The CWB Association Welding Podcast
The CWB Association Welding Podcast
Episode 211 with Daniela Todaro and Max Ceron
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects welding professionals around the world and unrepresented communities as we continue to strive for a more diverse workforce. Join us as we celebrate Women Empowerment Month to learn about the incredible contributions of Women in the welding industry and our communities.
Stepping into the steel industry in her early twenties, Daniela Todaro never imagined she'd be running a company two decades later as President of Quality Plates & Profiles Ltd. Yet her remarkable journey from Logistics Coordinator to President showcases exactly what's possible when determination meets opportunity. Beyond her corporate role, Daniela's decade-long involvement with the Association for Women in the Metal Industries (AWMI) has provided a parallel track for skill development. Beginning as a treasurer and rising to regional director, she's leveraged association work to overcome public speaking fears, build an invaluable professional network, and create pathways for other women. Her dual-track approach to career building offers a blueprint for ambitious professionals in any field.
Follow Daniela:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniela-todaro-5273a277
Check out AWMI: https://www.awmi.org/
Thank you to our Podcast Advertisers:
Canada Welding Supply: https://canadaweldingsupply.ca/
Canaweld: https://canaweld.com/
Josef Gases: https://josefgases.com/
There is no better time to be a member! The CWB Association membership is new, improved and focused on you. We offer a FREE membership with a full suite of benefits to build your career, stay informed, and support the Canadian welding industry. https://www.cwbgroup.org/association/become-a-member
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All right, I can check. Check, I'm good. So I'm Max Duran. Max Duran, cwb Association Welding Podcast, pod pod podcast. Today we have a really cool guest welding podcast. The show is about to begin.
Speaker 1:Attention, welders in Canada looking for top quality welding supplies, look no further than canada welding supply. With a vast selection of premium equipment, safety gear and consumables. Cws has got you covered. They offer fast and reliable shipping across the country. And here's the best part all podcast listeners listeners get 10% off any pair of welding gloves. Can you believe that? Use code CWB10 at checkout when placing your next order, visit CanadaWeldingSupplyca now. Canada Welding Supply, your trusted welding supplier. Happy welding. Hello and welcome to another edition of the CWB Association podcast. My name is Max Ceron and, as always, I'm out there scouring the nation and the globe for the most interesting stories I can find. Today I have a wonderful person who's been an elusive species to get on the show, but I have her today and I'm not letting her go. We have Daniela Tadaro, who is the current president of Quality Plates and Profiles Limited. Daniela, how are you doing?
Speaker 2:I'm wonderful, Max. How about you?
Speaker 1:I'm doing great. I know you already know this and I know our listeners probably already know this, but I'm surrounded by Danielas, so my right-hand woman, daniela Torelli the company wouldn't be as successful without her, to be honest and you, daniela Todaro. Last year, when we were working together on projects, there was a lot of confusion between all the DTs out there.
Speaker 2:Hey, it's a wonderful place to be, max, so you know I wouldn't be upset by it.
Speaker 1:Well, and my daughter's name is Daniela. So you know, there's Daniela there. It's a beautiful name, name is daniela.
Speaker 2:So you know there's, uh, daniela's there. It's a beautiful name.
Speaker 1:Let's just say that, thank you. So, daniela, you know I've met you through awmi, which we're going to get to um. We've had a number of people from awmi on the show. Now we're big supporters, we are corporate sponsors. Now we're just we're upping our tier this year. Actually, I think we're going to gold um to to be better supporters of the great organization.
Speaker 2:That's wonderful.
Speaker 1:But for yourself, for the people that don't know who Daniela is, let's start with your backstory. So, to be president of such a fantastic company, how? The heck, did you start? Where are you from? Where were you born? Where's your roots?
Speaker 2:Yes, I often wonder that, myself Born and raised here in Ontario, Canada, you know I started actually very humble beginning. I hate to admit it, but I started 21 years ago in this industry. It makes me feel old, you know, but but I'm not. And you know I started very simply keying orders for trucking and for a big service center and scheduling logistics Right Very, very simple stuff. I had an aptitude to want to learn the business. I dived in, I was very vocal about what I wanted. Maybe sometimes too much so. I wanted, maybe sometimes too much so, but I'm here today and I think having that vision, having, you know, that laser focus on what it is that I wanted to achieve, helped me along my path.
Speaker 1:Well, it's crazy because I see two kind of opposing angles here. First of all, how did you get into trucking logistics? I mean, that's not something on the pegboard in grade five when they're like what do you want to be when you grow up? I want to do logistics for trucking. So what was the connection that pulled you into that industry in the first place? Did you go to school for logistics or management? You know what. You know, I guess. What was 17 year old Daniela thinking in high school? Thinking she was going to be?
Speaker 2:It's funny. You ask that I wanted to be a big corporate CEO at the time and I don't think my dream has changed much in that regard how I got in. Really, it's just networking. It's about reaching out to people that you know. Funny enough, they said, yeah, I have a job in customer service and so I started through college.
Speaker 2:I started, you know, working and learning businesses and you know, just kind of found that, found my way into things. Right, I would ask a lot of questions and I still ask a lot of questions. I would ask a lot of questions and I still ask a lot of questions. And you know, I found my way into logistics because I would propose ideas, right, and I would say, well, what if we did it this way? And what if we tried something a little bit different? And I've had some really good leaders over the years. That that's with it, right. And so you know what? I think you might be good at this. Why don't you try your hand? So a lot of people, you know they're trusting me, which I think is really important. And then I, you know, had to prove them right. Right, I couldn't fail. So I would just jump in, dive in. And so, yes, logistics taught me a lot.
