The Empowering Women Podcast
Interviews with successful career women from a variety of industries. We hope to empower women in their career aspirations, whether that's climbing a corporate ladder or becoming an entrepreneur.
Episode 14 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Bonnie Marcus on Leadership and The Politics of Promotion
BIO: Bonnie Marcus is an executive coach, author, and international speaker with a passion for helping professional women gain the visibility and credibility they need to have a fulfilling career. She works with high achieving women in corporate settings who want to move up and assume leadership positions. Bonnie helps them navigate the workplace politics and get the promotions they deserve.
LINKS
Notable Episode Quotes:
“Assumptions keep us apart. Assumptions keep us small. You know, we often put people in categories based on their age, their gender, their race, their educational background, all these things and it keeps us from really understanding other people, and building strong relationships.”
“If there are women who have made it to senior leadership, take a look, use them as role models. How do they communicate? What kind of relationships have they built? What’s their client base? What kind of projects do they work on? How do they leverage their work for increased visibility?”
“People are too busy with their own stuff to go out of their way to recognize and reward you for your work. It’s your responsibility to let others know… And it’s not just a selfish, self-serving thing. If you’re getting great results because you tried a new approach to a project, say, it will benefit your colleagues, it will benefit the organization if you let people know how you got those results. Everybody can learn from it. So we need to rethink about self-promotion as just being self-serving, and think about how our work and the results we get and the lessons we’ve learned can benefit the organization as a whole.”
“Your value proposition is how your work contributes to positive business outcomes. It’s not your job description.”
“You can’t build a network, you can’t build a career in a vacuum. We need to understand how important a network is before we really need it. We need to build an intentional and supportive network before we’re desperate...”
“The danger of making assumptions… Sometimes that’s our blindspot. We believe, very often, that there’s a level playing field, that our work alone will get us ahead. We believe that if we work really hard, that’s going to help us. We assume certain things about the culture in our organization without really looking under the covers and understanding what that culture is about and how best to navigate within it. We assume that certain people in the organization behave the way they do because of X, Y, Z. We don’t really get to know people. Assumptions keep us apart. Assumptions keep us small… It keeps us from really understanding other people and building strong relationships”
Episode 13 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Jennifer Braganza on Investing in Yourself & Your Career
BIO: Jennifer Braganza has over 20 years of professional experience in product design & development, process improvement, and leading strategic change initiatives. Her experience spans nonprofit and public boards at UNC Charlotte, University of Michigan College of Engineering, and the Society of Women Engineers. Braganza is an expert in project management and leading global and virtual product development teams. Her strengths include: Strategic thinking, business coaching, leading global and virtual teams, intercultural communication, project management, process improvement, project leadership, leadership facilitation, public speaking, training and workshops, non-profit leadership, product development, and program management.
Notable Quotes:
“I will tell you, if you really want to understand a company’s values, pay attention to what they’re doing right now. If they really are living their values, they’re living them now. They’re living them in times of difficulty, in times of financial struggle. This is when you see what companies are made of. ”
“I’m very aware of the fact that my experience as a female person of color is very different than that of a Black man, or different than a white female. We all have different experiences that we bring to the table and my job, as a leader and as a person, is to respect those differences and to invite them. And to ask questions to understand. And to love people regardless of all of those things. So that’s what I strive to do; that’s how I try to show up.”
“As you continue to grow in your career, you start specializing and niching down. You know longer think, ‘I can do all of these things!’ Instead, your messaging is very tight. Your brand is very tight about what it is that you do and what it is that you don’t do.”
“I’m a huge believer in the definition of luck - luck is when preparation meets opportunity. And the reality is that that preparation is all about you and how you’re willing to invest in yourself, in your career, in the growth opportunities that you challenge yourself with in order to be ready for that next career opportunity. Because if you leave it in your company’s hands, then it’s going to be about when *they decide you’re ready and they’re willing to invest in you. Why would you give anyone that kind of power over your career?”
“As individuals, we have to take accountability for investing in our own careers.”
Episode 12 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Barbara Trautlein, Change Intelligence, Change Catalysts
BIO: Barbara Trautlein has a PhD in Organizational Psychology and is the founder and principal of Change Catalysts, LLC. Their mission is to catalyze successful and sustainable change by partnering with clients to plan, execute, and enhance organizational, team, and individual performance, through their deep expertise in Change Management and Leadership Development.
Barbara is the author of Change Intelligence and was also the keynote speaker at the inaugural 2019 Empowering Women in Industry conference.
Notable Episode Quotes:
“I believe we are all change leaders, regardless of tenure, title or role.”
“The definition of Change Intelligence is: the awareness of our style of leading change, and the ability to adapt our style across people and situations… People tend to lead change from four different focus areas -- Head, Heart, and/or the Hands...”
“The more options we have, the more power we have.”
“What looks like resistance is really a powerful source of information that we can use, as change leaders, to change the only think we can, which is ourselves -- to reframe what looks like resistance from our enemy to our ally.”
“Relationships get results.”
“Change is threatening when done to us, exhilarating when done by us.” -Rosabeth Moss Kanter
“The higher you go in any organization, the harder it is to get any feedback at all, let alone real time and actionable feedback.”
“What you see depends on where you sit.”
Recommended Books:
- Change Intelligence by Barbara Traulein, PhD
- The Change Masters by Rosabeth Moss Kanter
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
The Empowering Women in Industry Awards - August 1, 2020 - will be live-streamed on the Empowering Women in Industry Facebook page!!
Episode 11 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Shannon Polson, The Grit Factor | Twitter, LinkedIn
BIO: Shannon Huffman Polson has worked with leaders in industries across the country and around the world on managing change, building leadership and grit, and planning for diversity. Polson is founder and CEO of The Grit Institute, a leadership development organization dedicated to the whole leader approach to ethical and people centered performance in times of change and challenge. Reach out for instruction for you and your organization online, and discuss supplementation by live webinars, and keynotes to ensure your team has what it needs to succeed.
