Siouxland Magazine - Volume 1 Issue 4

Diversity in Leadership
By Sonia Wilson
“I firmly believe I was in
the right place, at the right
time and was given the
opportunity to succeed
and lead.”
Mary Anderson is the Senior
Vice President, Treasurer, and
Chief Accounting Officer, at
Great West Casualty Company.
She began her career as a
Mary Anderson
public accountant until an
internal auditor position opened up at Great West
Casualty Company. Mary began her journey at Great
West and six months later, in 1989, she was offered the
Treasurer position. At this time, she was the first of two
women to ever be promoted into a senior management
role at Great West. Mary has learned many life and
leadership lessons that have attributed to her success.
Sonia: What does leadership mean to you?
Mary: Setting the example and providing guidance to
help others succeed.
Sonia: What do you attribute to your success?
Mary: Education is the beginning. Education, knowledge,
and hard work are all important however I firmly believe
I was in the right place, at the right time and was given
the opportunity to succeed and lead. When I was
promoted to Treasurer, I was one of two women to ever
be promoted to senior management. The CEO at that
time was a visionary leader and had made it a conscious
goal to have more women in leadership roles at Great
West. Partnered with my education, drive, timing, and
support of the leaders in the organization, I was tasked
with that amazing opportunity which has been followed
by others. It wasn’t just the timing, without the hard work
and dedication to my internal audit role, I would not have
seen the leadership opportunities I did. I had to qualify
myself and show the company my value and what I could
do to continue to add value to the organization.
Sonia: What challenges have you faced in your
leadership roles?
Mary: When I was advancing in my career, I found
networking and socializing in a work setting challenging.
The insurance and trucking industry is a male dominated
industry and it was difficult to network with men. They
didn’t want to speak to me. I remember that it wasn’t
until I had proven myself, it was difficult to have a simple
conversation. I had to work harder than the men and
prove myself and my value even more. Today networking
and socializing among men and women are more
common however, the barriers are still there.
Sonia: What is your best advice for young
professionals?
Mary: First, build strong relationships. Relationships are
the foundation to you being successful in your career.
Second, pay attention to what people are doing not what
they are saying. Follow up on verbal promises, are they
doing and giving you the opportunity, they promised?
If not, make a pivot and make your own path. Lastly, it is
important to not just do the job you were hired for but to
bring value to management and you will move up in the
organization.
Sonia: What advice would you give to women
who want to pursue leadership positions?
Mary: You have to be willing to work hard and go the
extra mile to prove yourself, be assertive, and find a way
to bring value. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or have a
fear of being too pushy. It is ok to challenge a stance as
long as you have the data and knowledge to back it up.
If you have already qualified yourself, be assertive and
pushy when needed. Once respect is built, your push
back will be better received. I caution people to be too
assertive without first qualifying and proving themselves.
Especially with women, it can be taken the wrong way
and you may think that makes people take you seriously,
but it actually can do the opposite.
Sonia Wilson is the Marketing Communications Specialist
with Great West Casualty Company.
Siouxland Magazine | Grow / 43