A Walk In My Husband's Shoes — A Word From Arlene Lee

Walking in my husband’s shoes has been one of the most powerful experiences of my life.

I didn’t come to the CEO role in the traditional route, though I am far from the first to do this. I didn’t come up through the ranks with all the metaphorical bumps and bruises.

I came in at the top with an expectation of how things should be and no preconceived notions of "this is just the way things are done.” I came without a box.  This is not true for most people in the industry, especially women.  They are the trailblazers that have made the path.

It’s time for the industry to pave that pathway and make it into a highway. Women will be a major part of solving the workforce shortage and we as an industry would be smart to embrace the skills they bring. So, to those coming into the industry (both young men and women), I share five essential tools for your toolbox.

1. Learn. Learn from everyone, have many mentors, and be a continual learner.

2. Lead. Leadership happens at all levels. Learn to first lead yourself and then learn to lead others. You can’t lead if you don’t know where you are going. So, look at the big picture, (where is your horizon?) and then know when to zero in on details.

3. Communicate. Find your voice. If you don’t, someone will speak for you and you might not like what they have to say.

4. Resolve. Resolve conflicts early. It’s not whether there’s an elephant in the room, it’s whether we see the same elephant, and lastly,

5. Resilience. When you are at the end of your rope, you CAN tie on another rope. Oh, and don’t forget to throw that rope back to the next person and lift them up too.