Release:
July 5, 2023

Women of NATE Today Newsletter
Volume 5, Issue 7

Who doesn’t wake up in the morning and want to be a great leader? When I see great leaders in the world, on the news, or on tv, I ask myself: what have they done that I could be doing? I strive, as I know many of my fellow colleagues do as well, to obtain the necessary qualities to be that type of leader.

The article “How to Become a Great Leader: 10 Tips, 7 Traits and 5 Challenges“ by Shonna Waters gives you insight into how to progress from being good to great. The first five questions that are posed make you dig deep and analyze where you are at in your leadership role. Do not just breeze through these questions. Write down your answers and ponder their impact. Your analysis of your answers will propel you into the next steps you can take to make yourself a great leader.

The next article that we have been given, “Are Female Leaders Surviving the ‘Glass Cliff?'” by Kathy Tam, is a great follow-up to the first article. As a female leader, it is important to know the difference between a glass ceiling and a glass cliff. Female leaders need to be aware of the glass cliff and become supportive as needed. Not only do we need to support one another to succeed but, as leaders, we need to support other female leaders too. Celebrate the successes and be there to lend a hand through conflict. Female leaders can survive and have survived the “Glass Cliff” due to outstanding leadership, determination, and support.

As females in this male-dominated field, we need to look to support all levels of female workers, from interns to CEOs. Through supportive culture, we will succeed.

“Strong Women stand together when things are rough, hold each other up when they need support, and laugh together when there’s no reason to.” - WomenWorking.com

WON Profile: Sarah Bass

The cell phone industry can seem to be male dominate, but the outstretched arms to our female community is encouraging. I attended my first NATE UNITE Convention last year and immediately felt connected. There is nothing like rubbing elbows with other companies and not being dog eat dog but seeing each other’s value and striving to promote the industry.

Where will you find the Women of NATE?

Take Women of NATE with you!

Are you traveling for work or taking a leisure vacation?

Take a creative photo holding a Women of NATE (WON) logo in front of a landmark that lets us know where you are. 

(Above) WON Committee Member Lindsey Westphal of Wave Communications and Blackhawk Tower Communication, Inc shows off her new pink hard hat. Her calendar behind her says: "Don't Stop Until You are Proud" - we love the inspiration!

Upcoming Events

Join Women of NATE at the Women's Leadership Summit in Grapevine, Texas!

Register now and save money! $125 Early Bird Registration ends on July 14. Advanced Registration begins July 15 through September 21 for $150.

Now is the time to get your company's name out there by supporting and sponsoring the Women's Leadership Summit! Sponsorship opportunities are available that will fit your company.

Recent Event Highlights

(above) Women of NATE and tower technicians from across the United States went hard hat to hard hat in a close battle during the #ToughTower competition. Tough Tower held an exciting competition featuring the best in the telecommunications industry, going head-to-head in an exhilarating battle of skill and agility.

(Above) Nicole Paulette (Elevated Services LLC), Joey Deuer (Deuer Developments), Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Todd Schlekeway (NATE President & CEO), Sheri O’Dell-Deuer (Deuer Developments), and Dawn Smith (Deuer Developments)

(Above) WON Committee member Loui McCurley of Pigeon Mountain Industries, Inc. gave a presentation on "Rescue from Fall Protection" at the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) conference in San Antonio, Texas, and enjoyed hanging out with the rest of the PMI crew!

(Above) Also at ConnectX in New Orleans, Louisiana, NATE President & CEO Todd Schlekeway, WON Committee Member Erin Smith of Thayer Wireless Solutions, Ken Clark of Engineering Wireless Services, LLC, and NATE Board of Director Chris Mallon of TowerMRL, LLC. spent time catching up in the NATE booth.

(Above) Alisa Reed of Valmont Site Pro 1, Paula Nurnberg of NATE, Sean Gilhooley of South Coast Towers, Lesley Liarikos of Tower Systems Inc., NATE Board of Director Mike Young of ANCO Wireless, and Cale Ozendes of South Coast Towers visit in the NATE booth at the UTC Telecom & Technology conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Become a Great Leader with These 10 Tips

When you think about great leaders, some names may pop up in your head — Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Sheryl Sandberg, Ariana Huffington — and you can’t help wondering:

What made them special? Is there a secret to becoming a great leader? Or it could be that, maybe, these leaders are the rarest of exceptions — so gifted as to be considered outside the boundaries of mortality?

The truth is, with support, motivation, and the right principles, anyone can grow into a great leader. Many great leaders started out as average people — they had to learn how to lead. To help you grow your leadership skills, we’ll show you how to start learning how to become a good leader. 

