By: Leslie Kass

Video: Leslie Kass - Chief Executive Officer


Lewis Services' new CEO shares her thoughts on what makes for a successful enterprise and why engaging employees is so vitally important.


[Transcript]

0:04
My leadership style is very frontline focused. I think it's important to understand what's going on out in the field, see it for yourself, try to walk in the shoes, meet our people in their office rather than making assumptions of sitting at a desk somewhere way far away.

0:20
Being in the trenches is really about meeting our frontline employees in their office, which is out in a parking lot in the morning for morning roundup and our safety talks and getting prepared for the day to being out there and watching them do their work and appreciate the skill that it takes and the coordination and it's just a wonderful thing to witness.

0:39
But it's also where I learned so much about the business.

0:43
You learn more in a day in the field than a month in the office about what we're doing, how we're delivering it, what our people need and what our customer cares about.

0:50
I'm bringing a different perspective to Lewis because I am a former utility executive and I know that when you have a service provider, you rely on them to get the job done. The work at Lewis is to ensure reliable power for everyone.

1:03
Think about how that has changed over the years. Now, if the power goes off at your house, it's not just inconvenient, it means in many cases you can't work, maybe you can't charge your car. It's a lot more than keeping the fridge closed for a few hours.

1:16
So the game is changing and reliable power is everything and we're glad to be a part of that.

1:21
I've had the privilege of being the first female CEO at two pretty old companies and it's been a real honor for me to lead the way.

1:30
And I've been such a recipient of kindness, mentoring, support from others as I've had my journey to these roles.

1:39
For me, DEI is so important because I've been the recipient of folks with an open mind and I want to make sure that we continue to offer that open mind every employee who shows up here at Lewis.