Polson is the author of The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience and Leadership in the Most Male Dominated Organization in the World, forthcoming from Harvard Business Review Press in September 2020.
Notable Episode Quotes:
“When you take care of your people, they take care of the mission.”
“Leadership is a sacred trust.”
“The only way you can bring your full self to work is by addressing the needs of your full self.”
“A leader is responsible for setting the vision. They’re responsible for connecting people to purpose.”
“Setting some sort of vision for your people is still important, even if we don’t know what the long-term looks like. And I think that is both the opportunity and the responsibility of a leader today.”
-- Shannon Polson on being a leader during a time of #Covid19
“And I love that word ‘audacity’ because it’s really being willing to go out and take risks, and know that sometimes you’re going to fail and that it’s not failure that matters but what you do with it that counts. You’re going to fall. You’re going to fail and you get up one more time than you fall down. That’s the key to success, right?”
Additional Links and Resources:
- Support Shannon’s initiative to build a local library by visiting: https://www.winthroplibraryfriends.org/
- Shannon's Medium Post about Karen Baetzel
- Battle Axe Consulting - Karen Baetzel
- Books:
- The Grit Factor by Shannon Polson
- The Excellence Dividend by Tom Peters
- Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott
- Influence by Robert Cialdini
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Episode 10 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Cheryl Merchant, CEO of TACO Comfort Solutions
BIO:
On January 1, 2019, Cheryl Merchant joined TACO as President of North American and was promoted to CEO in March of 2020. Prior to this, she held the position of President and CEO of Hope Global for nearly 20 years.
Before Cheryl became the President and CEO of Hope Global in 1999, Cheryl built her career from the shop floor to top management in leading operations around the world with the automotive industry giants of General Motors, Mazda, Ford Motor Co. and Lear Corporation. Under her leadership, Hope Global’s sales more than tripled and operations grew beyond world-wide headquarters and manufacturing facility in Rhode Island to include manufacturing facilities in Mexico, China, and the Czech Republic. There, she built a team of experts, united and driven to take the company to unprecedented levels of growth.
A recognized industry and community leader, Cheryl has been honored with two honorary Doctorate degrees, and was named 2014 New England Business Woman of the Year.
Her specialities include: Mergers and acquisitions (most recently: purchased with extensive due diligence and merged 2 companies in last 2 years), general operations (lean manufacturing, supply chain management, production consolidation (closed operations in France and Ireland to consolidated into Czech Republic), develop management in all levels, and Financial oversight of P&Ls, balance sheet and Cash Flow.
Notable Podcast Episode Quotes:
“The company has to succeed or none of us succeed”
“I learned that there’s so much more to a total company business. There’s the banking, there’s understanding the entire picture of your value - your name… ”
“I believe the entire C-suite is responsible for every piece. I don’t care if your marketing or production - we’re responsible for the whole picture. ”
“It doesn’t do any good to sit from your end of the boat and point to another executive and say, ‘uh - you have a hole - your end of the boat is leaking...’ we’re in one boat. And it’s the same thing when you’re all in the same pool -- you don’t want anybody using it as a bathroom.”
“You’re not in the room as a token.”
Books Discussed:
No Ceilings, No Wall by Susan Colantuono
Speed of Trust by Steven Covey
Episode 9 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Aneesa Muthana, President, CEO and Co-owner of manufacturing company Pioneer Service, Inc.
BIO: "Manufacturers are makers. The process of bringing people together to MAKE something that will go on to serve a bigger purpose is where my passion lies. Knowing that the parts that leave my shop are contributing to the world at large, touching lives, and benefiting people fuels my passion. I am the President, CEO and co-owner of Pioneer Service Inc., a certified women-owned and operated small business (WBE/WOSB) providing precision machined parts since 1990. I am a hands-on leader with extensive experience in almost every aspect of a production machining environment. My success was only possible through building a high-performance team that embraces leading-edge technology. I believe in building relationships both inside and outside of my company, and in the strength of inclusivity in an industry where success can only be earned, and never given. "
Notable Podcast Episode Quotes:
“I chose to step up and really put everything in my company, work really hard. I was always told that, ‘you’re probably going to end up back at your father’s place!’ I’d joke and say, ‘I’ll learn how to say - do you want fries with that?’ before that would happen”
“Being in this country and being in the land of opportunity - even today if something were to happen to Pioneer, God forbid, I don’t believe that that’s the end of my career… I always believe that because of the obstacles I’m facing it’s only pushing me in another direction where there’s more success to attain.”
“Once you have good leaders in place, and I’m not talking about just managers, I’m talking about high-performing leaders in place. Then, it is your job as the CEO or President to take the back seat and let them make their mistakes, and let them thrive. And let them also feel the rewards of that accomplishment.”
“I will definitely hire based on personality, based on drive, over skill every day.”
“In 2020, as I walk into board meetings, as I lead trade association talks, I see it. I’m not naive.… I hear the comments. I see the faces of those that question my presence in “their” environment. But I don’t let *that deter me from doing what I love.”
“I believe the most crucial lesson my parents taught me was Amana. And that’s an Arabic word that means respect, trust, accountability, and responsibility… and I try to lead that way. It’s really having the empathy and understanding that the people I’m leading are counting on me, are counting on my decisions...”
“You can’t separate your personal and your professional life when it comes to your core values. They have to both be aligned. And what you want for your kids is what you should want for the people that work under you. Not that they should be referred to as children, but it just puts it into perspective. You should always be looking out for the best, and not just the bottom line.”
“My business strategy has always been and always will be - people first. Does that mean I don’t look at the profit margins? Does it mean that it’s not important? Of course not! It’s important. But it’s the people - them knowing I have their back, them knowing that the stewardship, the pretty words on the wall called our core values are actually words in action.”
