How lucky was I to be sitting in the audience in 2018, two weeks after moving to Australia, when Steve Davies, CEO of the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association, bravely stated to the audience that he was embarrassed there wasn’t a woman on his senior leader panel. Steve showed tremendous vulnerability in challenging the audience to help build a more inclusive pipeline industry, and I approached Steve soon after about replicating the American Gas Association women’s leadership program as one step.
Five years and nine cohorts later, nearly 200 women have participated in this program. As one program participant said, “After 10 years of a stalled career I’ve had two promotions in two years. This program has transformed my life”. This has been one of the most fun and fulfilling endeavors of my life, and frankly it gave me the courage to shift my focus from my own personal success in the construction industry to helping other women succeed.
Not only are these women developing new skills and gaining promotions, they are also improving the diversity, equity, and inclusion of the pipeline industry just by showing up. And they are changing the face of the industry. The 2023 AGPA conference had 37% female speakers and a newly formed Women in Pipelines Forum is continuing to drive change. AGPA CEO Steve Davies had this to say about the impact of the program on the industry during our Greatness Podcast
“From my perspective I think the big thing is confidence. Every woman that I’ve talked to who’s gone through the program has come out with that bit more confidence . . . confidence within themselves, not just their career, to actually sort of stand up and either point things out and go, ‘no, that’s not my role’, or actually pointing out their worth to the company. I think sometimes we forget our skills and our worth. But then having the confidence behind you to back yourself up, to actually say that as well . . . Their career has changed, either with a promotion or just that confidence within themselves to actually start asking for things from their managers, from their peers, rather than just sort of accepting it.”
This program is now being replicated for the Crane Industry Council of Australia and discussions on further replication are happening throughout the world. So exciting!
My passion for building leaders in the industry extends beyond women. I remember graduating from engineering school straight into a manufacturing operations management position completely ill-prepared! My work with first time leaders, with APGA and other organizations, provides me with the opportunity to help our wonderful technical and entry-level people in the construction industry understand and build the skills necessary to be effective managers and leaders.
Recent participants had this to say about the program:
Industry Leaders
In 2022 I faced challenging decisions regarding my career and reach out to the amazing Edgar Schein, author, academic, consultant, and coach, for advice. I am grateful for the year I experienced with Ed as my coach prior to his passing on January 26, 2023 and dedicated my 100th episode of the Greatness Podcast to his memory and all that he taught me.
My career as a coach and executive advisor sprang from an initial request to support women executives in the construction industry. I am adept at partnering with both women and men at various stages of their leadership journey to help them: 1) evaluate their strengths and opportunities; 2) zero in on the most impactful changes they can make to help build relationships and drive results; and 3) ensure that measurable changes in behavior and outcomes are experienced.