And it all starts with the question:

What is the difference between a good leader and a great leader?

To answer this question, we must address a common misconception: leaders vs managers. 

What’s the difference? Well, “manager” is a title — a hierarchy level within an organization. it's a top-down approach versus a bottom-up management approach. 

On the other hand, what does a leader do? Lead, of course. All leaders are managers in some way, but not all managers are leaders. Remember: people can’t always choose their manager, but they can decide who to follow. So, the first step to becoming a great leader is to understand that leadership is more than just a position. You can then make a conscious decision to be someone worth following. Being a good leader involves developing exceptional emotional intelligence. 

Simon Sinek once said, "Leaders are often so concerned about their status and their position at the organization they actually forget their real job. And the real job of a leader isn’t about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in our charge."

What makes a great leader?

A good leader knows how to lead a person (or people) to achieve something exceptional. They know how the process works and how to get the most out of those looking towards them for direction.

For instance:

• Regular leaders set goals. Great leaders come up with unique visions that are meaningful and inspire people.

• Regular leaders are optimistic about the future.  Great leaders know how to cultivate optimism in others. They are practical thinkers who can go from visualization to actualization — they see both the big picture and granular details.

• Regular leaders work within the status quo. Great leaders break conventional wisdom and see the possibilities for new ways of creating and delivering value.

• Regular leaders focus on getting commitment. Great leaders know that to get a commitment, they must tap into passion and show people why and how following them will help them move toward their aspirations.

To go from being a good leader to a great leader, you must start by asking yourself:

1. Am I truly and genuinely doing my best?

2. What are my top areas of improvement?

3. How can I set a more meaningful vision that inspires my people?

4. What can I do to better understand what my people want?

5. What do my people need from me?

By answering some of these questions, you’ll get valuable insights into the steps you should take. 

Why is leadership important?

The truth is we all are leaders in some way. Whether you’re parenting a family, captaining a team, heading a department, or running a corporation, you need to lead. If you want your family, team, department, or corporation to follow for very long, you also need to lead thoughtfully and be the leader they need. 

In case you think the trend toward flat organizations and employee empowerment means leaders are less important, think again. Humans tend to depend on hierarchy. In flat and distributed structures with fewer formal levels of authority, leadership is even more important. Without it, no group can survive very long. 

So, the question here isn’t “Am I a leader?” It isn't even, “Am I a great leader?” The question is, "Am I being the best leader possible for the situation at hand, based on the needs of the people who need my leadership?"

Develop a range of leadership techniques and behaviors so that you have more to draw from. Only when it is no longer about you, and you stop thinking about greatness, can you achieve great leadership. 

In this globalized economy, employees are becoming more and more conscious of the importance of good leadership in their organizations. Even more important, they have higher leadership expectations of the person they choose to follow. 

In short, developing solid interpersonal and collaboration skills isn’t optional, but a necessity for anyone who aspires to have a meaningful career path (and life).

6 benefits of outstanding leadership

Now that you understand the importance of exceptional leadership, let’s talk about some of the benefits of great leadership in the workplace.

1. More commitment from employees: people happily follow leaders whose vision helps them get closer to their goals (both personal and professional).

2. Improve productivity: when employees feel good both mentally and emotionally, they work harder and more proactively.

3. Nurture future leaders: knowing your people to the core helps you spot potential leaders early on.

4. Build a cohesive team: a great leader is the glue that keeps a team together, working for a shared goal. 

5. Foster meaningful work and meaningful relationships: effective leadership is more than just leading people, it’s about giving a purpose — the pursuit of a worthy ideal.

6. Increase employee engagement: remember that most people don’t quit a job, they quit a boss. A leader that empowers employees will increase both employee retention rates and employee engagement. 

How do you become a great leader?

At this point, you’re probably wondering how to become a great leader. And to be honest, being a leader is a bit like being a parent: there’s no step-by-step approach — no manual. 

However, let’s talk about some tips that’ll help you start on solid ground.

Start on the inside 

Great leaders always manage themselves. To manage yourself you first have to know yourself.  Great leaders understand their own motivations and where they have the most room to learn and grow. A good place to start is knowing your strengths and weaknesses. 

Start by performing a self-audit to discover how you perform best and where you could make your greatest contribution. How do you learn? How do you communicate? Are you a listener, a writer, or do you communicate through doing? Do you work best with small or large groups? Cohesion or tension?

Then, ask some of your peers to help you out. 

