Gender be damned

When I was first asked by Kristen Fefes, executive director of the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado, to go to Colorado and speak about leadership and women in industry, I was so unbelievably humbled. I actually thought she could give this talk. I have always viewed her as a leader in our industry. I just come into the office every day and do, so I don’t really think of myself in any particular light.

That being said, I think that if anybody has a chance to sit down and reflect on what they’ve done and where they’ve come from, they should definitely jump at the opportunity. It’s an incredible soul-searching experience, as all too often we don’t give ourselves enough credit for our accomplishments. For the first time in a very long time, I looked back on my life and thought, “Wow, I really did accomplish something!” It was almost therapeutic. Not only did I love giving the presentation, I loved working on and preparing for it as well.
 

A leader defined.

To me, a leader is someone who is committed to making everyone around them better. To many, leadership may seem like an abstract concept reserved only for the extraordinary. However, during his popular TED Talk, Drew Dudley, speaker and founder of Nuance Leadership Development Services, stated, “We’ve all changed someone’s life – usually without even realizing it.” To me, that’s what leadership is – improving lives. Every person has a choice when they get out of bed in the morning. They can choose to have a good day and make everyone around them better, or they can choose to have a bad day.

Who I am (in this order) Like many people, I take on so many roles in my day-to-day life:

I’m a mother. It amazes me how much my children, Jessica, Justin and Joshua, inspire me every day. While growing up, I used to look up to my parents (still do), thinking that they were guiding me, coaching me, shaping me. I felt they had the secret recipe for raising children. Now, as a parent, I realize that there is no secret recipe; you just help guide and hope you are doing a good job. This made me aware that even as parents, we are still evolving as people. My kids help me in that process. I guess I am still growing up and learning.

My kids have probably taught me the most about managing people. Management and leadership are very much like raising kids – three individuals going through life with the exact same parents, yet all require very different levels of parenting. Each one of them continues to inspire me to be better.

I’m a wife. I have a very understanding husband. He’s a terrific father and I owe a lot to him. Having a spouse that is supportive is the greatest gift you can get in life. Chris and I work very hard together at Weed Man, but we always take time to have fun, leaving it all at the office. We both enjoy being parents and love being active with our kids’ sports and social activities.

I’m a daughter … and an employee. Although I’m a daughter first, I’m always aware that I also have a job to do. It certainly adds a complexity to the role because my father is CEO of Weed Man, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I’m a chief operating officer. I truly feel that my role here is to serve our franchisees and my staff. I have been extremely lucky to have incredible people around me. My favorite part is being a coach. That’s a conundrum that many small businesses face. Many landscapers, for example, love being on the front lines with members of their staff. However, if you want to grow beyond that $1-million or $2-million mark, you have to learn to let go and be a coach to your employees.

I’m a friend. I really count on my circle of friends to help guide me through being a mother, wife, daughter, employee and boss. Friends have been and will always be a crucial part of my network.

I’m myself. All of the above is me. I think it’s very normal for women to put themselves last.

The way I laid out who I am is very deliberate and ties into the compass theme I selected for my presentation. Although this list reflects my life now and how it should be 100 percent of the time, my priorities shifted around frequently over the years. Sometimes my kids were fourth. I tried to keep them first, but it didn’t always happen that way. That’s why the compass is important – it helps keep me grounded. There are times when you are going to have to readjust because you’ve lost your way or you’ve put your career before your family.
 

Women and leadership.

Over the course of my career, I have done quite a bit of research on leadership and people who take charge. I found the “Traits of a True Leader” list from a Harvard Business Review study to ring especially true:

• Empathy
• Vulnerability
• Humility
• Inclusiveness
• Generosity
• Balance
• Patience
   

Generally speaking, I think that women are more prone to these types of traits. Throughout my life, I’ve gone through phases during which I’m better at one quality than another, but this is constantly changing and evolving.

According to the study conducted over the course of 10 years, women make up more than half of the current workforce. In an analysis of 16 competencies, women outperformed men in 10 out of 16 categories.

Then why is it that as you move up the organization, only 3 percent of women are CEOs and only 14 percent are senior executives? There is obviously a disparity at play.

Several factors impact the leadership gap:

• I don’t want the role – child bearing age, guilt factor (I should be with my sick child,) family balance
• I can’t succeed in the role – no mentorship, “Others haven’t done it; how can I do it?”
• I can’t have the role – no formal systems in place that promote gender parity
   

This gave me a chance to reflect on my own personal experiences as a female in a leadership role. Both Weed Man and my father have always treated everyone fairly and equally. He has always been a huge advocate of promoting the right person for the job, regardless of background. I love that I help grow a company that allows everyone an equal opportunity.

How do we improve the leadership gap?

• Initiate formal mentoring programs. This is a great opportunity for organizations to set up networking and mentoring programs for women.
• Create development opportunities in the workplace. Be deliberate about it.
• Recruit internally.
  
   

Opportunities for women.

For this presentation, I was asked to brainstorm opportunities that I believe exist for women in our industry. It is my firm belief that every position within the green industry is available to a woman. However, I don’t think women should be given high-level jobs simply because they’re female. I think every position should be earned by the best person for the job. Women may have to work a little harder than men to achieve leadership roles, but it makes us better in the long run. You need to work hard and be smart, surround yourself with great people and believe in yourself.

I can honestly say that waking up every single day is a pleasure. I’m not sure if it is maturity or rather cycles in life, but I am comfortable with who I am, and I am surrounded by incredible people that make me love what I do.

The author is chief operating officer of Turf Holdings/Weed Man USA.