Speaker 2:It is probably one of the most thankless jobs. You can never keep everybody happy. There's always something failing or falling through the seams right. So logistics is not an easy place to start, but it taught me a lot on determination and perseverance. And then, once I got that under the belt, you know it was just what else is next right and I think that's the key thing in my career path was always pushing and finding that next level, always trying to challenge myself into the next role and always looking forward right.
Speaker 2:So for me, it was not just the book, the role I'm doing, but it was you know what's the next one above this one. So, as I'm perfecting what I'm doing currently, you know how do I prepare for what's coming after this. Because once you get to that, that essential part where you become an expert at what you're doing, then it's so difficult at that point to then start preparing for what's next right, because you can become really good. So I think that was always for me. That was always what I did is I always just jumped into things and kind of went. I'm going to trust in my ability to figure this out, and I did of went.
Speaker 1:I'm going to trust my ability to figure this out, and I did. You know, how do you, how do you find that that cycle, that ebb and flow of build, grow, jump, because I find that I like that cycle myself. I feel like all you know, people that have gotten to, you know, upper management, senior leadership roles, have kind of a similar backstory where it's like they started somewhere, learned to do it really well, but at some point you got to realize that I got to jump and you don't have to, because you could be very happy doing that job very well for the rest of your life, probably be paid well, everything would be fine, food on the table. But there was something in Daniela that you, you know, you're learning logistics. And logistics, I will tell you, is, I agree, is thankless, because the only time you ever think of logistics is when it's wrong when it's going right when logistics is good, you don't care.
Speaker 1:Things are where they're supposed to be. When logistics is wrong. That's when suddenly you're mad at somebody right now for yourself. You know you get into this number one it's already extremely male dominated world trucking that you get into the logistics side, you start voicing your opinions, you start getting that trust, that growth. At what point do you start thinking maybe I'm capping out or maybe I'm looking for the next thing?
Speaker 2:So for me, it's always been self awarenessawareness right. I think self-awareness is very key, knowing who you are. And the funny thing is, once you figure out who you are, you eventually grow right.
Speaker 2:So as the years go by, you become and evolve into a different person than you were before. So it's always about continuously understanding what it is that you want and that changes over time, right? So for me, having that goal of where I wanted to get to has been kind of like the lighthouse or the guiding star, right? It's been my beacon that I could follow over the years. So I've always been under the philosophy that if you build a really strong foundation for yourself, it's going to get you places.
Speaker 2:And I've always wanted to know how the job was done. Even if I wasn't directly involved in the job itself, I dived into it, right. I wanted to dissect it and I wanted to understand it, because there's, you know, even today, there's nothing that I would ask somebody to do that I don't fully understand what it is I'm asking for, right? So for me it's just a curious nature, right, and I think I always kind of ask a lot of questions. Some people help you out, some people don't, and that's okay. And I've never been one that shied away from asking just because I was going to get a no it just meant.
Speaker 2:I asked somebody else right.
Speaker 1:There's an old saying if you don't ask, you don't ask, you don't get right. Pretty simple.
Speaker 2:Well, exactly, and I think that that's me. But I think you know it took me. It took me a while to learn that that was not something I understood from a young age. You know I I have a little bit of a traditional kind of upbringing in terms of keep your head down, work really hard, somebody's going to notice you, you know. So, as much as I do put my hand up for projects, I may do voice ideas. You know, I wasn't always the one that was saying look at what I accomplished right, and look at how much I achieved. I assumed that it was being recognized over the years and I think you know that was a bit of a deterrent to my growth at a certain point.
Speaker 1:And when.
Speaker 2:I started to realize that you needed to be your own advocate. Right then it started things starting to move a little bit faster for me, and I think that is key, especially with women. We don't necessarily advocate as much as our male counterparts and I think, by the way, advocating for yourself is good. Right, I know there was always a negative connotation on advocating for yourself. Everybody's like well, you got to be humble, and it's not that you're not being humble, it's just letting people know what you've accomplished. And actually, a really good mentor of mine she once told me she said are you updating your resume every year? And I looked at her and I'm like no, why would I update my resume every year? That seems such a tedious task. And she's like because every year you accomplish a whole bunch of things that you set out to do. And she said do you keep track of what you accomplish? And I had a really hard look at myself and I went well, you know, I know them.
Speaker 2:She's like, but no, you put them down on paper and then you show your boss right and and I was really taken aback by that because I thought you know what I'm not doing, that I'm like, but he knows, and she says, no, you know, it is something to know something, but then to actually have it in writing right and she's like keep track of it, and she goes celebrate, celebrate what you've accomplished, especially if you've hit off a lot of key goals that you had.
Speaker 2:It's very important for you and for your growth and I followed it every single day since she told me that we had that conversation. I've been following that.
Speaker 1:I love that. I love that you know, back home from Chile, there's a thing you throw yourself a parade. It's a concept of you know it's okay to celebrate. You know it's okay to celebrate. And celebrating a win is something that doesn't need to be done alone. You can celebrate wins with people around you and it also sort of exposes the people that are your supporters, because you know, if you're like hey, hey, I did this awesome thing, the supporters are gonna be like hooray, good job. But the people that aren't supporters are gonna be like oh, you know they're, they're not humble, they're not this, they're bragging. But that's also good to have those people on the radar, right like it's good to know you know also who's who's maybe gonna be not on team, you right?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. It took me a long time to realize that too right.
