Thanks for Giving Me the Business
Mary Palkovich, Director of Gas Engineering, CenterPoint Energy

An old friend and mentor of mine asked me to speak at a Business Development Council meeting at the University of Minnesota recently. As I was being introduced, my friend referred to me as the opposite of a DUG (later defined as a Dumb Utility Guy - typically a 60ish white male). This was intended to be a compliment. I took it as one.

Through all of the experiences and learning in over 25 years in this industry, I have come to appreciate the ups and downs of being a woman in a traditional male role. If you have ever stuck a high heel in steel grating at a power plant, you learn to walk on the balls of your feet when on a catwalk or risk losing the shoe, an important safety tip.

At a critical juncture in my career, I was out of the office for 6 weeks on maternity leave. When my boss unexpectedly arrived at my home 4 weeks into my hiatus, I thought he was delivering a baby gift, but I was instead greeted with a request to cut short my leave and return to work earlier than planned. Instead of contacting an attorney about the illegalities of his request, I asked him politely to leave, so I could go back to nursing my baby. I never responded to his request and within 6 months of my return to work, he was fired for various reasons. I understood then that sometimes things take care of themselves, which is very useful knowledge.

More schooling came to me in the restroom at an offsite management conference a few years back. As I was leaving the lavatory stall and approaching the washbasin, a female colleague approached me and asked if I felt that my being more masculine was an attribute that helped me “get ahead in Operations”. As I applied my lipstick in the mirror and thought about wearing more skirts in the future, I realized that decisiveness can often be mistaken as masculinity.

There are several areas where I have yet to gain sufficient knowledge. I am perplexed by the criteria used when leaders are chosen for certain roles in management. Sometimes it is a smooth talker who looks the part, sometimes it is a popularity contest, or a token minority or diversity candidate, and other times it is a brainy individual contributor who solved a complex technical problem and was rewarded with a high ranking leadership position. Another confusing statistic is the pay inequity for women and men in similar roles. With market based compensation, how can disparity occur?

In the end, I have come to understand that I can control certain things, including my behavior, my quest for knowledge and showing my gratitude. I truly appreciate what I have gained by being an oddity in my field. I am happy and thankful that I have been “given the business” and I look forward to many years of business learning before retirement.

Energetic Women – A Valuable Resource for Companies

Organizations continue to recognize the value of services offered by Energetic Women and using them as a resource to develop their employees. This month several companies gathered in groups to participate in our latest free webinar on “Butterfly Coaching” by Val Williams from Influential Presence, LLC. There were over 220 participants from over 50 companies across the U.S. participating. Some, like National Grid, had 6 or 7 different locations with dozens gathered in conference rooms to learn, including their Asian Leadership group as well as several men participating, which follows nicely with Energetic Women’s values of inclusivity and diversity. If you missed it, the entire webinar was recorded and is available on the Energetic Women website for a limited time: EnergeticWomen.org.

Donna Heinicke, Manager, Gas Meter Shop and Energetic Women Conference attendee, gave a presentation to Black Hills Energy’s leadership on the value of Energetic Women, and why they should support and encourage participation. She sourced Energetic Women for anecdotes and key points to help craft her message. When asked how it went, she stated, “It went great! Directing my message to the male leaders was the direction to go. I had several supervisors/managers get more details so they could include (EW) in training and development. I think BHC will have more participation on today’s call (Butterfly Coaching) and in the future. My benefit, I was really seeing Energetic Women as more of a tool for me and doing better in my position. I’m now also focused on what more I have to do as a leader and mentor in my organization.” Kudos to you Donna! Your efforts reflect Energetic Women’s goal of encouraging leadership growth and development, and thereby adding more value to your organization.

Finally, congratulations to Nicor Gas, the latest organization to launch a new group dedicated to the development of women leaders titled “Inspire.” Their three pillars; Lead, Leap, Learn define the continual growth process we all seek to increase our value to our organizations. We’re looking forward to your success stories and continued participation in Energetic Women!

The More the Merrier… and for Less Cost!

Once again we’ll be offering multiple registration discounts for companies wanting to send multiple attendees to the 3rd Annual Energetic Women Conference.

Below is an outline of the savings available for your organization:

• Early Bird Discount – register by April 3 and save $25 per person
• Take Five Discount – register 5 or more from the same organization, save an additional 5% per person
• Perfect Ten Discount – register 10 or more from the same organization, save an additional 10% per person
• NEW! 20/20 Vision Discount – register 20 or more from the same organization, save an additional 20%!

Let’s do the math! Regular Registration is $400 per person (covers all event materials and meals)

• 1 Registrant + Early Bird = $375
• 5 Registrants + Early Bird = $356.25 ($93.75 savings)
• 10 Registrants + Early Bird = $337.50 ($375 savings – enough to send one more!)
• 20 Registrants + Early Bird = $300 ($1,500 savings – enough to send three more!)

Registration is now open!

If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Menning, Vice President Gas Services, stephm@midwestenergy.org.