Finding Your Voice as a Professional Planner

Andrew Sacret, MCIP, RPP
sacret@fotenn.com

Thinking back to when I emerged from planning school with my newly-minted degree, I now realize that I was a bit green and naïve. My head and heart were full of creative ideas, a fair bit of “planning knowledge” and theory, and considerable passion to make a difference in the world through my work. I was also more than a little scared — scared of making mistakes, of saying the wrong things, of missing important details in my research and writing. Six years on, and I still have creative ideas. I’ve gained even more knowledge, and my passion for making a difference still burns brightly.

Although there were project courses in planning school that simulated real world experiences, it truly is that first paying job that underscores what is meant by “the real world”. As we all know, planners work in many different environments: municipal governments, land development companies, provincial ministries, non-governmental organizations, and consulting firms. My clear preference was to find a job in consulting, though I also wasn’t going to be too picky about what came along for that first experience. My desire to be a consultant (at least to get started) was influenced by a desire to work on a diverse range of projects.

In that regard, I feel fortunate to have been put in touch with my current employer, FoTenn Consultants in Ottawa, by my Queen’s University professor David Gordon. In essence, I got what I wanted: a job in consulting with one of the premier planning firms in Canada. I must say that my experience at FoTenn has been an excellent one, where I’ve had the opportunity many times over to contribute my ideas towards the realization of my clients’ diverse needs and demands.

Over these last several years, I think I’ve been especially lucky to have had the chance to travel across Canada on a number of unique projects and to see places that I wouldn’t normally visit. Just the other day, as I came back from the small town of Blind River, Ontario on the north shore of Lake Huron, I realized that I’ve travelled through more than two dozen Canadian airports, largely as a result of the work I do. On more than one occasion, I’ve pondered what other professions would have given me as much exposure to the beauty and diversity of Canadian landscapes and communities. Not many, I’d venture.

Through all of this experience, I’ve gained valuable insight into the ideas and planning approaches that are more likely to work, as well as those that probably won’t work so well in a given context. I’ve also learned how (and when) to say things that convey the right messages to the right audiences. Though it doesn’t always seem so obvious, planners truly are agents of change. To be effective as change agents, we must be able to communicate in a variety of ways, whether it involves writing a traditional report or plan, speaking at a public meeting, producing a colourful GIS map, or generating a convincing three-dimensional model.

But where am I going with all of this? I should explain that my inspiration for this piece of personal reflection came as I was getting off the phone with another consultant, with whom I was submitting a proposal for a new job. I realized that I was the one from my company figuring out the scope of the project, negotiating how we would run the workshops to maximize participation and get the right information, and sorting out the budget and scheduling details. It wasn’t a more senior colleague – it was me! As I concluded the call, I realized that I’d handled the situation with confidence and knowledge, borne out of prior experience (and supported by all the stuff I learned at planning school). While this was a minor moment of personal triumph, the message I want to convey is that all the preparation that we lay for ourselves in planning school and in those early years of our careers does eventually pay off. Before you know it, you too will “find your voice” as a professional planner.

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