Speaker 2:It is so important to find out who your support team is, and it's actually not difficult, right, when you start paying attention to other people, and you're 100% right. The ones that are the ones that are congratulating you and reaching out to you and saying that was fantastic, versus the ones that you never hear from. I mean, it's as simple as that and you know, really, kind of surrounding yourself with the right people and I think you know you hit the nail on the head. Right there is who you surround yourself with is equally as important as you know the technical side of it or learning the skills part of advancing in your career. It's your community, right, it's your environment, it's what you know.
Speaker 2:And a lot of us always say environment, right, is something you know we're thrown into, but it's not. It's something that we choose and we don't realize the power we have in making that choice. Right, it's, you know. A lot of people say, well, that's the culture and that's just you know, this is just the way things are, um, but we, each of us, have the choice to make a difference for ourselves that's right.
Speaker 1:That's right. I love that. Now you said you came from a, a traditional sort of family. In in that family structure, you know what are they thinking. You know your family, your mom, dad, your sisters, brothers, whatever you have at you getting into this trades realm. You know you get into trucking, into logistics and I mean I wouldn't put you at over five foot one maybe I, you know, I'm kind of it might be a stretch there. You know a young woman getting into these kind of rough and tumble areas and and you're coming in with kind of a mission. You're kind of an arrow shooting out of a bow. What was your family thinking of your of your career path and choices?
Speaker 2:so, first of all, your accuracy on the height is amazing. Well, I'm only five, five.
Speaker 1:So I, you know i".
Speaker 2:So I sort kings and queens Small, but mighty is what everybody keeps telling me, so I'm just going to go with that.
Speaker 2:So my family thought I was absolutely nuts. My family is a bunch of entrepreneurs that own their own business and don't have a boss. And when I came out of high school and I said to them, listen, I want the corporate life. Came out of high school and I said to them, listen, I want the corporate life. They all looked at me like who is this child and she doesn't belong to us any longer. Where did she come from? But I said no, I fell in love with the structure and just the grandness of being in a corporation, the different levels, the complexity of achieving the different levels.
Speaker 2:It all appeals to me and I said, you know what, like I've watched everybody around me and, it's funny, even my husband's family. I mean, they all own their own business, surrounded by people in private sector. Right, and so know, like I, I am kind of the one that is often misunderstood in, uh, in my family, uh, but yeah, they, they eventually, over time, realized, right, I mean, I started, like I said, I started very entry level position and, uh, I honestly thought they, they thought I wasn't going places. Um, you know, they saw the climb, they saw the determination, they saw me every day, day in, day out, making progress and doing it quite rapidly, right. And so they realized, you know what she?
Speaker 2:I think she found her path in life. And so now, you know, now they're very proud of me. I hear it all the time from my parents they can't be more proud. So now you know, now they're very proud of me. I hear it all the time from my parents, they can't be more proud. They still have no clue a lot of times why I put up with what I do or what I do what I do, but I know they're very happy for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm not even sure my parents even know what I do, to be honest. But you know, for you, once you decide that you want to go corporate which I mean is a decision I didn't make that decision until I was in my 30s and I had been a business owner and I had been an entrepreneur and I had worked in both for people and for myself. But still, the thought of being corporate, going for the C-suites, those things, that's a whole other game. Right, that's a whole other game. And when I decided to make that choice and I mean I guess that's kind of a lie I had a company kind of make that choice for me.
Speaker 1:They were like you know, you have C skills, you need to climb up, but I was lacking a lot of the education, coming from trades industry, and I had to go back to school night school to learn a bunch of stuff, because there's a lot skills to to work within the executive world that you don't get out of university. You don't get it. You know working on the floor. Where did you start picking up these skills to navigate the corporate world?
Speaker 2:because they are a different set of skills oh, absolutely, and then sometimes you don't realize it, um kind of the political arena that you're stepping into at times, um, but you know, you learn as you, as you go.
Speaker 2:You find the right people that, like I said, your supporters we talked about, um, those will really help you navigate through. Uh, I've always been big on learning. I I take certificate programs, I do like Harvard Business Online. I'm always learning. If I can jump into a program, I will, but for me, it's about really understanding the gap between what I'm doing and what I want to do, right. So moving into different areas that I'm not comfortable with is important for me, right. And it's important for me to find people that are currently in those roles. So I reach out to a lot of people in the roles and I really start building that relationship with them and I start understanding how it is that they go both their day.
Speaker 2:One of the things that I think a lot of us do is we always want to reach for the next position. You know, if you're not in management, you want to get into management. If you're not in a director, you want to get into director position. But a lot of us don't understand what it entails, right. So when we get there, you look back and you go, oh, this is not at all what.
Speaker 1:I want to do. I thought I would be solving the problems I had instead of just having a whole new list of problems on my table that I never even thought of.