Episode 8 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Charli K. Matthews, CEO and Founder of Empowering Brands (including Empowering Pumps & Equipment, and Empowering Women in Industry)
Resources:
BIO: "I’m a business owner, mother, power networker, serial optimist, world-traveller, and a handful of other labels that would defeat the purpose of a short version. I started my company over nine years ago and have learned numerous lessons along the way. Some of them, I share in this episode of the Empowering Women Podcast!"
Notable Podcast Episode Quotes:
“In order to write out your value proposition, you need to think about how are you better, faster, and stronger.”
“I like leading the team because I feel like I can see all of their gifts and how they fit together… I enjoy watching people develop… I like the challenge. There’s some really difficult times about being a leader that I enjoy; I like the hard work.”
“As a leader, I light the match; my team members are the ones creating the fire.”
*Episode 7 has been marked as explicit because rape and sexual harassment come up in discussion. Although these are not discussed in detail, we wish to be mindful that you might be listening to this podcast with others around.
Episode 7 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Kristen Saranteas, Head of Treasury Management at First Midwest Bank
Resources:
BIO: Kristen (Ritchie) Santeas is currently the Head of Treasury Management & International Services at First Midwest Bank where she has responsibility for the overall client experience during the entire sales cycle -- from proposal through implementation, and support phase activities.
Notable Podcast Episode Quotes:
“To me, what a great salesperson is is someone that can match the needs of that company to the products and services that you’re offering. I was not someone that was hawking a product because that was the shiny object of the day. Instead, I was very strategic around what I saw as the specific need of those clients, and wanted to be really helpful to the way in which the products we had could be make them more effective in what *they did… Feeling like I was really confident when I walked in the door to talk to a company - both because I’ve done my homework about them and I knew my products inside and out - that made me a very successful salesperson.”
“Once you distinguish yourself as successful in the route that you have decided to move up - that gets you noticed, not only because you’re having individual success, but because you’re seen as a leader in your craft.”
“There’s one way in which you want to lead - as someone who knows your own and hones your own craft. But there’s also a way in which you want to lead and distinguish yourself for something you’re personally passionate about. For me, that meant giving back to our community. I feel really strongly that bankers, in particular, bear a service. It is incumbent upon us to be really great stewards of what we bring to the community and understand what those needs might be. So, giving back and volunteering, and eventually getting on boards, and bringing others along with that passion to be good community members is a way in which, not only did I rally my own team around similar values and ways in which to give back to the community. But it [also] distinguished me personally within my organization as someone who isn’t just a treasury management person, but I’m being recognized for the other things that I’ve led in. And for me, that’s been around community involvement.”
“It is less typical to see women, not only in the C-suite or executive management positions, but clearly, they’re not being chosen as lines-of-business heads. So you’re not seeing [for example] women that are heads of commercial banking… I would never say that people making those decisions as to who is rising up don’t want women in those positions. Everyone is on record, and I know that they feel passionately that they should have women rising up. It’s an unintended bias when they’re looking at candidates - to look at people that look like them. We have to continue to press upon the decision-makers to go outside their comfort zone to start choosing a slate of candidates that don’t include just people that look like them.”
“We need people in HR, people from the bottom up, people from around, people from industry, podcasts like this, to make sure that leaders in financial services firms (and many other industries) to force that uncomfortable norm of building a slate of not just ‘people that look like you.’ ”
“I would encourage women to think about the people that would be influential in your next move. And I don’t mean to be conniving and not make it genuine and really authentic in those connections that you want to build. You can be deliberate. I don’t know of a leader in any position who wouldn’t be flattered by the idea that - someone reaches out to you and says, ‘Hey, I’d really like to learn more about your role. I’d like to get to know you better, and frankly for you to get to know me a little bit better.’ ”
“If the people above you are not the people that look like you yet…. Those are still the people we need to influence.”
“It’s great to reach out to women leaders that might be the unicorn in your organization and make sure that they see you, but if they really are a unicorn, they’re not a quorum. They’re not a folsom part of the decision-making body. And, so, you also need to be seen by the people that don’t look like you.”
Episode 6 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Kenyatta Browne -- Bank Manager (and Actress and Mother) shares the scoop on Personal Finances 101
BIO: Kenyatta Browne holds a BS in Communications and an MBA. She describes her career this way: "Banking isn’t boring. This career is a unique space to change the course of someone’s life. I walk into work ready to make a difference daily. I believe this mindset has been the key to my success in an industry that has gotten a lot of negative press. My communications and education background plays a huge role as well. "
Notable Podcast Episode Quotes:
“We have to be smart borrowers as professional women, we have to be strong savers as professional women, and we have to be masters at managing our money”
“It’s not about business. It’s about being able to help each other find success financially.”
“You should not buy those shoes, girl, you gotta find them on clearance!”
“A strong saver knows how much 6-months of expenses are, and that’s how much they have in their savings account.”
“Take three months of your last statements and categorize your spending. And then create a spending plan, not a budget because budget is a curse word. But a spending plan, so that you’re able to be mindful about your spending. Being present when you’re using your debit card [for example].”
“Let me just use myself as an example, because as much as I tell people this, I [too] am a victim of spending in the sense that I had a serious *serious relationship with Starbucks. To the point where in my mind, I justified that my coffee being $10 per cup was OK. I decided for a month not to drink Starbucks. And what I was able to save in that month blew me away. It was really putting my money where my mouth was. But you have to be able to sit down, look at those things, and test yourself, and see which one makes you feel better. For me, I make my own coffee at home, it doesn’t taste as good, but it has the same effect - I stay up all day. AND I’m able to save money.”
“Being a master at managing money is seeing where you can make changes, seeing where you can make little sacrifices so that you can live better at the end of the month…”
“A lot of times what we do is for other people instead of ourselves. And I think that plays a lot into the purchases that we make… A lot of this becomes introspective into - why do I spend the way that I spend? And why do I make the financial decisions that I make. And that’s a personal journey that we all take.”
