Top Workplaces awards honor effective leaders
By Michael Shapiro | August 22, 2024 10:02 pm
For a leader of a company or nonprofit, one of the best ways to be recognized is through employees’ admiration. That’s why the 2024 Energage awards for top leaders in three categories (small, midsize and large businesses) are so meaningful.
Sonya Mughal, CEO of Bailard, a wealth and asset management firm, won in the small business category. Allison Becwar, CEO of Lincoln Families, won for midsize employers. Andy Mastorakis, president and CEO of Fremont Bank, won for large companies.
Based in Oakland and founded in 1883, Lincoln Families’ mission is to disrupt cycles of poverty and trauma and help people build strong futures through therapist-guided mental health services, Becwar said.
Asked to describe her leadership style, Becwar said it’s “service.” The “best way to show up as a leader is to be in service to others,” she said. “The priorities of our organization are defined by those we serve.”
In the Energage survey, Lincoln employees said, “I love my job” because they feel “supported by my manager” and “love the culture of my team” and “can come to my supervisors with any concerns and I will be heard and supported in whatever I need.”
Part of the work-life balance that Lincoln Families promotes is its sabbatical program. After 10 years, employees get a five-week sabbatical and after 20 years, they get six weeks.
“It’s really hard work, you give a lot of yourself in the work,” Becwar said. “We have a lot of really committed folks. And we also know it’s really important to utilize wellness strategies. It doesn’t cost the organization much, and the return we get from our colleagues is substantial.”
Becwar, a licensed clinical social worker who got her start as a school therapist in Oakland, has worked for Lincoln Families for nearly 24 years. She was preparing to leave for a six-week sabbatical the day after the interview for this story.
She noted that Lincoln’s leadership team is all women, and it’s a very collaborative and supportive team.
“We’re able to be more vulnerable,” she said. “I think that’s a key part of strong leadership: being vulnerable, being authentic, being transparent. And to do that, you have to have trust.”
Confident leaders can admit their mistakes, Becwar said, and the entire organization is better for it.
“Don’t be afraid to admit it when you’ve tried something that hasn’t worked. … Those are great learning moments,” she said. “If there’s a culture where that’s not allowed, people start to hide stuff. You cannot innovate in that kind of environment.”
Another technique Becwar espouses is to “flatten the hierarchy,” so there are more voices around the table.
“If there’s going to be a big decision at Lincoln, if we’re going to make a big change that’s not being made in the senior management team meeting alone or with the board alone, we’re asking folks in direct service how we should be thinking about this,” she said. “When you do that, you’re getting so many more perspectives and experiences.”
