From Boarding Gate to Boardrooms: Having a 'Workplace Hero' Changed My Life.

What comes to mind when you think of a role model? For many it conjures an image of a person with near unfathomable achievement, experience and accolades. We think of teachers, celebrities and public figures: those who others sit expectantly to hear them speak or see them perform. We think of them akin to stars in the sky; shining beacons to reach towards but so far away that its incomprehensible to reach. I firmly believe that the best role models are much closer to us than we tend to believe.

Emerson says "Every man is my superior in that I learn from him" suggesting that it is those persons immediately around us that hold some emulatable quality. Anyone can be a role model to us in some way. When it comes to professional growth the best role models are not distant figures in the seats we aspire to sit in. Instead, they are those who are in seats like ours; who do similar work to ours except they do it better. They are not our Everest, but our San Fernando Hill. They are more knowledgeable, connected and productive to an extent that seems realistically attainable with reasonable effort. They inspire us. They remind us that being better is possible by existing in our similar context and still rising above.

In 2021 a student at the University of Cambridge asked me to reflect on my entire life and identify key 'turning points' that propelled by growth in climate action. One of these defining moments occurred almost eight years to this day - on the 19th of May 2014 - when met Ms. Sindy Singh at the departure gates of Piarco International Airport on a mission to Santiago de Chile. She was the representative from Trinidad and Tobago's Ministry of Planning (MPD), and I was the representative from the Environmental Management Authority (EMA). I wrote to Cambridge: "She would become my role model and friend and with her support I came to understand the nuisances and issues of climate negotiations, international agreements, and reporting requirements. This is my fourth turning point because it represents my bridging the gap from being a general science-based practitioner to becoming a specialist in climate policy."

In the years that followed she taught me what it meant to be a true patriot; to give your blood, sweat and tears in pursuit of national interest. Every interaction showed me what it meant to be truly passionate about an issue and to live it every day. She became my exemplar in professionalism, productivity and kindness. If Sindy could do it, so could I - and believe me: she did it all, with ne'er a complaint and with Christ-like humility. I continue to strive to fit into her figurative shoes and mirror her outstanding contributions to Trinidad and Tobago, and the region. It is my Sisyphean struggle.

For seven years, until my resignation from the EMA in 2020, I worked alongside Sindy and her MPD colleagues at the steering committee level for major climate projects. Our substantive roles resulted in us also frequenting other non-MPD-led climate events, and being carbon-conscious, south-based persons we would carpool to these meetings throughout the country. These moments presented the opportunities to observe and learn from my workplace hero.

To this day, there is a little bit of Sindy's fingerprint in all that I do. My sharpened insight into the process of translating international policy to local Caribbean action comes from our many esoteric conversations on sustainable development and Caribbean governance. When I strive for perfection in reviewing documents prepared by consultants - and now as I prepare them as a consultant - that is Sindy Sue. When I must chair a meeting or organize an event, I ask myself - what would Sindy do? When I keep an even temperament against incredible adversity, that is Sindy too.

"To whom much is given, much is required" as the John F. Kennedy saying goes. These gifts have granted me invitations to sit on boards and technical working groups for organisations such as The Sustainability Institute of Trinidad and Tobago, The Trinidad and Tobago Association of Energy Engineers, The Cropper Foundation, The Sunbeam Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, the Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross Society, and the Rotary Club of Princes Town. They have allowed me to quickly hone my skill in the world of impact consulting and execute climate change projects throughout the region. But perhaps most importantly, these gifts have empowered me to uplift others through the Advisors Academy Summer Mentorship Programme.

The Programme is an annual feature of Advisors Next Door, and is my personal way of sharing the gifts of knowledge and soft skills with a new generation of aspiring environmental activists, consultants and technocrats. This year's programme (AA22) focuses heavily on climate action as, to quote Hans-Otto Porter, "any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future". I, along with my network of industry leaders, meet with the interning cohort to share our stories and help the students find their own professional role models. Until the 20th of May 2022 we are accepting applications for AA22, so please spread the word to those who could benefit from a truly "turning point" experience.

Role models exist all around us. Finding the right one to guide us in our career path can be serendipitous or intentional. My experience has shown me that choosing and emulating the right one promises to invigorate your life, the lives of everyone around you. Like a Lilypad shook by the wind causes ripples in the pond, the invigoration of a role model creates a cascade of impact throughout your current and future networks. Choose wisely!

Who is your Sindy Singh, and how have they impacted your life? I would love to know in the comments below or DMs.

#RoleModels #ClimateChange #Impact

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Ryan Assiu is a Sustainable Development and Climate Change Specialist by qualification, Program Coordinator by experience, and Educator by passion. He is on a journey to discover his authentic professional identity which has seen him prepare technical documents and policies for companies, CSOs and governments throughout the Caribbean. His writings focus on sharing his experiences and knowledge on a wide range of environmental topics relevant to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as his home country of Trinidad and Tobago. Follow him on LinkedIn @ Ryan Assiu | LinkedIn