“It’s tricking yourself into giving yourself money as opposed to giving it to someone else to profit on.”
“I’m a big believer in writing that [goal] down and putting it out there because if you’re putting money into your 401k and you have no picture of what and when you want to retire and where you want to retire to, and all of those things… those things you should have pictures in your mind of what that looks like.”
Episode 5 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Erika Armstrong -- Pilot, Instructor, & Author
BIO: Erika Armstrong is an international corporate and airline pilot/captain, published author, writer for seven national aviation magazines. She is an Aviation Professor at MSU Denver, a Director of Instructional Design and the VP of Business Development for Advanced Aircrew Academy. During her thirty years in aviation she has worked in all aspects of the industry. From the friendly front desk CSR of a busy FBO, to the captain's seat of a Boeing 727-200. Her education includes a BA in International Business, Economics and Culture from the University of Denver, with additional education through the University of Minnesota's journalism program, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical.
Armstrong’s writing can be found at Plane & Pilot, Colorado Serenity magazine, Mountain Connection, Disciples of Flight, NYCAviation, Contrails, Airline Reporter, Consumer Affairs, Flying.com, Mentor and Business Insider.
Learn more about Erika Armstrong and her writing and speaking at A Chick in the Cockpit.
Notable Quotes:
“Women in Aviation groups are all trying to make an effort to at least put that thought in little girls’ heads that - You can do this if you want to. It’s really important for all of us in the aviation field to go into a classroom and talk about your career; talk about the things you get to do. [Aviation] truly is a fabulous industry.”
“Women are cognizant that even though we’ve broken through the glass ceiling in the skies, we’re still the ones that have to pick up all the broken glass.”
“We’ve more than proven that we can be where we need to be. We can be in the board rooms, we can be in the captain’s seat. We can do all those things as well as men… but the reality of our lives is that we are still the ones who come home and do the grocery shopping, clean the houses, take care of the children. There’s an exception here and there, but the vast majority of women - they tell us to lean into our jobs and we do all that, but we still have to come in and do all those things that women do within the family construct. We’ve created double the work… creating that happiness, that level of ease of being a person in the world, it’s been a challenge for us. We’ve pushed really hard to get where we are; we’ve doubled our load…. Truly supporting each other is so important. Making other women feel that other people understand their challenges. That’s what I like about seeing all these support groups out there.”
“It’s so important that we help each other out. We’re all going to have our moments of failure and success, and to be able to share both of those is very important.”
“Thought leaders don’t want you to just agree with them. Lead implies follow. Thought lead means lead into thought.”
Episode 2 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Karen Sands, Director of Planning, Research, and Sustainability for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
Bio: Karen Sands is the Director of Planning, Research and Sustainability for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) where she’s worked for over 15 years. As director, she integrates grey and green infrastructure planning to recycle wastewater, reduce energy use/switch to renewables, and manage river and stormwater flooding. With a career spanning 30 years, Karen has held a number of planning positions in the public and private sectors in Wisconsin, Maine, and New York. She spent the first half of her career helping highway and airport runway projects move forward, and she’s spending the second half ensuring that infrastructure is designed with nature in mind. She is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and is an Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP). She serves on several boards including the Water Quality Board of the International Joint Commission (Legacy Issues, U.S. Lead), Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust Inc., Northwest Side Community Development Corporation (Vice Chair), Discovery World, and the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Planning Association (Secretary).
Notable Quotes:
“I think mentorship is important for everyone. Sponsorship is important for anyone who wants and believes in the need for upward mobility. …”
“And then the network is really important. It’s not always one person who can make the magic happen, but it’s who you know. And it’s not like using people. It’s more like using the good will of relationships you’ve transparently and genuinely built.”
“Any leader who wants to be believed… they have to be able to say, ‘here’s what it is!’ And hang their laundry out.”
“She said, ‘Mom, you’re old enough you’re going to die from old age, but I’m going to die from climate change.’ I was floored; the next generation really understands what must be done. And so my advice to her was - you need to get a firm hold on the science, and the data of what you’re going to be talking about.”
“What’s important is - to connect what’s true and intrinsic to your soul, to what you want to do and what you want to change. Without that, you’re just pushing paper and making widgets.”
“Don’t just innovate; let’s talk about disruption!”
Resources:
Episode 3 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Suzane Greeman on 'Taking up Space' -- Asset Management Strategist, Instructor, International Keynote Speaker, and Author of Risk-based Asset Criticality Assessment
BIO: Ms. Suzane Greeman is author of Risk-based Asset Criticality Assessment (R-b ACA©) Handbook: A practical guide to improve asset criticality by incorporating asset, risk, quality and business management principles! She is a Physical Asset Management expert, and certified asset, maintenance and quality management professional with over 22 years of experience. Her career has spanned asset-intensive industries, including heavy manufacturing, power generation, waste water and consulting/professional services. Suzane is a visionary in delivering results to large and established public and private sector organizations in identifying and realizing significant continuous improvements and maintenance process re-engineering. She has cultivated an exceptional knowledge of and experience base in asset, maintenance and supply chain management, engineering, environmental, health and safety (safe work practices), quality control, change management and risk management principles. Extensive background in leading major capital projects. Finally, Suzane has managed budgets up to $200 million U.S. She is adept in financial analysis, financial planning, asset management, accounting standards for capitalization of turnaround costs, and KPI development and analysis.
Notable Quotes:
“How do we position the assets to give the best performance, while at the same time, managing these 3-dimensional risks that are hitting us and then, managing the costs to deliver the performance, and costs to mitigate the risks we’re encountering”
“We have unprecedented numbers of women in industrial jobs. But what that did is… in turn shedding light on how much of a gap still exists between men and women in these roles - in particular at the senior levels, and at the entrepreneur levels.”
“Taking up space, for me, means using professional gravitas to be relevant. In the professional sense, I am defining professional gravitas as having professional weight, seriousness, and dignity about yourself and about your career.”
