“Life isn’t about discovering your self, it’s about creating your self.”
Initially attributed to playwright George Bernard Shaw, these phrases of inspiration had been on the coronary heart of an acceptance speech this spring throughout the 2022 Ladies in Sustainability Management awards, convened by the WSLA Alumnae Group.
Recalling the instance of her entrepreneurial grandparents, award recipient Cindy Wallis-Lage, govt director of sustainability and resilience at Black & Veatch, addressed how the easy means of repeatedly lending an ear to workforce members has helped her establish and help superb initiatives to advance their careers. “When leaders make investments time, it reinforces the concept that the particular person is valued,” she noticed. “In flip [that person] values themself.”
Wallis-Lage was one in all 11 girls celebrated throughout this yr’s digital award ceremony recognizing girls making an enduring impression within the sustainability area. Whereas every honoree brings distinctive abilities and experiences, all embody the traits of servant management, as I famous in closing remarks. In my thoughts, there are 5 central parts:
- The power to hear to viewpoints of others, fairly than making your voice the loudest within the room
- An appreciation for individuals for his or her complete selves, not simply what they create to a corporation
- A way of humility, one which acknowledges nice issues are achieved with and thru others
- A willingness to belief
- A caring coronary heart
“WSLA now totals 96 of probably the most achieved, powerful and resilient girls who’ve devoted their lives to creating a greater world, one that’s socially simply and nurtures planet Earth and helps the continued evolution of life on it,” famous WSLA Alumnae Group President and Chair Rochelle Routman throughout her remarks on the ceremony. “Our dedication to mentorship is on the coronary heart of this group. This award is just not a one-time recognition, it’s a neighborhood of leaders that function a community and help system.” (You may learn extra about final yr’s recipients right here.)
Except for Wallis-Lage, the opposite 10 honorees for 2022 (listed alphabetically) are:
- Pamela Alabaster, senior vp and world head of sustainability and social impression, Mattel
- Fahmida Bangert, vp of sustainability, ITRenew
- Heidi de Cienfuegos, co-founder and director, B100arquitectos
- Jill Dumain, world vp of sustainability, SGS
- Carrie Harris, head of sustainability, British Airways
- Grace Kwok, chair particular person and govt director, Allied Sustainability and Environmental Consultants Group
- Mili Majumdar, managing director, GBCI India; senior vp, U.S. Inexperienced Constructing Council
- Monika Nakielski, vp of sustainability, Advocate Aurora Well being
- Kath Williams, president, Kath Williams + Associations
- Bess Winston, managing director and founder, Winston Company
Except for america, this yr’s award winners hail from China, India, Latin America and the UK. Disclosure: As a board member, I used to be concerned on this yr’s choice course of. To be taught extra about among the recipients, tune into the GreenBiz 350 podcast this summer time. We’ll be that includes interviews with most of the recipients, beginning with the July 8 episode.