Speaker 2:Right. And so I think for me it's about understanding the good and the bad of the role, right, and I don't want to just hear good things, I want to understand what is a day to day, what do you have to deal with, what are your struggles, what are your challenges? And I really, you know, when I find these people that open up to me and there's a lot of people actually that are willing to open up about their roles not just gloss over and tell me you know all the good stuff about it, but really say, well, this is what my day looks like. And then when I dissect that and I go, okay, so this is the role, this is the challenge. And funny thing about me is I seem to like to gravitate towards the challenge, right. So the bigger the challenge presented in front of me, the odds are that I'm going to get drawn closer and closer to it.
Speaker 2:So that for me is, I think, you know, navigating corporate is really just about understanding it, right. And you know, like I said, you don't have to do every single role but to have a good understanding of how it intertwines. The other thing, too, that I found very helpful is I'm an introvert by nature. I've taken so many tests and I've come out introverted. Almost every single time my son likes to say well, you kind of toggle the line, you're an introvert, but you do really well in social settings. Well, thank you. You know, I've learned to become an extrovert, but by nature I like quiet and I like solitude and I like to think. So I have been able to come out of my shell because I you, you know I read a lot about it and and I I invest my time to, to practice, as I like to call it right yeah, to work on it, but like I, come, you have to work on it and when you come out of like sometimes I come out of these big social events and I am so drained and you see, other people that
Speaker 2:are extroverted, that are ready to go, like they are just pumped and excited and, you know it, it builds them up so that. So I know where my limitations are and and because of that I pair myself up with extroverted people and I keep extroverted people around me because I rely on that as a strength, right. So extroverted people are great because they're great connectors. I mean, they can connect you to so many people around you, and that's what I do, right. And so in order to navigate kind of that corporate chain, you really do need to understand it, and I think not just from your level, from all levels.
Speaker 1:Right? Well, let's go back in time now because I want to see the continuity of this timeline. So how long were you in the logistics gig with the trucking company to see the?
Speaker 2:continuity of this timeline. So how long were you in the logistics gig with the trucking company? So actually it was through a service center that I did their logistics. It was pretty straightforward. I had two trucks at the time I went, one truck went one way, one truck went the other.
Speaker 2:And then of course there was all kinds of issues in between, but soon we grew, the fleet got bigger and bigger and larger. So I was there for, I would want to say, about a year before I started moving into other areas of the company, and I think that's key. Right is the timeline. Especially when you have a goal, and you have a goal as big as my goal is, you need to understand that you cannot spend three to five years in each one of these positions, because if you do, you're never going to achieve it, you're just going to run out of years. So for me it was a matter of you know, being in it, understanding it, and sometimes I would take things on on the side, right? So I couldn't necessarily like it'd be ideal if all of a sudden you learned and then you gave it up, and you know timing doesn't always work that way. Companies really don't want you moving around because it just causes them chaos, because they have to find your replacement.
Speaker 2:Disruption yeah, yeah, but for me sometimes it was adding right, so adding additional, adding additional tasks to my plate, being able to so, once, once you master something, like you get or it does not have to be masterful, but once you get really comfortable with something, you get good and you've got a routine and you've got a rhythm. You know, for me it was always about, well, can I do something else? Like, is there something else I can do? Can you add something? And you know, and it was about you know, I really quickly started supervising teams, right, and they said, okay, well, if you could do that, like, let's get you over here. And then so I started. I started managing, actually supervising at an extremely young age, in my early 20s. Right, which is, first of all, was not easy to do because I was growing as a person myself in my career, but then I was also responsible for others. However, it did teach me a lot. I remember saying at the time you know, I just need a moment to work on myself.
Speaker 2:Lot, I remember saying at the time you know, I just need a moment to work on myself, because I'm working on a team and I have a team that I'm responsible for, and then there was a period in my life where I didn't have a team any longer and man did I miss it and the only thing I wanted was to have people to help develop it. And for me, leadership is extremely important, because I know that it's a privilege to be a leader. Right, it's not a right, I mean you get to the level that I'm at, you really want to work with people.
Speaker 2:You really want to develop people. I've seen a lot of leaders that get to this position and they don't find any enjoyment from people.
Speaker 1:And I think they're in the wrong place. They're coasting, yeah, yeah. So for me it's about the type they don't find any enjoyment from people, and I think they're in the wrong place, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:So for me, it's about the type of leader I want to be, and I'm always. I'm always learning for me. I like self-help books. I like learning about different leadership styles. When I bring managers on, the first thing I say is okay, so you need to pick your leadership style and they look at me and they're like what are you talking about my leadership style?
Speaker 2:and I said there's so many out there, there's so many books that you can read on what type of style that fits you best. And I said, once you understand your style of leadership right, and the type of leader you want to be, I said then it becomes easier, Right. And so for me, I'm very much like a servant leader. I like developing people. That is the most enjoyment I get out of my day is watching people grow and, you know, challenging them to hit their full potential Right. And so I take that very seriously in everything that I do.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. You know, I literally have my behavioral report in front of me right here, because I also I do them on myself periodically just to see how I've been changing as a person, to see if there's gaps in my style of leadership, because it has evolved as I've gotten older. And for yourself, you know you got into leadership young, so I feel like leaders need to lead. It's just either not everyone is built to lead and not everyone is meant to lead, not everybody wants to lead. So when you have someone that wants it, is built for it and is going down that path, you want to support them. You want them to be the leaders because we need them. Right For yourself to get into this role so young, you must have had pushback want to support them. You want them to to be the leaders because we need them right for yourself to get into this role so young.