“If you’re following your dreams, they will also be inclined to follow their dreams. So, it’s a knock on effect on your family.” Suzane Greman on Taking up Space and the impact it can have in your personal life.
“Risk is multi-dimensional. The more input and the more triangulation you have into identifying and treating risk, the more successful that organization is going to be.”
“By themselves, gifts and talents just aren’t enough. You have to hone them. Your energy, then, is your light, your passion. People sense it, they feel it. It is the aftertaste you leave after you’ve left a room. Everybody has it. Everybody has a light, even darkness. So, your light and your passion, what you have to do along with your gifts and talents is -- you have to learn what they are, you have to hone them, and you have to integrate them with your other assets.”
“We have the people who have 22 years of experience, but it’s really 1 year of experience 22 times… What we’re focusing on is with each passing year, month, day, that you’re adding something to the experience that you have....”
“How well do you deliver anything? Something? … It is the success that the thing that the thing that you’re doing has achieved in relation to the organizational goals or even your personal goals.”
“How many people can claim success because of you and because of YOUR leadership?”
“As an individual, I believe that a lot more is in control than you [might] actually think. I’ve been guilty in the past of giving up control over things and sometimes not even giving it up to anybody - just giving it up to the atmosphere… Things I was in control of and should have stayed in control of… The things that you have control over always would be - first of all, your energy, your gifts, and your talents.”
“You are 100% in charge of your attitude.”
“I met a general manager who said to me, ‘Nobody can insult me, Suzane; to be insulted is a choice.’ And I spent a good deal of time hating on him because I thought that made no sense. Because people will insult you and you always have to turn around and prove that they’re wrong or prove who you are. It took probably 20 out of my 22 years to come to realize that - you are an entire system. You don’t have to take it in. You don’t have to be insulted. To the point that - I’m not always aware of my naysayers. I don’t develop those kinds of relationships with people, and I focus on what keeps my attitude positive and happy.”
“You’re having a positive attitude - not to just be a happy person and smiling all the time - you’re having a positive attitude to get the results that you want to get in life.”
“I don’t like to use terms like ‘become woman friendly’ because, [like] Hillary Clinton said, ‘Women’s rights are human rights.’ What we’re talking about is recognition of the individual as a human being standing in front of you. And I think the organizations that can do that successfully will be successful not just in the short-term, but over the long-term because organizations are successful because of how stakeholders continue to think about the organization and the emotional attachment that individuals have to the companies.”
“About 15 years ago… I had a meeting with senior leaders and immediately I noticed that all the senior leaders, which were men, were all wearing suits. I decided in that moment that I was going to dress for the role that I had, but also for the role that I want… ”
“I’m not telling people the only way to be taken seriously is to do what I do. I’m telling you that my experience in the industry and my own upbringing has led to me being very deliberate in how I present myself.”
“Remember that women before you did great things to get you here. They did really great things. So do great things with your life for other women.”
“Go and do it. Time is going to pass anyway and the best time to have started was yesterday, but the next best time is right now - where you’re at - go and do it.”
Book Recommendations
Winning by Jack Welch and Suzy Welch
Episode 2 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Cindy Wallis-Lage, President of Global Water Business Line, Black & Veatch
Cindy Wallis-Lage holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering and an M.S. in Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering. She has over 30 years of experience in the water/wastewater space. She joins us on this episode of the Empowering Women Podcast to discuss perspectives on growing into leadership, and opportunities she sees in the infrastructure world.
Notable Quotes:
“I call it the power of a moment - when something interjects and totally redirects what it is that you’re doing. And I had that fortunate experience… he [the dean of engineering] said, ‘Why aren’t you in engineering. You’re obviously strong in math and science…’ He took thirty minutes and explained what Civil Engineering could be, and I went ahead and enrolled right then and never looked back.”
“[In engineering] women are still in the minority. And, therefore, regardless of what your role is, you have to treat it as an opportunity that you can raise the bar regarding the acceptance of women.”
“For me it was being consistent in my walk and talk, being respectful, being present, leaning into conversations - making sure my voice was heard, not just because I wanted to talk a lot, but rather being heard such that when I was communicating I was doing it in a respectful manner… and my opinion was impactful.”
“We need to call out [unconscious bias] and highlight it... Sometimes we have to find a way to break or at least highlight it, and that’s the way to change things. My focus continues to be on how I can help break any of those biases about female leadership and make sure those opportunities are there for those”
“[Success] didn’t happen just because it’s what I wanted. Yes, I was driving, however I had great advocates, great support systems, and mentors - inside the company, outside the company - that allowed me to be successful. Sometimes [they were] pushing me, sometimes pulling me. And all of that makes a difference. No one is successful on their own. ”
“Don’t wait for [advocates] to come to you. Ask people to help you. Ask if they are willing to support you and work with you and how you would to be able to work with them to help further your own career, and what you’re trying to achieve.”
“I think that frustration happens when people become too isolated in what they’re trying to achieve as opposed to looking for a team. I need ‘team Cindy’ if you want to look at it from that standpoint. Who’s going to help me be successful. How do I engage those people that are going to make a difference. ”
“We need to have tremendous communications skills. The biggest challenge you have is when we resort to communications just with emails or texting or however we’re doing it in an electronic manner as opposed to just pick up the phone or sit in a meeting and to have those conversations… There’s so much that comes with body language.”
“That emotional intelligence of being able to understand people, to be able to communicate with people, to understand how to talk to different individuals based on their personality types - really important as you are seeking to mature through your career and have leadership roles. It isn’t just the technical... It’s also about how do you work with the team and then how do you lead a team. So being an effective team player, and then being effective at how do you lead that team so that you’re getting the greatest potential from that team. So I think really, foundationally, that comes down to communication skills.”
