Why would a company like AEI Consultants jump at the chance to be a CREW Network sponsor? Well, it’s all about the people of course. As CEO, one of my passions is unlocking the potential in all of the amazing humans that work at AEI. With our staff located across the US, our management team needs the tools and training to excel at leadership and mentorship. No matter how much passion and excitement we have at the executive level, the key to engaging the entire staff is our regional leadership. As CEO, I found myself asking: Do they have the skills to cascade our messages throughout the organization? Do they know how to leverage their strengths to coach and motivate others?
The challenge: leadership training programs are expensive, and we can’t be certain that the messages they convey are in alignment with our company values. CREW Network to the rescue! Since joining CREW East Bay in 2009, we’ve engaged other AEI leaders in CREW at their local chapters. This expense is a no-brainer for me. Our staff is getting leadership experience serving and leading committees, inspiration from the other CREW members with whom they serve, as well as developing a professional network of their own for both business opportunities and support.
In addition to supporting CREW at the chapter level, sponsoring at the Network level was one of the best investments we’ve made. We use the registrations included in the sponsorship to bring our CREW-involved managers together. We get high value time together as a leadership team, as well as hearing from the amazing speakers at convention. The leader of our Texas region, Rachel Kirkpatrick Yockey, even rocked the microphone with questions for Dr. Travis Bradberry at the Houston Convention. Pictured below are some of our team “geeking out” about Geena Davis sitting behind them at convention. Seeing them so excited made my day.
As noted in the recent Harvard Business Review article "Do Women’s Networking Events Move the Needle on Equality" by Shawn Anchor, shared by CREW Network on LinkedIn, attendance at events like the CREW Network Convention is associated with greater probability of promotions and pay raises, as well as a greater feeling of optimism about the future and feeling more connected to others. I want all of these things for AEI’s future leaders, and I am thankful for the leadership development that CREW offers at the chapter and Network level. Having personally experienced the transformative power of CREW Network, it is a joy to witness the way it unlocks potential within my co-workers as well. Our CREW Network sponsorship is truly the best value for leadership development we’ve found—and we’ve looked.
Investing in CREW Network yields business benefits. CREW Network provides an environment for our leaders to discover, develop, and hone their top-notch talents while building a network to grow our business. For AEI, aligning with CREW Network is a crucial partnership. When we invest in CREW Network, we invest in our team, our business and ourselves. Now that’s a win-win!
Holly
Holly Neber is CEO of AEI Consultants, a national environmental and engineering due diligence firm.
Twitter: @HollyNeber
Click here to read more CREW View posts.