- February 8, 2016
- 3:43 pm
- Andrew Keyt
- no comments
Women in Family Business: Making Connections
In anticipation of the annual Women’s Event on Thursday, February 11, we wanted to introduce our hosts and ask them a few questions that pertain to family business, their challenges throughout their career, and what they have done to become strong and confident leaders in the workplace.
Lindsey Malpass-Skop (G5), EJ
Lindsey is currently one of five, generation five family members that work for EJ (formerly East Jordan Iron Works Inc.). Since 1883 her family has been producing iron castings in Northern Michigan. EJ now supplies products to infrastructure projects in over 150 countries across the world. Lindsey is the Director of Internal Communications and Talent Management, and serves on the Board of Directors. She lives in Northern Michigan with her husband and two children, ages 5 and 3.
Denise Provenzano (G1) Zano Salons
Denise started her business in the salon industry 30 years ago and today has four salon and spas in Chicagoland. In November the company acquired a cosmetology academy to add to their collection. Both her sons are also involved in the family business.
Kate Weicher (G4) Carl Buddig & Company
Kate works part time for her family’s business in the HR department where she focuses on recruiting and special projects. Within the family she enjoys working with the G3s to plan family meetings and wants to help develop a family council. Kate lives in Clarendon Hills with her husband and two young daughters.
What has been your greatest challenge as a family leader?
Kate: My greatest challenge was making the decision that I wanted to be a leader within my family. As the oldest of the 4th generation I found that I was often cast as a leader or spokesperson for my generation by default and it wasn’t until I embraced this that I feel I started to step up and be the leader my family deserved.
Lindsey: One of the most difficult aspects of becoming a family leader is to find the right balance between business, family and self. You must develop an ability to pursue what is right for all stakeholders, manage emotions, adapt to new ways of thinking, and use different styles of communication. At the end of the day, you must also learn to take care of yourself. Developing a keen sense of emotional intelligence is key and it’s something I work on every day.
Denise: As a mother of two sons who report directly to me, and the CEO of our family business, my greatest challenge has always been, “how do I switch from nurturing mother to the direct, decision-driven CEO?” Then there is the component of sons protecting their mother, and let’s not forgot the position of children at some age where they think they know much more than their parents. Challenging!
What advice would you give a young woman who isn’t going to work for the family business, but wants to stay connected and informed to be able to potentially take on a leadership role within the family?
Kate: Start expressing that you want to be more involved to all family members, those in and out of the business. Being an “outsider” can actually be a huge asset because you can help encourage the conversations that those inside the company may not see as important but are really valuable for everyone.
Denise: This is something that we haven’t yet come across, as everyone is currently working for the business. That said, rules I follow are to respect those who are involved in the family business, and understand that leadership is earned not appointed.
What advice would you give women to encourage them to be stronger, more confident leaders in the workplace, and in life?
Kate: I often feel overwhelmed with all of the hats I wear and struggle to balance everything. I try to give myself credit for the things I do well which can be hard when trying to do a hundred things at once. Then when I start to feel overwhelmed I put things into perspective and give myself permission to not be the best at everything.
Lindsey: The best piece of advice I could give to any woman looking to become more confident in their workplace and life would be to seek opportunity wherever you can by being your own best advocate. I like Sheryl Sandberg’s quote, “Feeling confident—or pretending that you feel confident—is necessary to reach for opportunities. It’s a cliché, but opportunities are rarely offered; they’re seized.” She hits the nail on the head—we have to advocate for ourselves, show initiative and seize opportunities as they arise.
Denise: I believe confidence can be learned through positive experiences and having a good mentor who you can truly be honest with, and your mentor can be honest with you. This honesty is one important way to use the advice in helping to build your confidence when you are looking to grow. Of course you have to be able to work on it constantly until it becomes second nature as it is with anything you are trying to change or improve on.
What is your best tip for women trying to find their place in the family business?
Kate: Ask questions and set boundaries. I’m the first female of my generation to work for the family business and it was very important to me that I find a comfortable balance for me to juggle my young family and my professional life. Because I asked questions up front I was able to find an area where my skills could best be used within the company while also creating my own unique work schedule so that I could spend time with my young children.
Lindsey: The best piece of advice that I received in my journey to find a place within my family business was to be a good listener. Many people find the need to talk, to give advice, and to be heard. Especially in my first few years of employment, listening to others around me helped me to grow tremendously. I wasn’t focused on what I didn’t know, the next comment I needed to make, or the opinion people were expecting – I just listened. Being an active listener allowed me make informed decisions and gain trust and respect amongst co-workers and family members.
Denise: Know your talents and desires and really examine where you could best serve using those talents to help grow the business and support the members involved.
A huge thank you to our Event Hosts for taking the time to help out with this blog post! We are so excited to hear more at our Women’s Event on February 11th. This event is currently sold out, but email us or call us at 312.915.6490 to be put on the waiting list.