In her 33 years with Smithers-Oasis, Robin Kilbride has advanced in her career and has been leading the maker of floral foam, foods and other growing material as president and CEO since 2011.
When she was 24, she was flown to Europe to work on major strategic plans for the Kent-based company with operations around the world.
“That was not as a woman or a man, but on my abilities. We look for the person who is best for the job,” Kilbride said.
However, Kilbride said she understands that as a woman leader, she is a role model for other women, and, frankly, men, who want to advance in their careers.
In a recent interview to talk about her role as a woman leader, Kilbride acknowledged that roles have changed for women, even in the three generations of her family.
Her mother, who was attending Duke University when she met Kilbride’s father, felt that she had two choices: she could leave college after two years, marry her sweetheart and become a secretary. Or she could stay in college for two more years, marry her sweetheart and become a secretary.
When Kilbride was graduating from college, her mother told her she had amazing choices ahead of her.
And for Kilbride’s two daughters, “they recently said ‘We didn’t realize it was unusual for you, Mom, to do what you do.’ ”
Kilbride is among 25 women featured in a book written by two Cleveland-area ladies who have owned a consulting business for 25 years and which celebrates the leaders, who happen to be women.
And while the one thing the leaders have in common is their gender, the authors said what was common among all of the women was that while they may have each had a different path and may have had challenges, “they wanted to be known as leaders who happened to be women,” said Barb Brown, who wrote the book, Uplifting Leaders* (*Who Happen to be Women) with her business partner, Margie Flynn.
Brown said the women shared a common mantra: “Surround yourself with people who can help you along the way. People who can challenge you and learn from others, whether male or female. What is unique (about the leaders) is their attitude is one of ‘I can. I can and I’m going to surround myself with people who believe in me.’ ”
Women featured
The book features women leaders from around the country, including Denise Morrison, president and CEO of the Campbell Soup Co., and Beth E. Mooney, chairwoman and CEO of KeyCorp. But it also includes five from the Akron-area:
• Virginia Addicott (formerly Albanese), president and CEO of Green-based FedEx Custom Critical.
• M. Ann Harlan, co-CEO of Harlan Peterson Partners and retired vice president and general counsel of Orrville-based J.M. Smucker Co.
• Kilbride, president, CEO and chairman of Smithers-Oasis Co.
• Marcella Kanfer Rolnick, vice chair of Akron-based GOJO Industries.
• Sandra Pianalto, former president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and a Bath Township resident
The ladies had a lot of great morsels of advice and stories to share in the book, which can be ordered on Amazon.com for $17.95 or purchased in bulk via BrownFlynn (www.brownflynn.com). As a way to “pay it forward” for their 25th anniversary, all proceeds from the book are going to the YWCA of Cleveland’s program for young women aging out of the foster care system by giving them tools they need for resources.
Favorite advice
Here are some of my favorite pieces of advice from the Akron-area ladies:
• Addicott, a trailblazer as a female CEO of a trucking company, on uplifting future trailblazers by not downplaying that a word or two of encouragement can set a beginner’s foot on a new trail: “It’s incumbent upon us as leaders to tell people ‘You can do it. I know you can.’ ”
• Harlan, who worked at Smucker from 1998 to 2011, on mentors, who aren’t always someone “senior” in position to you: “For me, a mentor is anyone I learn from. I believe we learn every day when we ask questions and are open to what others are saying and doing. I’ve learned perhaps the most from people who teach me in a quiet way, leading by example... [one mentor] was “a woman who worked in the cafeteria line [at Smucker]. She knew that doing her job well and with a smile made it easier for the rest of us to do our jobs well. She had ideas about how the cafeteria could be run more efficiently, and she spoke up. She made a difference in our days, and she taught us the value of positive attitude. And isn’t that what a mentor is, someone that changes us for the better?”
Much of the advice in the book, frankly, could be applicable for both women and men, and the authors acknowledge that.
• Kanfer Rolnick on keeping true to your values: “Find your own center and stay grounded. It all comes back to being driven to do something in the world that really matters.”
• Kilbride on finding the right fit: “When your personal values line up with your company values, you’ve found a great place to work. If not, ask yourself if you really want to be there.”
During our interview, Kilbride said she also had this advice for young students or people early in their career: “If you want to develop in your career, look for people you can learn from and reach out to them. People love to share their experiences. People will rarely turn you down for a conversation or lunch, but if we’re going to sit around and wait for someone to do it for us, we will be disappointed.”
Respect is important
Pianalto, who is now an executive-in-residence at the University of Akron, said respect is a big part of collaboration.
She said she learned the importance of respect and inclusion the hard way. Pianalto said she watched her parents, immigrants from Italy when they came to Akron, struggle “because people didn’t respect them since they couldn’t speak English well. So to this day, to every person in every organization I’ve ever worked with, I always give the utmost respect. People value that, and you know, they will do anything for you.
“Just being humble opens you. People won’t be afraid to confide in you, and they’ll share thoughts and ideas because they know you’ll hear them in a respectful way.”
Kilbride also said finding a work-life balance, for both women and men, is important.
“For me, having things right at home has to come and be in place in order in order to be effective at work. I don’t feel that way just for myself, I feel that way for everyone on my team. It’s not a 50-50 balance, it’s making sure things are working right,” she said. “If someone isn’t happy at home, it’s really hard to perform at work.”
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter.