6 Lessons Learned from Being a Female CEO in a Male-Dominated Industry

This article from Julie Holmes, co-CEO at Virginia Tire & Auto, also appears on Medium.

In the 11+ years, I’ve spent as a woman working in and leading Virginia Tire & Auto, an automotive repair company whose workforce is overwhelmingly male, I’ve been afforded a unique perspective. I certainly appreciate all the talented men who work at our company, but I find myself frustrated that we are missing out on the talent of women. And I would like to change that.

Why do so few women work in automotive repair?

If we want to change the composition of our workforce, I think it’s beneficial to look at how we got here. Historically, car repair has been dirty work that conjures up the mental image of a grease monkey with dirt under his nails. And while there is no real reason why women couldn’t have excelled at this work 50 – 60 or so years ago, there were many stereotypes that prevented women from working in the field en masse. And those stereotypes have held strong for much too long.

But there’s an evolution taking place both in society and in the cars themselves. Today, what we are repairing are not really cars, but computers on wheels. And it’s more about solving complex problems. There is not a doubt in my mind that women can excel at this work and build successful careers working in this business.

Despite this, I often see both customers and potential female team members holding on to stereotypical notions that women aren’t capable of understanding cars. Just the other day, a customer said to me, “I know, I am being a total girl!” in response to something we were discussing. Women aren’t helping themselves and, even in 2022, are feeding into the stereotype of car repair being a man’s job.

Instead of throwing my hands up in frustration, I am working to make sure there are more women in all areas and roles at Virginia Tire & Auto. And one of the ways I am doing so is by leaning on the valuable lessons I’ve learned as a woman and mother of five leading and shaping a company of mostly men.

Lessons learned

If you want to see change, you have to make it happen yourself. One of the best ways to change in an organization is for women to use their own perspectives and experiences to improve policies and systems. I’m committed to creating a company that is a great place for women to work and my own experience as a woman and a mother is informing how I approach creating more gender diversity in our workforce. As difficult as being changemakers might be at times, it pains me to see women stepping out instead of staying in and changing the status quo.

Don’t be intimidated. Running a company full of men never really intimidated me. This is in part because I grew up around the family business, so it never occurred to me that there was any reason to be anything other than comfortable. But while I don’t feel intimidated, I also don’t posture in an overly confident way either. I believe in servant leadership and that respect is earned through working alongside the team, being empathetic, doing the right thing, and recognizing that I am oftentimes not the smartest or most eloquent person in the room. And I believe this has helped me earn the trust and respect of the team.

Speaking up is important. If you are in a position of leadership, it’s necessary to use your power to speak up when you hear or see something problematic. And sometimes this means making yourself heard even when others don’t want to hear it.

One example of this took place about 8 years ago. I was at a tire conference and the owner of a chain of auto repair stores stood up and said in front of all of the conference attendees how good-looking their female sales rep was. The person moderating the conference, an executive of a major international company, then echoed the sentiment saying that the company only hires attractive women in these roles.

I was dismayed and concerned that a leader in our industry could think that it was acceptable or appropriate to make a comment of this nature. So I confronted the executive and shared my feedback, telling him how demeaning his comment was to women. He apologized and we moved on. And while my husband and I appeared to be the only two people who were upset, or even noticed the grossly inappropriate comments, I wasn’t afraid to speak up to share this experience with anyone who would listen.  I could have easily dismissed the comments and not spoken up.  But as Melinda Gates said “Women speaking up for themselves and for those around them is the strongest force we have to change the world.”

Don’t be afraid to get angry, and don’t be afraid to move on. I think there is this erroneous notion that women should never get angry and I don’t believe it’s helping any of us. Women can and should be able to feel and show the same range of emotions as our male counterparts. If something is not done to my standards, I don’t hesitate to share my dissatisfaction. If the same issue happens again, I get angry. I don’t hide the fact that I’m disappointed and frustrated. But I don’t stay angry. While women shouldn’t have to hide certain emotions, as a leader I think it’s vital to move on and put the issue at hand behind you once it’s been resolved.

The best leaders can hear “You were wrong.” Many people, myself included, thrive on accountability. But when you are a leader, your team may not feel comfortable critiquing something you’ve done or a decision you made. And even when you think that you are approachable, it’s important to seek feedback and make sure people feel comfortable providing it to you, regardless of who they are and where they sit in the company organizational chart.

Teach them to fish. I can’t do it all. I birthed 5 children, I nursed them each for a year, I’ve signed them up for activities, and I make sure they have transportation to and from them. We even sit down and eat dinner as a family (most nights)!

And everyone must pull their own weight so our very busy house can run. But in order for this to happen, I’ve had to invest time and energy into teaching everyone how to do the things that I do. I’ve also learned from having 5 different children with 5 different personalities, that each has their own way of learning and being motivated. Figuring out what works on an individual level is essential to successfully teach and empower a team to take on responsibilities. And the same rules apply in an office.

These lessons above aren’t only applicable to female executives. I think they are valuable for any woman to keep in mind when navigating what can be the tricky terrain of being significantly underrepresented, or when boldly entering a field that isn’t traditionally known as one for women.