Speaker 1:You must have had pushback. You must have had some. You know some 40 year olds that are like I'm not letting this 21 year old tell me what to do. Who are you? You know how did you deal with that as a young person, or even even today, for for real, for reality's sake. But you know, as a leader, how do you deal with the, the pushbackers?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know we could talk about adversity and the challenges I've had to face. That would be a whole nother podcast. But I think the key there is you know there's probably there was there's numerous times in my career where I was probably almost fired. But it's a matter of knowing what you want and it's a matter of finding a path to it. Sometimes the direct path is not always available. There's too many obstacles in it, but then you look to go around right.
Speaker 2:And so there's always other options on things, and sometimes it's completely blocked and you have to shift gears. There's been times in my career where the path I thought was going to get me to where I wanted to be didn't right and I had to pivot. I literally had to go back to the drawing board and said this is not working. Uh, what else can I do? Where can I go? But it's understanding when you're roadblocked, right um, because it happens, it happens and there's there's sometimes there's no way around it, as much as you want to try. And I'm a fighter, right. So for me it's like I will go to very end, right I? I don't like failure, but I really, you know, I I understood at a certain point that it's not failure. It's failure if I continue to stay when I know there is no hope of moving forward.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So I think that for me was essential is knowing you know, knowing when to shift the environment, because the environment won't shift.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a great point. You know I've said it a million times on this podcast I actually don't even believe in failure. I went to university for philosophy and the concept of failure is something that's very modern and created by humans. To basically put things down In nature. Failure doesn't exist. Nature is not a natural concept, right, it's something that we've created as humans. So for me, failure is not even on the board. It's either you tried and you got your outcome that you wanted, or you didn't get the outcome you wanted, but you got an outcome. There was an outcome. It may not have been what you wanted, but what did you learn? You know how far off were you.
Speaker 2:What are the?
Speaker 1:processes Because you make the corrections you need to. Now I think that in a lot of ways you and I are sisters, because I generally stay at most companies and this is me looking back at my career now, five to seven years. It's kind of like my window that I'm with companies and not because I leave companies angry or upset or I've never burnt a bridge. Every company I've been with has been good. But I get to a point where I've worked the systems out, I got it running smooth, everything's cool, and I'm starting to get bored, which is not a fun feeling for me when I'm a hyper person. So it's like I should be happy in my chair being like everything's running smooth. But I go the opposite way. I'm like I need to do something else, like I got to find that next challenge yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the exact same way I am. It's funny the minute I get bored, I know that's time. Right, that is my trigger. As soon as I get bored, I always say it's like things run too smoothly, and then I'm bored, right, I want to find the challenge. I'm always chasing the challenge because I know that when I'm bored I'm not growing. Right and I think that is a key is understanding yourself and understanding what motivates you. But you're right, I mean, for me it's the exact same thing as I need that constant challenge to keep pushing me forward. You know, otherwise it's it's. I don't feel useful, I don't feel like I'm I'm living up to my full potential.
Speaker 1:Now, in terms of maybe, I mean this might be a great time for a break, but in your continuity, your timeline here. When did you get into the steel industry? Because you know this is how I know you is your connection to the steel trade. At what point in your career did you make that jump into the steel trade?
Speaker 2:so I always say to people I was jokingly saying to people that you either there's two ways to get into the steel industry either you know somebody and they, they make you come in, they put you in, or you accidentally, um, you actually fall into the steel industry and you can't find your way out. Um, so I'm, I'm the second, I'm the second part, like I wasn't looking to get into the steel industry.
Speaker 2:Uh, believe it or not, it was a, an ad that I saw posted and it was like seven kilometers from home and I thought, okay, let's, let's try this out, you know you gotta start somewhere after school, right, um, and you know, once you build up the knowledge, I think there's there's so much potential to the steel industry because I, I feel like, even though it's slow to evolve, um, there's just there's so much potential to the steel industry because I feel like, even though it's slow to evolve, there's just there's so much potential here, right, and it's like the unkept secret or you know, like it's why aren't more people coming into the steel industry?
Speaker 2:There's lots of jobs here. Yes, there's a lot of adversity at times too, but there's just so much for young people, uh, in this industry, right. So, uh, I, like I said, I, I kind of fell in, I didn't know what I was getting myself into, uh, but 21 years later, I'm still here and I haven't left. And and it's funny because a lot of people who know me say you know, I would never picture you doing that, uh, and I said, yeah, neither, neither did I, but yet here I am.
Speaker 1:Well, I think the key takeaway is that hopefully fingers crossed this next whole generation of people you know, your age and under now have an example of. I can see myself in that job. You know if people are looking at you, daniella, and saying I would have never seen you as CEO of a major company in the steel industry, well, hopefully you've changed that bias for the next generation and people will say I do have an example of a strong, independent woman who's a CEO of a steel company. I saw her on a podcast, I saw her at a conference, I saw her at a thing you cause.
Speaker 1:It's always easier to be what you can see, right yeah and and it's, it's, it's hard to, it's really hard to dig out your own niche independently. That is, that is a lifetime of work. But to see something, to see a path laid out already that makes it so much easier for someone else to continue down that same road, right no, absolutely, but not CEO.
Speaker 2:Yeah, almost not quite there president still got some years ahead of me to achieve that level, for sure, um, but I'm working on it and that's.