Some helpful questions include:

• What are my strengths? What can you count on me for?

• What am I the best at in the world?

• What are my weaknesses? What can you not count on me for?

The answer to these questions will help you find out a leadership style that suits your personality. 

Show appreciation to your employees 

Knowing yourself isn’t always enough. To manage and lead people, you must know them too. If you don’t know their motivations, values, beliefs, and even fears, you’ll struggle to get a commitment from them. Now, this doesn’t mean you must be friends with all of your employees. That would not only be hard, but unproductive. Sometimes listening carefully is just enough. People want to feel essential to the organization, and a little gesture of employee appreciation can go a long way. Research from Harvard Business Review reveals that 40% of employees would work harder if they were recognized more. So, make your employees feel appreciated and recognized and they’ll return the favor.

Find a mentor

My grandma once told me that “to grow wise, you must learn from other people’s experiences.” 

Remember that there’s always room to grow. Look for someone who has already overcome the challenges you’re currently facing and who has way more experience in your field. If there’s a “shortcut” to success, finding a mentor or coach is definitely it. Besides, learning from a mentor will teach you how to mentor those you lead too. 

Learn to be a team player

Michael Jordan once said that “talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” He’s right. No matter how good of a manager you are or how smart and talented you feel, if you try to do all the work yourself, you’ll get burned out — delegating work is one of the core skills of any great leader.

So, how do you become a team player in the workplace? It all starts with the intention. Celebrate your peers’ success, appreciate other people’s work, be reliable and open-minded, and you will build trust. Once they trust you, it’ll be much easier to build a cohesive team that gets the work done efficiently.

Define a clear priority

People don’t necessarily follow a person. Many follow a mission. 

As coach and BetterUp author, Sarah Greenberg, put it: “To support a strong sense of purpose in your team, the best action is to make sure your actions as an organization truly do align with a larger, worthwhile mission. Second, provide opportunities for your team members to connect with a purpose beyond the self in a way that can be self-directed, and based on intrinsic motivation.”

To lead people, you must have a clear, tangible goal that’s worth pursuing. So, the first step to becoming a successful leader is to understand what your main goal is — what’s your priority? Keep in mind I didn’t say “priorities,” but “priority.” The truth is we can’t have multiple priorities, especially if you’re in a leadership position. 

For example, Southwest Airlines is known as “the low fare airline.” One time, someone asked Herb Kelleher, co-founder, and CEO of Southwest Airlines, to share his secret to managing his business. He answered: ”We are the low-fare airline. Once you understand this fact, you can make any decision about the company’s future as well as I can.” He then added: “Let’s say someone from the marketing department says to you that, based on research, passengers might like a chicken salad during their trip. How would you respond?” Since the person didn’t have an answer, Kelleher replied: “Will a chicken salad contribute to making us the low-fare airline? Because if it doesn’t, we aren’t serving any damn chicken salad.” Southwest Airlines’ employees know how to make decisions because they understand the priority: be the low-fare airline, period.

To build an effective team, you must define and communicate a clear priority.

Get your hands dirty

Humility is the lubricant oil that minimizes friction within a team. And “getting your hands dirty” is one of the best ways of staying humble. Lead by example. Never ask an employee to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.  Serve people before asking for a favor, listen to other people’s ideas, be open-minded, and be willing to admit your mistakes. People respect leaders who embrace humility.

What are the everyday challenges of being a good leader?

Any leader will, eventually, face some challenges. According to research from Gallup, the manager alone is accountable for 70% of the variance in team engagement. Still, surveys reveal that roughly 58% of managers state they never received training on leadership before being promoted.

What does this mean for you?

Being a leader is a huge responsibility. And people will expect you’re ready, even if you never receive specific leadership training. If you want to become great at leading people, you must acknowledge the fact that leadership and middle management are tough and prepare yourself for the challenges you’ll face beforehand.

Some of these challenges include: 

1. Earning the trust of your employees

A study a few years ago claimed that employees trust strangers more than their own boss. I’m not sure if that statement is true, but we can’t argue earning someone’s trust is hard — really hard — especially if that person has had bad experiences in the past. And it requires time. You need to share a couple of experiences with your employees before they start to trust you. And, often, losing that trust is easier than earning it. As a leader, you must take building trust within your team seriously. 

2. Dealing with pressure and stress

Making decisions is one of the core duties of any great leader. And some of these decisions will be tough — firing people, choosing between two great candidates for a specific role, or moving an employee to a different department because they’re no longer performing well. Sometimes, people will get mad at you. Other times, you’ll have to make the decision under tons of pressure. So, this is something you must embrace and learn to deal with. As a leader, dealing with your own stress management at work is important. Make time for your own self-care, not just that our your team. 

