives and personal experiences on a host of leadership topics.  I hope you consider joining in – either sharing in the comments below, or starting your own book club group!

The following six books are on the 2020 roster, in case you’ll be joining in:

Inspirational Person: Marilyn Spink, Engineering Advocate

Marilyn Spink has spent her 30-year career in Engineering (working on projects in mining, pulp and paper industries, steelmaking operations, and consulting engineering). She has led and supported teams of professional engineers and designers to complete projects around the world. She is a licensed professional engineer and a member of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE). In 2014, she was appointed by Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor to Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) and is currently Vice President Appointed. Spink is married to Jamie Gerson, also a professional engineer, who is extremely supportive of all her interests and a wonderful father to their three children.

---

What has been one of the most rewarding parts of your career?

Building stuff and helping people. It is rewarding to see your ideas become real and improve the lives of the people who use whatever you built, or grow from the advice you have provided to them. I am always learning, but the more I learn the more I realize don’t know. My learning is mostly about self-discovery these days. I need to speak less and listen more!

With only 11% of Professional Engineers in Ontario being women, what unique value do you think the female perspective brings to solving Engineering problems?

Women are socialized differently than men. The unique value women bring to solving Engineering problems is simply a different perspective – period. A bunch of similar people (age, race, gender, backgrounds) speaking & working with one another hinders