Speaker 2:That's the great thing is I've got a lot of uh mentors that are helping me try to achieve that. Um, you know, and I take a lot of of course I do a lot of reading uh, but you're right, you know, getting into this industry a lot of of course I do a lot of reading uh, but you're right, you know, getting into this industry it was such a challenge because there weren't a lot of women right in those executive roles.
Speaker 1:It was.
Speaker 2:It was tough. There was a lot of women in kind of I call it the middle level and your sales and your purchasing and your HR functions your accounting right.
Speaker 2:You're a man admin um, but there wasn't a lot in the executive level, so it's funny, every boss I've had has been male until until recently when I've made this shift. Um, our ceo, um over at can director, which is a parent company for quality plates and profiles, is a woman right, and this is the first time that I've actually had to report up to a woman um who then reports into another woman, and it's fantastic, it is. It is such a breath of fresh air. I'm not saying that my male counterparts haven't helped.
Speaker 1:I mean, I've got here somehow, right it would be like me stumbling into a job where my boss is spanish and I can speak my first language. There's a inherent comfort there for being with someone with the same background, race, ethnicity, whatever gender right.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and what I'm saying there is it's refreshing to see that it's changing. It's refreshing to see that there are more women that are getting into the industry, which is nice. And, like you said, if you can see it, you can be it. I've often said that line. It is so incredibly important, right? So you know, for me, you know I'm very lucky to have found the environment I am right now and, like I said, I'm four and a half months in on the job. It's very early beginnings for me.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, let's take our break now for advertisers, and when we get back from the break here, we're going to get into Daniela's role with her company, what she does, how she got there, and then also we're going to talk about her involvement with AWMI, which is how I met her. So don't go anywhere. We'll be right back here on the CWB Association podcast. Looking for top quality welding machines and accessories? Look no further than CannaWeld. Looking for top quality welding machines and accessories, look no further than CannaWeld. Based in Vaughan, ontario, cannaweld designs, assembles and tests premium welding machines right here in Canada. Our products are CSA certified and Ontario made approved, reflecting our unwavering commitment to excellence. Count on us for superior service that's faster and more efficient than market competitors. Whether you're in aerospace, education or any other precision welding industry, cannaweld has the perfect welding solution for you. Visit cannaweldcom today to discover why professionals rely on CannaWeld for their welding needs. Cannaweld where precision meets reliability in welding. Enjoy peace of mind with our four-year warranty on most machines. Conditions do apply, josephgassesca, your one-stop welder's superstore.
Speaker 1:Whether you run a welding shop or are just starting your welding journey, joseph Gass, the welder's superstore is the best place for everything related to welding. Come to the site or browse our top picks of welders helmets and welding supplies specific to your industry. Even filter out the items eligible for manufacturer cash rebates. Our intuitive search tool puts everything at your fingertips, and checkout is always a breeze. Pay securely with your credit card at any time. If you are ready to streamline your welding supply shopping experience, visit josephgassesca that's joseph, with an f as in family. Start filling your cart with welder confidence. And we are back here on the cwb association podcast. My name is max drawn and I'm here with daniela tadaro. Uh, coming to us from the gta. I think you're in the gta. I just I just assumed, but where? Where are you right now?
Speaker 2:uh, right now we uh quality placement is actually out just outside of Guelph, in Pushlin.
Speaker 1:Okay, cool, cool.
Speaker 2:Just outside of the GTA.
Speaker 1:All right, all right. So thank you for being with me today. Right before the break, we were talking about you know the trajectory of your career right Now, before this job with Quality Placing Profiles. What were you doing? Because when I met you, you were. What was the position you had previous?
Speaker 2:oh, I was a general manager for about a little over four years, uh, for another company in the service center. So so each one, like I've only been working at three companies, uh, believe it or not. And and it's just funny, you said your time span was five to seven years at a company. It seems like mine, you know mine is always 10 years, yeah, and so this is the third company I've been at and I don't move around a lot in terms of different companies, but I do move around inside the company quite quite a bit in my history terms of different companies but I do move around inside the company quite quite a bit in my history.
Speaker 2:So yeah, so in the last decade of my career, you know, I was anywhere from being on the sales desk to you know, sales manager, product manager, general manager. So I did a lot of different roles in that 10 year time span.
Speaker 1:And then what made you make the jump? You know, like I'm sure you know, we were talking about looking for the new challenges, like would you have gotten the same opportunity with where you were, or was this to chase the position, or was it for the company?
Speaker 2:A little bit of everything, I think, in that answer. For me it was knowing when it was my time right and knowing that I needed to grow. And sometimes it's unfortunate, but sometimes things don't always line up the way you want right. It was just going back to understanding your environment and understanding what it is that you need, what it is that you need, you know, and as much as I wanted to continue to stay, I knew that I needed to progress forward, right.
Speaker 1:And so for me, it was the opportunity. Now you are also involved with AWMI and you've been involved with them for over 10 years now, so your career is at about a 21-year mark. You said so half your career you've been connected with the Association for Women in the Metal Industries group. What connected you to them 10 years ago, 11 years ago? What was it that? Did someone bring you in? Did you? Was your work? Did they send you? How did that work for you?
Speaker 2:So at the time my company, they sent me there. I was, I was brand new, I was so green to the industry, uh, and they said, hey, do you want to go to these meetings? And I thought you know what this is. I said, sure, right. And like that, that's, that's always me, like I always try something new stuff there for long.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I'm gonna, I going to try it out. And so you know, I went to the meetings, I listened to the speakers, I watched the women running the chapter and I just thought this is wonderful. At the time, like I said, I was young and I was green and the thought of doing that one day, it was kind of a little bit intimidating. I'm not going to lie, and I thought no-transcript you to fill the treasurer role.
