women in leadership article
 
Prefer to read the PDF instead? 

Download it now. 

 

For well over a century, women paved the way through corporate offices in North America and beyond to establish themselves as leaders. Capable, strong, and practical are some of the adjectives we use to describe our talented female leaders who lead the way at Spec™. 

To celebrate women in business, we asked our fearless and always fun leaders questions to inspire and dive deeper into what makes them super-women of business.

With over 80 years of combined industry experience, the consensus among our leaders and self-proclaimed furniture nerds is that we’re heading in a positive direction when it comes to change. Kelly Keess, Sales and Marketing Director, reflects on it. “In the past few years, we’ve seen a huge shift toward diversity and inclusion initiatives in our industry. From manufacturers embracing diversity in their leadership teams to designers considering equity and inclusion in their interior plans,” she explains.

  

The positive momentum in the industry is abundant, and seeing women in leadership positions is very encouraging. Female empowerment was a central theme in our leaders’ responses, and Dubravka Milinkovic, Spec’s Marketing Manager, values her position as a role model. “I try to be a role model and support my coworkers so they can build on their potential,” she says.



So as a manufacturer, how do we support, inspire and guide the next generation of female leaders?   

Allison DeWinter, our Customer Service Leader, puts the onus on women. “Working as a woman in a male-dominated industry poses its challenges. As women, we owe it to ourselves to speak up and have a voice, and then the industry will listen and value our opinions.”   

Keess furthers this thought with her take. “Seeing women speak up and lead difficult conversations sets an example for all the other women in the workplace. When those women come to you with a new idea or want to apply for a new opportunity, encourage them to go for it! Boosting each other up is incredibly impactful,” Keess notes.    

Spec’s Shipping and Receiving Leader, Nadia Saccucci, with the longest industry experience of forty years among Spec’s female leaders, believes that providing leadership titles will help women be seen.

  

Once the title is earned and given, what makes a good leader? 

We asked our team to provide their knowledge and best practices. Milinkovic summed it up with a quote from world-renowned leadership expert John Maxwell: “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” 

Another common theme from our panelists is that leaders should be self-aware. “A good leader develops others; is self-aware; listens with intent and empathy; and has a bias for accountability and action,” Nicholson conveys.  

Gemba is a Japanese term that refers to the act of going to any place where value-creating work occurs to learn. 

In today’s culture of wanting to achieve bigger and better things, accepting a title and becoming a leader requires a competitive edge. We asked our panelists to share their not-so-secret anymore, secrets.   

women in leadership graphic 2



“Gemba is a Japanese term that refers to the act of going to any place where value-creating work occurs to learn,” says HR Leader Nicholson. “In my career, I have made it a point to go and see, learn, and ask questions about the product or service, the process, and the people to better understand how the business works.” 

A consensus is that knowing yourself is an asset. “My ability to have candid conversations has always been something I have been told people appreciate about me,” DeWinter says. While Keess’ inner knowledge of self has helped her flourish in her career. “My authenticity. I’ve aligned myself with roles that allow me to be authentic to who I am,” she confidently explains.   

It does come down to relationships, whether with oneself or peers—it is, ultimately, what our industry is based on. 

Most of us have heard, quite early in our furniture careers, that we are part of a niche industry. Many of us will have little or no prior knowledge of the industry until we first step through its furniture-filled doors. But what do our leaders love most about the industry—the products, the people, or does something else that keeps them here? “The fact that we do serious work, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Milinkovic says, recognizing that we work hard, but we know how to have fun.   

As a furniture nerd, I am happy to stay in this industry for the rest of my career. I want to inspire the younger generation looking to build and advance their careers in interiors or furniture.

Nicholson’s unique take tells us what sets the industry apart from others. “This industry is a fascinating blend of manufacturing and fashion. The building, making, creating of furniture that has aesthetic appeal...”  

Keess states the people are what she loves; similarly, it’s all about our customers that keeps DeWinter motivated. “Being able to apply myself and problem solve to find customers the best furniture solutions for their needs!”     

A potential fashion career was squashed by Keess when she came back to the contract office industry after briefly leaving. “The particular role I was working in with fashion was so transactional. I only spoke to my clients twice a year when they were ordering for the season. I realized how much I missed the relationships that come with our industry.”  

  

We work hard to make a positive impact on places where people work, learn, and play. And we do celebrate our hard-earned wins, each in their own way. It all comes down to keeping positive morale. Saccucci takes a personal approach and celebrates events with her immediate family. At the same time, Milinkovic longs to be festive by throwing confetti around the office. Sidenote, despite multiple wins, throwing confetti hasn’t happened yet, but there is still hope!

DeWinter and Keess love to celebrate with their teams. “It’s so easy to look at the list of what’s left to do and forget about all the great things we’ve already done,” Keess says.   

Women in leadership. International Womens day



What does the future hold for our leaders? 

Keess has a positive outlook. “As a furniture nerd, I am happy to stay in this industry for the rest of my career. I want to inspire the younger generation looking to build and advance their careers in interiors or furniture.” DeWinter has plans to stay indefinitely in the industry. “I jumped into the contract furniture industry without knowledge or experience and fell in love.” In contrast, Saccucci has personal goals to achieve. “I plan on retiring in three years to start an online business.”

Finding a balance between work, life, and loving what you do sets any leader up for success. As we continue to move forward and advance as an industry, the future is bright for Spec Furniture’s women of leadership and within our constantly shifting industry. Girl power, anyone? 

women in leadership graphic 3