3. Managing difficult people

Being a leader doesn’t mean people will always like you, and vice versa. You’ll deal with employees who don’t share your values and who resist following directions. But great leaders don’t avoid conflict, they deal with this friction and learn to communicate clearly. 

Your employee who is difficult or won’t follow directions is an important source of information, either about your own management style or about the customer or product. Don’t squander the opportunity to learn from someone who disagrees. They might be motivated by a passion for making a bigger impact. They might have a different perspective or hold the clue for a new approach that will drive value for the company. 

These gifts don’t always come in pleasant packaging. That’s why developing solid interpersonal skills is crucial for an exceptional leader.

7 characteristics of great leaders

Now, even though there are many styles of leadership, all great leaders share specific traits. 

Let’s break some of them down:

• Good listeners: good leaders know that listening is the key to great communication, so they always prioritize listening over talking.

• Constant learners: effective leaders always seek to learn from other people’s experiences — whether it’s from books, courses, and mentors, they’re always learning. In short, cultivating a growth mindset is crucial to being an effective leader.

• Service-driven: good leaders know that to influence people is to help them achieve what they want, so they start by serving others before asking for something.

• Healthy: great leaders understand that to make their greatest contribution, they must take care of their body and mental fitness, which is essential to staying productive.

• Accountable: leaders don't blame others for the decisions they make and they own whatever results.

• Focused: good leaders understand what is most important and channel their efforts to it.

• Empathetic and compassionate: effective leaders are emotionally wise and care about helping people in specific ways. 

Now, keep in mind this isn’t a comprehensive list of all the characteristics of great leaders, but it includes some of the main ones.

Ready to become a great leader?

Being a leader isn’t about giving orders, or getting compliance, and not even about building one-on-one relationships with employees.

Being a great leader is all about building a solid culture — one that helps the team grow and fulfill its true potential.

Not because they have to, but because they want to — because they’re committed to your cause. 

Yes, it’ll be hard.

Yes, you’ll face a myriad of challenges.

Yes, you’ll make sacrifices — tons of them.

But in the end, it’ll all be worth it.

Shonna began her career as an internal and external consultant across sectors and industries on issues spanning every aspect of people systems in organizations including selection, development, leadership and succession, performance management, governance, and compensation. Prior to joining BetterUp, she served in executive leadership roles at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the National Security Agency. Shonna is a professor, author, leadership coach, and a Fellow of the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and the Center for Evidence-Based Management (CeBMA).

Shonna received her Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology and Statistics from the University of Minnesota. She completed her certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University's Leadership Coaching Program and is an ICF certified coach.

This article was previously published on betterup.com.

Are Female Leaders Surviving the "Glass Cliff?"

Who is most likely to succeed during a crisis? The female leader.

The glass cliff is the invisible barrier to advancement that women often face as they try to reach the higher levels of an organization. So, the glass cliff is the idea that when the company is in trouble, the female leader comes in for the save. When women finally get the chance to prove themselves in a senior role, they are handed something that is already broken and where the chances of failure are high.

The question needs to be asked, are women in fact more qualified to lead during a crisis?

According to a Pew Research Center report on what makes a good leader, characteristics such as honesty, intelligence, compassion, and innovation rank quite high on the rating scale. When comparing these traits between men and women, women scored higher in most of these categories. 

In addition, Survey results from Harvard Business Review also paint a positive picture for female leaders. Respondents are noting that females lead by using interpersonal skills, inspiration, motivation, creativity, collaboration, teamwork, and relationship building.

In times of crisis, women are often found to display integrity, pivot (when necessary), learn new skills, and focus on employee development and empowerment.

What can female leaders do if the glass cliff presents itself?

1. Step up. Throw your hat in the game and present yourself as the right candidate to turn things around.
2. Get into action. Ask your peers to make a case for you. Their support can make a difference in the minds of leadership.
3. Be confident. Fear will just slow you down. Confidence will not only enhance your mindset, but also will show that you have the courage, ability, and skills to lead.
4. Focus on your competencies. Show that you can rebuild through strategic development, making quick and effective decisions, and pulling together a team that is willing to work toward success.
5. Lead through change. Change can be nerve racking, however, during a crisis, it’s clearly necessary. Present your road map to upper management to show early on that you can handle the challenge.

Female leaders can, and are, breaking through the glass ceiling.

This article was previously published on ce.uci.edu. 

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