Speaker 2:Uh and I looked at her and I went. You know, I like making money. I don't necessarily like you know keep a track of it on the book. Um, and I said I don't have that skill set there.
Speaker 2:I'm like I'm on the other end and she said no, you know, I think you'd really enjoy it. We can really use you and your skill set. So I joined the board and it was, I think, five it was five years ago and I loved it. I mean what it taught me? And you're never too young to join a board, like I thought.
Speaker 2:I thought I was. You know like, how am I going to do that? Look at these women. But it's the women that make you better. It's having access to all the different skill sets, right? So that was kind of a misconception of mine early on where I thought, no, I don't know enough to be relevant, right, and that's not the case, right. So these boards, you learn. You learn by the people around you, uh, and and you try something different, right? So what I like about being on the board is is I found out that actually I'm not that bad at being a treasurer. It was not as daunting as I thought it was going to be, um it was.
Speaker 2:it was challenging, for sure, but it was a new skill set that I got to learn and I got to try my hand at it and, to be honest with you, then be able to understand it now at work right. And these are a lot of skills that you're learning through the AWMI you can bring back to your job right. So it's kind of training you in advance. Like I said, you're always preparing for the next tool Sometimes you don't know when you're going to need it right preparing for the next role sometimes you don't know when you're going to need it right, and sometimes you know you look back and go hey, I do have experience with that and it does help you.
Speaker 2:So from treasurer I jumped into the vice president role and I'm president of the Toronto chapter, which was my former role, and I previously held and just moved into regional director right now Northeast Regional Director for the awi. So um, now continuing to grow, even with the association, as I'm growing myself with my own career. It has helped me along the way and I think one of the biggest things that has helped me overcome is, um, my fear of public speaking, which a lot of people every time I've I've gotten you to do it.
Speaker 2:You've done a great job oh well, thank you, I I don't, I don't feel that way. I I've always been very I think it's my introverted self going. Really, I gotta talk to people right now. Um, it was always very challenging for me and and so on the board hosting these events, uh, like, I was always the behind the scenes, like let me create the budget right and like let me, let me you know, let me you know, like kind of drive the sales team, or let me figure this out from the you know kind of a leadership perspective, but yeah, but I mean being in.
Speaker 2:It's funny because, you know, being a chapter president, you are very much in front of a lot of the events, right, so you have to speak front of a lot of the events, right, so you have to speak. So it has made me a lot more comfortable doing this, which has actually translated really well in my career, because, as I was continuing to advance, you know, I'd be in front of more of the executive team or the shareholders of the company board members, right, so it's very important skills that have helped me throughout my own career, right, and I think that's what a lot of people don't realize it is a big time commitment but it pays out, it really does pay out.
Speaker 1:It really does. Yeah, I, you know the parallels of the association with the Canadian Welding Bureau. You know I, I volunteered as a member, became treasurer it's weird Like this is weird but I also got voted in to be treasurer. It's weird like this is weird, but I also got voted in to be treasurer. And then I got to be vice president and then president of my local chapter before I became executive director for for national.
Speaker 1:Now, what I always like to tell people that are younger, that are like why volunteer, why be a part of these extra things? You don't get paid. You know. You gotta take time out of your day or out of you know. I always say it's it's like eight to 16 hours a month. You know, think about that. You know, if you know to give it a time capsule for what you need to invest. But one of the things that I loved so much about the association environment any association environment is that the roles you have in your real jobs have nothing to do with the roles that happen at this association. So you could be the president of the biggest company in town, but when you come to this meeting, I am the treasurer, you're just the member and I need to learn. I'm going to learn these skills way ahead of time, right way before. If I would have waited just in my company to climb the ladder and learn these things, it would have been years, decades.
Speaker 1:But at the association you can learn these roles, you know, kind of fast track because number one associations always need help volunteers, they always need volunteers they always need people to come in and and you get to be and you get to learn and you get to experience those things like public speaking, doing a budget, being in charge of an event, getting speakers in um, all these little things that you don't realize how important these are till you're at work a year later and suddenly you have to organize something. You're like I know how to do this, I know how to keep track of this, I know how to talk to people, make those phone calls, whether you like it or not, it's another thing, but at least you're more comfortable doing it right right, even negotiating contracts.
Speaker 2:I mean there's, there's so much um that you can, you can gain right and the networking alone. You don't even realize. Uh, but I've, I've utilized this network that I've built over the years, not just through the board members but the membership people you're meeting at events um the knowledge, right.
Speaker 2:So you, like I said I, you know, I've always looked for people in roles that I've wanted to achieve, um, and then really try to build relationships with them, and what I found was, like you can, you can meet these people at these events, right?
Speaker 2:Right, because in these events you'll have all different types of positions in the room and what's fantastic about it is there's usually like a common, like you're going because you're interested in either what is being presented with the people that are there, right, so it's easy to break the ice, it's easy to start having these conversations and you never know who you're going to meet. I think you know the key is getting out of that comfort zone and really experiencing what the industry has to offer. I meet a lot of people that are very much they stick with their company and they don't kind of deviate and they don't branch out and they don't, you know they don't do much outside they don't kind of deviate and they don't branch out and they don't you know they don't do much outside and for me, you really need to experience it all.
