Back in 1975, the federal civil rights created a level playing field in education for girls as well as boys. Before the legislation, girls typically studied home economics and boys took shop class. The traditional training rules deter Ellen Voie, the Founder and CEO of Women In Trucking Association. She was one of the few lucky girls whose parents encouraged her to ignore these gender stereotypes. Ellen was inspired by her mother when she opted for woodworking, welding, drafting, and auto mechanics instead of home economics.
In 1978, Ellen officially started her professional life when she was hired at a steel fabricating plant in the drafting department. Later, she was transferred to the Traffic Department and was then promoted to the position of Traffic Manager. Ellen completed her bachelor’s and master’s degree in communication while raising her family and managing the small trucking company she founded with her (then) husband. She has held various leadership positions at the corporate level. Ellen’s passion for learning new skills and going beyond her comfort zone led to the establishment of Women In Trucking. “I was completing my pilot’s license, and I belonged to an organization for female pilots. It struck me that there wasn’t a similar group for women in the trucking industry, so I started one,” said Ellen.
Ellen took Mirror Review on a walkthrough of her inspiring journey. Here are the excerpts,
Focusing on the mission and moving forward
Are you happy with the progress of your company, or are you looking forward to seizing more opportunities?
Around thirteen years ago, I started the Women In Trucking Association as an idea. Still, with the support of my team today, our organization includes more than 5,500 members in ten countries. We started as a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens who focused on increasing the percentage of women employed in the trucking industry. Convincing the trucking industry that gender diversity is essential was not easy, but we persisted. Since its inception, the organization is successfully moving its mission forward. We’ve made great strides in increasing the ranks of women through numerous initiatives.
This year, we are working on creating chapters for our members so they can meet in regional and local groups. This year we’ve initiated a driver ambassador program. Our female driver will take a tractor-trailer to trade shows, schools, and other events to provide a hands-on learning environment for people interested in better understanding the trucking industry and how women can enter and succeed.
Vision plays a vital role
According to you, what is the most influential factor in your business’ success?
I think having a clear vision is very important for any organization to thrive. I believe that my role is the visionary for Women In Trucking. We started in a time when gender parity was our primary focus. I was optimistic about women increasing their ranks at all levels in this industry. Today, we have a successful organization because of this clear vision. Now, I look toward the future and envision an industry that welcomes, appreciates, and embraces women in all areas, whether they are a mechanic, a driver to the CEO. I paint the same picture for my team, and they help move the vision forward.
Failures are just learning experience
What are your views on hurdles or failures you encountered throughout the journey?
I think the hurdles and failures are necessary to help understand what your strengths are. For me, the biggest hurdle was in starting a non-profit in 2007, right in the middle of a recession. However, I did not give up, and in our very first year, we attracted 500 members who joined because they supported our mission.
Failures are mere learning experiences. It shows that we’ve taken risks and tested new opportunities, and maybe they weren’t successful, but they taught us a lesson.
Champion of Change
Which has been your proudest career achievement till now?
My entire career has focused on working for women’s empowerment, and I believe this is one of the most significant accomplishments for the Women In Trucking association as well. In 2012 I was honored to be recognized by the White House as being a “Transportation Innovator Champion of Change.” This was pretty amazing! I was able to take my board of directors with me to the event.
Listen, Empathize and Be Persistent
According to you, what are the three must-have characteristics in today’s leaders?
I think, as a leader, one must be a good listener, instead of anticipating what someone might say, we need to truly understand the person’s intent. Secondly, we need to have empathy. If we can’t put ourselves in the other person’s shoes, we’ll never be able to communicate effectively. Lastly, and most importantly we need to be persistent. We can’t give up when things get rough. We have to move our team forward despite any obstacles in the way.
Entrepreneur and a Morning Show Host
If you had not become a business leader/CEO, what career would you choose?
In high school, my career goal was to be a broadcast journalist. I did go to technical school and later college for this aspiration, but I later learned that unless you’re a recognized name in broadcasting, it’s not a lucrative choice. Ironically, in 2018 I was offered a weekly show on SiriusXM, and now I host the Women In Trucking Show each Saturday morning on the trucking channel, Road Dog 146. Now I am getting a chance to fulfill my alternate career choice too.