Article mentioned in episode: Where Women Fall Behind at Work: The First Step Into Management, link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/where-women-fall-behind-at-work-the-first-step-into-management-11571112361
Empowering Women in Industry Bonus Episode, Season 1, #13
The Empowering Women in Industry Conference organizers, Cieana Detloff, Rebecca Mechtensimer, and Bethany Womack, join Mel on this bonus episode to discuss what's coming in the conference agenda and what pieces they're looking forward to most.
Links
- Empowering Women in Industry conference registration and details
- The video Mel mentioned
- The podcast Cieana mentioned: After the Glass Ceiling, a Glass Cliff?
Quotes
Episode 12 of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Tish Berge, General Manager of Sweetwater Authority
Tish Berge earned a B.S. in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College and an MBA with a focus in Finance from the University of California. She has over 25 years of experience in the environmental industry, from private chemical manufacturing, to consulting, to public service. Currently, Tish serves as General Manager for Sweetwater Authority, a water provider in California.
Notable Quotes
"You can be feminine and strong... I think it does take a unique person to have their confidence to be able to handle it."
Episode 11 of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Charli K. Matthews, Founding CEO of Empowering Brands
Charli is the founder and CEO of Empowering brands, and under this umbrella she has Empowering Pumps and Empowering Women in Industry. Through this media and marketing company, Charli helps clients get the most out of their marketing investments and gets clients in front of larger and more diverse audiences focused on their specific areas of expertise. Empowering brands drives thought leadership, and shines a light on future leaders in the industry at hand.
Find Charli:
- Instagram: @CharliKMatthews @EmpoweringWomeninIndustry
- Twitter: @CharliKMatthews @WomeninInd
- Facebook: Empowering Women in Industry
Notable Quotes
Episode 10 of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Shereen Yusuff, Production Petroleum Engineer
Shereen has held positions in Project Management, Business Development and Customer Success through her 15 year career in Oil and Gas. Within oil and gas, she has worked on Production, Drilling and Reservoirs. This is unique experience in the context of oil and gas professionals because she has worked on both the service and operator side of the industry.
Resources
- Books Recommended by Shereen
- Book that has quote Mel mentioned in the break
- Becoming Leaders by Williams & Emerson: ASCE
- Shereen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shereenyusuff/
- Shereen on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/shereenyusuff/?hl=en
Notable Quotes
Episode 9 of the Empowering Women Podcast
Guest: Taralinda Willis, Co-Founder & CEO of Curate Solutions
Bio: Taralinda earned her MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a focus on operations and project management. Taralinda has experience in large-scale public project management, overseeing the creation of a $94M multi-use facility for the state of Wisconsin, sales and account management at a performing arts venue, and customized client solutions as the owner of a consulting business. At Curate, Taralinda leads customer acquisition and business operations.
Resources
Business Incubator, Gener8tor: https://www.gener8tor.com
Women Entrepreneurs Network and Support, Doyenne Group: https://doyennegroup.org
Shared space + support for entrepreneurs in Madison, Starting Block: https://www.startingblockmadison.org/
Notable Quotes
Episode 8 of the Empowering Women Podcast
Guest: Ingrid Lindberg, Founder & CEO of Chief Customer Consulting
Bio: Ingrid Lindberg is the founding owner of Chief Customer Consulting. She is the first person to hold the title of CXO, or Chief Customer Experience Officer. From the early age of 14, Ingrid began working full-time at a salon; she soon worked her way into retail, and then retail management at the age of 17. Leveraging her customer service experience, she took advantage of opportunities to catapult into the world of customer experience, which was really just becoming a thing when she got into it. In our discussion, Ingrid shares her story of working her way up to executive leadership in Corporate America as a Customer Experience expert.
Resources
Alan Cooper, Resource for User Experience
Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers (by HBR on Second Generation Bias)
Notable Quotes
"Your voice matters. Raise it. Own it. Use it."
"There's room for all of us to succeed and there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be on that path. If you want it, raise your voice."
"When you tell the top 10 execs they have to find someone to mentor, it has to be 5 women and 5 women... And actually putting numbers around who you're helping to lift through the organization... you're creating dissonance in the fraternity. "
"There's so much fear that drives silence."
"Corporate America has been built around the support of the fraternity, from the places where "deals are done" to the business that is done over brown liquor and cigars. The fraternity was built to help men get from one stage to another is one that seems impenetrable for women... Fraternities have built a certain kind of toxic business environment of insiders and exclusion. I questioned the assumption that I should try to join."
"When I was managing a team of all men who would invite me to lunches, but would never take me to Friday night happy hour... so I followed them once. And walked straight into the strip club that was three and a half blocks from work. And sat down with them and said, "hey, I'm a part of this team And if I have to sit here to remind you I'm a part of this team, then I'll sit here to remind you that I'm a part of this team. "
"I don't know how to do things like say, 'oh Joe, that's a brilliant idea. Thank you so much for coming up with it.' I say things like, 'Joe, I'm sorry you felt like you had to restate something I said 20 minutes ago. Would you like me to be clearer next time?' "
"I was 20 years younger than any of my peers, at best. I didn't fit the mold at all. I have not been very good at packaging myself into one of those female execs who disappears. I don't do that... I've not played a lot of those roles that female executives have, where they either try to conform to that boys club or frankly just try to disappear as a human.... "
"I literally had a female executive say to me once, ' I did it with no help. Why should I help you?'... I feel like it is my job to stop that cycle of second generation bias. We have to stop it; we have to help each other."
Episode 6 of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST:
Drena Howard is a Senior Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability professional with 15 years of experience in retail, manufacturing and warehouse, spanning cosmetics, building system services, and aerospace. Drena holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from South Carolina State University, which is an important Historically black university, or HBCU. Drena also holds a Masters of Environmental Management and a Master of Public Health, both from Yale University. Drena is recognized as a leader in EHS as showcased by her roles with the National Association of Environmental Managers, where she is currently on the board of directors.
