Thelma A. Sias, retired executive and the founder and president of the Sias Group, shares how her childhood and personal story influenced her capacity to lead and why she believes great leadership involves the ability to listen and follow other people.
Sias discusses the importance of leading through critical conversations, as well as enabling others to grow as leaders themselves.
Importantly, Sias reflects on the remarks she gave when receiving an honorary doctorate from Marquette University in May 2022, during which she charged the audience to create access and opportunity for others, which she believes is how individuals should define their success.
Episode Highlights:
03:56 - The challenge we are having in today's world, in my opinion, is the fact that we are still struggling with women being in powerful leadership roles. With all of the experience we've had of the success of how women lead, we still struggle with that. And we're still struggling with the issue of younger leaders, leaders that have a different lifestyle. And I think we all need to get over it and understand this message about the table having everyone there, the tent being big enough to include everyone, is significant. We're living in a world that has changed and it continues to change. And if we don't get ourselves ready forward versus constantly going backwards, we're going to delay the enormous progress in this community, in the state, in this world that we need to have.
07:42 - My parents were probably the most significant leaders I've ever met in that they led. They took action. They made change happen. They raised 11 kids and sent us all off to college with a combination of athletic and academic scholarships. And they built a principle for us all to work from.
17:00 - The resilience to be able to stand up when so many people are pushing you down and the resilience to still believe in yourself when so many people are saying it should not be.
Connect with Becky Dubin Jenkins
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Guest Bio:
Thelma A. Sias is one of Milwaukee’s most powerful women because of her leadership and commitment to serve her community. She is proud to be the fifth of 11 children of the late Roosevelt and Pauline Sias, raised on the family farm in Mayersville, Mississippi. Thelma joined Wisconsin Gas (now We Energies) in 1986. In 2003, she was appointed vice president. In 2015, she was named to the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame; in 2016 to Savoy Magazine’s list of Top Influential Women in Corporate America; and in 2017 to the History Makers’ Collection at the Library of Congress with the Doug Jansson Leadership Award from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. In 2018, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Milwaukee Business Journal. In 2022, she received an honorary doctorate from Marquette University.
Sias is a board member of the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, the Sojourner Family Peace Center, and Cardinal Stritch University. Sias is a retired executive and the founder and CEO of the Sias Group LLC.
