Women’s History Month
Amanda Lawler has seen it firsthand, the progress of women in her industry, having been in it for 22 years. As the VP of Business Solutions for Teltech Group, Lawler has also been a part of making that growth happen. Teltech Group, a company that provides a wide swath of telecom solutions in logistics, asset management, broadband network deployment, new and used equipment sales, talent resourcing, and more, is not only Native-American/Women-owned but 60 percent of the executive team is female.
“I’ve seen an increase in women holding management roles,” Lawler told Inside Towers. “I’ve seen a commitment to excel and, using the knowledge gained from experience, position themselves in a management or executive role.”
Lawler pointed out that Native-American women in her region have traditionally served in leadership roles, citing a recent story in The Oklahoman that described foreign settlers being shocked to see Potawatomi women leading meetings and taking on leadership responsibilities. She said she has learned much from tribes and how they empower female trailblazers.
“Just the other day, I spent time discussing Digital Equity Solutions with two CEOs and CFO-all-female,” Lawler said. “Ten years ago that would have been few and far between.”
Lawler said she feels blessed that her experience has allowed her to support many aspects of the telecom sector including carriers, broadband providers, general contractors, A&E firms, and OEMs. Many of the women whose roles were seen as “support,” she said, are now running crews in the field, sales leadership, leading marketing teams, head of engineering, and directors of procurement.
“This success is a testament to the hard work and dedication women have put in to fully understand the industry they support,” Lawler said. “Many have phenomenal mentors who have shown them the way to managing crews (mostly younger men) and that requires communication skills and problem-solving that women perceive differently from men.”
She feels women provide a different perspective and thought process that’s valuable in a fast-paced, get-in-done-yesterday wireless space. That being said, Lawler has seen a slight bias and resistance toward strong women in the industry.
“I think the challenge will always be there until we stop associating positive qualities portrayed by a male leader such as assertiveness, directness, accountability as a negative in women,” she said.
Her recommendation for women who want to “climb the ladder” is to never stop. “The industry is cutthroat and is still male-dominated. Never stop learning new skills, new technology, and new industry trends as education and knowledge are power,” she said.
Lawler said the huge financial investment going into bridging the digital divide in rural America and Tribal Nations are going to create generational opportunities for women who in the past couldn’t access the internet for telehealth, online educational programs, or e-commerce. She said she sees the unprecedented amount of federal funding presenting careers for women to grow exponentially in this industry.
By Jim Fryer, Inside Towers Managing Editor
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