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Notable Quotes and Concepts from Drena:
What do you like about being in Environmental Health & Safety
“Serious injuries can completely alter a person’s life… being able to prevent something like that from happening…so that they can have their limbs, their mobility, and can provide for themselves and their family as well as do the things they love to do on the weekends… makes my day”
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Regarding how Drena would like to see the EHS profession change:
“There are a lot more people of color and women in the environmental health and safety profession, but they’re not always represented in conferences or trade events and trade shows… I would encourage organizations – if you have up and coming talent, whether they be women, people of color, LGBTQA, etc. that instead of just always sending your most senior people to the conference, send some of your more junior people. Send some of your more diverse candidates to these conferences, to these trade shows. Because it shows representation of your organization as well as it is a way to groom and develop your talent through their exposure, the things that they learn from the conference…”
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“I am passionate about environmental justice because if you can improve the health and quality of air, quality of water in these communities, it gives more people an opportunity to go on to advanced education because they’re not sick and missing school. And if they’re not sick and missing school, then they have more job opportunities. It creates a stronger pipeline for the future as a whole… Environmental justice is not just limited to ‘not in my back yard.’ It’s what are some of those opportunities to improve the air, the water, the basic things that people need to function and live, which then opens up so many more pathways for success. ”
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“Ask for what you what. Ask about the opportunities ”
Episode 6 of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Sepi Saidi, Civil Engineer & Entrepreneur, Founding Owner of SEPI, Inc.
Sepi Saidi is a visionary leader who founded SEPI Engineering &
Construction in 2001 and has led the company to become a premier
full service civil, environmental planning, and construction
management engineering firm in the Southeast. The firm’s awards
include Fast 50 firm by Triangle Business Journal, Zweig White Hot
Firm List, Inc. 5000, and being ranked as a Top 500 Design Firm on
the Engineering News-Record’s 2017 list.
Incorporating the firm’s core values, SEPI is dedicated to providing a
unique work space and environment for its employees to plan,
design, build, and give back to the communities in which we serve.
With a dedicated passion to support organizations that align with the
health, safety, and well-being of the families in our communities,
Ms. Saidi and the firm are proud to be champions of community
service.
A Professional Engineer and alumna of North Carolina State
University, with degrees in Civil and Agricultural Engineering, Ms.
Saidi has been named by the Triangle Business Journal as the 2018
Businessperson of the Year, was recently selected as a Charlotte
Business Journal 2018 Women in Business Achievement Award
winner, and has been inducted into the North Carolina Business Hall
of Fame.
QUOTES
Episode 5 of the Empowering Women Podcast
Guest: Jackie Saling, Chemical Engineer and Remediation Community of Practice Leader at Arcadis
Jackie Saling has over seventeen years of professional experience in the environmental consulting industry and is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Michigan. At Arcadis, Ms. Saling is lead engineer for several large accounts where she develops technical project strategy, effectively communicates complex technical concepts to clients, regulators, and stakeholders, and builds strong technical project teams to execute complex technical solutions to meet the needs of clients. Ms. Saling supports the in-situ remediation discipline at Arcadis and has led the air sparge and soil vapor extraction (AS/SVE) and in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) communities of practice. Through these roles, she is known as a national resource within the company to provide assistance with the evaluation of Sites for the use of in situ remedies; designing and performing field pilot tests; full scale design and implementation; and optimization of the operation of in situ remedies. In addition, Ms.Saling’s engineering-related experience includes developing feasibility studies and remedial strategies; designing and performing pilot tests; designing and installing full-scale remediation systems; troubleshooting and optimizing remedial systems; generating design specifications, remedial investigation work plans, remedial action work plans, and associated project reports; developing project budgets; and preparing cost analyses for remedial alternatives.
Discussion
Notable Jackie Quotes
"When I was just focused on being technical and going into technical leadership, I couldn't get anywhere because there was a structure and no way to move up very quickly. When I recognized that the fastest way to get where I wanted to go may not be a straight line, and that by coming much more well rounded about our business in general... it was amazing! It all came full circle and I got right where I wanted to be."
"A lot of people listening will be engineers, scientists, linear thinkers... but for your career, that might not be the fastest way to get from point A to point B."
"Something I've had to learn as a leader is the art of building a team so that I can take off my plate the things that are opportunities for others..."
"What she had been branded with as being a bad attitude was not at all a bad attitude. It was basically she commanded authority when she was in the field... it was all these traits where if it had been a man in the field, he would have been a rock star. So she was being cast off as like a problem child... I tried to make her aware of the perception. And by me being her manager, I could be her advocate... She grew to be my go to for everything."
"Just having those women to talk to, bounce ideas off of and celebrate our successes has been career and life changing for me..."
Episode 4 of the Empowering Women Podcast
Guest: Christen Wood, Wastewater Operator
Christen is currently the Operations Administrator at the County of Summit Department of Sanitary Sewer Services. She has been working in the wastewater field since 2008, first at the City of Ashtabula wastewater laboratory, then in both laboratory and operations roles for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. Her education includes a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Findlay. She currently holds certifications as a Professional Operator, Wastewater Treatment Class IV; Ohio Class III Wastewater Operator; and Ohio Class II Wastewater Analyst. She is passionate about Operations Challenge competition and sharing the excitement of clean water with the world, including through the wastewater twitter community as @sewer_chic. Her achievements include OWEA Professional Wastewater Operations Award, NESOWEA Herb Hansen Award, and writing the winning WEF Fight Song: Treat the Water Right.
LinkedIn Article Mel wrote about Christen's "Career Manifesto" Advice:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/guiding-principals-career-manifesto-mel-butcher/
Notable Christen Quotes
“The doctors of the world are very celebrated as they should be, but wastewater operators save more lives each year by protecting the waters that people are drinking and fishing and swimming in….”
