Arkansas Business // “Lessons Learned: It’s OK to Make a Mistake” (Lenore Trammell)

by Mark Friedman - May 1, 2023, 12:00am

Original story: https://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/lessons-learned-its-ok-to-make-a-mistake-lenore-trammell/

Eight women in leadership positions across Arkansas from banking to utilities shared their leadership advice and biggest management regrets with Arkansas Business for our Women in Business issue. They also talked about dealing with their own imposter syndrome, the best leadership advice they received and more. Click here for more.

LENORE TRAMMELL
Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Compliance Officer & General Counsel
Big River Steel, Osceola

Lenore Trammell says one of the best pieces of leadership advice she received came from John Correnti, who was the CEO of Big River Steel until his death in 2015. He told her that “it was OK to make a mistake, but don’t make the same one twice,” said Trammell, who joined the steel production company in 2014. 

A leader should be confident as the subject-matter expert for whatever field she’s in, Trammell said, and know “how best to communicate with your team.” 

But communication styles vary, and “it’s important that as leaders, you understand your own communication style and then understand what your team needs for effective communication and make those adjustments.”

She said she’s dealt with imposter syndrome. 

“You’re worried that maybe I’m not as good as I think I am, or maybe I’m not as good as they think I am,” Trammell said. “And then I think you just shake yourself and say, ‘Come on, girl, get it together. You’re fine. You are as good as you think you are.’ And you’re fine.”

Her biggest management regret was not speaking up as often as she should have. “Sometimes when you’re the only woman in a room you may not speak up as often, or you might make a suggestion like it’s an afterthought or like it’s an apology,” Trammell said. “I think finding my voice and being comfortable using it, I would have done that earlier.”