“People see roads and bridges and think of infrastructure. They don’t think about the water and wastewater pipes that are running underground that may have been their hundreds of years. And worse yet, we’re facing this huge need for infrastructure because the Clean Water Act, a lot of the equipment that was put in the ground or in the plants for that reason is starting to reach its expected lifespan. Convincing people that it’s worth it to spend the money to upgrade these systems to continue to clean the water is sometimes hard if they don’t recognize that service is being provided in the first place…”
“I love challenging others and myself, I’m certainly not exempt from this; there are plenty of colleagues I have not gotten along with… I really think it’s important to find the value and worth of everyone that you work with, regardless of your own personal style.”
“She stared right at the class and she said I need to tell you this, this is important, pay attention. If you have to choose between a loud job and a stinky job, choose the stinky job and here’s why. And she proceeded to tell us that your ears will physically hear every sound coming in. So if somebody is using a jackhammer outside of your house, you will hear every time it strikes. For your nose, however, it will only detect changes. So for example, if you walk into your house at the end of the day, you might notice it smells like your house… After 10 minutes or so, you don’t notice”
“Part of the problem in our industry is that we don’t have enough women. We also don’t have a lot of minorities. Where I’m currently working, I was the diversity program walking in the door.”
“I can speak to this through the operations challenge. I’ve found that when I was building my operations challenge team, the best people (team members) are from really different backgrounds. Having someone that’s in management and someone that’s in a union, and someone that’s black, and someone that’s a woman, and someone with sales experience, and someone that worked at Olive Garden. When you get people from all those different backgrounds coming together against a single problem, you will find the right answer...”
“If you’ve never toured a wastewater treatment plant, please do. It is a fascinating piece of industrial revolution amazement. Society as we know it, wouldn’t exist without these things...When you get into these plants, the science is right in front of you. You can see it! It’s a science experiment in real time. ”
Books Discussed
Multipliers by Liz Wiseman
Turn the Ship Around: A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders by L. David Marquet
Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny et al.
Episode 3 of the Empowering Women Podcast
Guest: Jenny Han, Architect, Director of Design Operations at Skender
Jenny Han is a licensed Architect based in Chicago. Her specialities include design of healthcare facilities. Ms. Han also has a special interest in the intersection of space and community. She shared her story of being the daughter of immigrants and what it was like to find her path at the intersection of art and science.
QUOTES
“It is important to me to lead, to not say “no”, even if it is something I’m fearful of”.
“If somebody else has faith I can do something, I give it a shot… That has enabled me to do things I wouldn’t normally volunteer myself for.”
“If there’s three reasons to do anything, I always say you should do it.”
“The overriding theme with golf is like anything in your career…. Just show up. Don’t be so paralyzed and afraid that you don’t even show up to your seat at the table.”
“Find mentors in all aspects of your life that fulfill different roles and needs you might have…”
Concepts and Resources Discussed
- National Council of Architectural Registration Boards
- Panopticon
- Ethnography
- Public Housing
- Robert Taylor Homes
- Lean Manufacturing
- Value Engineering
Jenny's Education
Companies & Organizations Discussed
Episode 2 of the Empowering Women Podcast
Renee shared her career path. She started her career in the HVACR space without any technical training. She courageously shared her experience of leaving the workforce to become a caretaker for her terminally ill father, and her experience returning after some time away. Renee has exception, heart-felt advice for women working their way up in male-dominated career spaces. It's also obvious from her talk, that she has a deep passion for diversity, and works towards improving the environment for all people in the HVACR space.
Renee on Twitter: @ReneeJoseph15
Links to Subjects Renee Discussed
- Johnson Controls
- Burj Khalifa
- Life of a BTU Video by Johnson Controls
- Understanding Building Automation System
- Changing Demographics in the HVACR Industry White Paper
- Spending time with the coolest women in industry
- TRANE
- AHR
- ASHRAE
- P&L – Profit and Loss Statement in operating a business
- CRM - Customer Relationship Management
QUOTES
“You really have to make sure everyone has a seat at the table and that you encourage and coach out those voices so that everyone can be heard.”
“We know statistically that teams that are more diverse are higher performing teams… we use a lot of that data to encourage bringing those diverse teams together, especially on big important projects to show how the diversity in thinking can help produce better results.”
Episode 1 of the Empowering Women Podcast
Guest: Lynn Spivey, Director of Utilities for the City of Plant City, Florida
Lynn shared her career path. She started her early career working for the U.S. Airforce and working for a defense contractor in electronics. She went to school for Chemical Engineering and ended up in the municipal water and wastewater sector. Lynn has a wonderful perspective on navigating tricky career situations, and the Empowering Women team hopes you enjoy this first episode.
Lynn Spivey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-spivey-4b6b9223/
QUOTES:
“I made that conscious choice that I didn’t want to be angry about the unfairness, that I wanted to recognize it, but figure out how to make tools out of that instead of how to build resentment… Women do have some natural tendencies to figure out how to do that – take anger and make energy out of that.”
“Take a look at the landscape around you, recognize that it is unfair and then figure out what you’re going to do, what little piece you can do to help with that.
“An important aspect of leadership is being able to enable the people around you. Different people have different definitions of leadership. But I’ve found true power comes from that… I think the other important aspect of leadership is having strength in your knowledge base enough to be an important component in making it better… and that makes a natural leader – when you want to become part of the equation of making it better.”
“Leadership quality really does mean being able to stand up for more than just your voice… Recognizing that responsibility and taking it seriously is a good leadership quality.”
“It’s hard to really understand where a person is coming from. It’s easy to hear their opinion. But it’s not easy to get why they came to that conclusion, that opinion. It really takes understsanding that to have enough compassion and empathy to be open to what they’re saying. And then find ways around the barriers that can keep dividing us.”
Mel the Engineer speaks solo on this episode to describe what the Empowering Women Podcast is all about. She also shares information on the Empowering Women in Industry Organization, and CollabSuite, a career support group for women working in male-dominated fields.