Speaker 2:You really need to understand, you need to build your connections and you're you actually are when you bring all that back, those connections can help your companies right. It's not just about the individuals, it's about what you can bring back both ways for the business itself. So, yeah, I definitely encourage people to get out. I'm a big fan of it. Toronto has seen a huge amount of growth in the last couple of years. Now I believe they are the second largest packer in the association.
Speaker 2:And they went from probably being one of the smallest maybe five years ago to now being like the second largest. So it's an incredible story and I think you know it's all built on community. It's all built on the women there that that have that vision and they want to move it forward. It was funny because I I often told my boss, um, when he asked, I said you know, I'm running two businesses here, right?
Speaker 1:and he looked at me and we do business.
Speaker 2:I said, yeah, the non-profit is a business as well.
Speaker 2:I mean we do the exact same thing we take taxes we, you know, like host events and I said it's uh, it's important that you understand. You know the magnitude of the work that I do outside and you know, and the amount of um connections I build within my own company because of it right. So, being able to talk to your executive team and the importance of being a part of the association. There's a lot of work internally as well that it builds, so a lot of people don't realize. When you join associations, it's not only a great way for you to gain the experience and the networking that you need, but it's also especially if your company is not involved in it it's a great way to bring your company in with you and it's a great way for you to get face time with potentially executive leaders that you, you know you wouldn't have had the opportunity to sit in front of, so there's a lot of benefits to it. I don't think people utilize it quite as well as they should.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's very true. And one of the beautiful things I really found about AWMI is that it really capitalizes on the intersection of two common threads. Because you know, if I go to Fabtech USA, for example, as a huge North American steel conference, there's one common thread we're there for the steel industry. But you narrow that down quite a bit when you go to an AWMI conference or event or chapter event, because not only is it steel trades but it's also women, right? So now you've really narrowed down on the commonality between the people attending.
Speaker 1:I loved being an outsider at the annual event last year that that I attended. You know, I went down there and there's times in my life where I very much appreciate and understand not having the privilege because I am a male. I have a lot of privilege that I carry just inherently in society the patriarchy. Patriarchy affords me things that I'm aware of. I think a lot of people don't have that awareness, but I am aware of that ability that I have. Now I'm at an AWMI conference. I don't have that. I don't have that. I'm like, shh, get out of the, it's not for you, right.
Speaker 1:And I loved that. I loved like, yeah, I got a daughter, I got a sister, I got a daughter, I got a sister, I got a mom. I wish they would have gotten experience more places in their lives where it was just 300 women, all powerful, all strong, all helping each other, uplifting each other and I'm a secondary role in my opinion. Is that, yeah, not so much, you know awesome? And I really really took that to heart and came back. I remember coming back to the CWB group. Like you said, you bring these things back to your company. And I was like, okay, I hooked up with this association, I went to their annual meeting. It's awesome, I'm going to bring in the rest of the company. We got to partner up because that's the kind of stuff that really makes change right. Like you got to really empower people and it doesn't all have to be in little tiny, tiny, scratchy steps. You can make some bigger leaps. Like it, it can happen.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and and that, that feeling that you just mentioned, um, I felt that many times being in conference. I think it's it's uh, you know it's hard to explain, but you come out feeling just really good, right. Right, you come out feeling you've learned something, you've networked with some really cool people, um, and it and it's just, it's a very empowering feeling, right. And to try to translate that back, um, you know, doesn't always always happen the way you want it to, uh, but that's when you say come with me next time right you drag your boss along and you say, no, no, you, no, you're going to come and you're going to feel what I feel and you're going to see what I see.
Speaker 2:And I think it's important, right, I think, you know, for me it's always very important about understanding things from other people's perspective, you know, like putting yourself in other people's shoes, right, and so I'm always trying to understand my team better. And if my team said to me you know, like, I think you know, you need to come to this event, you need to come see this, I'm all for it. And, yes, let me understand why this is important to you, you know, and what this does for the company as a whole, and I think it brings you, know, a whole different sense of enlightenment, right, like when you, when you're actually open-minded and you're and you're doing these things with your team, right, and it builds a stronger bond between the two.
Speaker 1:So uh, yeah for sure.
Speaker 2:I mean they're definitely. You know there's an importance to the association work for sure.
Speaker 1:Now what's what's coming down the road then for Danielle, like you got this job now this new job right Four and a half months in. Tell us about your role now and what you do. And job now this new job right Four and a half months in. Tell us about your role now and what you do, and what the day-to-day for that is.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's amazing because no two days are the same, you know. So the role is kind of all-encompassing. But right now my main focus is building a strong team, right. So I mentioned, people are my job for the most part of the team. If you build a strong team, the results will come right and the company they'll take care of your company and your customers later on down the road. So for me it's about really getting to know the team I have and to really strengthen right. So look at the areas. You know that that's kind of being missed in the past.
Speaker 2:And one of my favorite things to ask people and I think one of the things that's catching them all off guard is, um, I asked them what they enjoy doing. I said, of all your job functions, you know all the, all the things you got to do every day. I said, what's the one that you enjoy doing the most? Um, and are you doing it right now? Maybe it's the thing that you enjoy the most? You're not even. You're not even doing. And they always look at me and they're like why are you asking me this question? Right, like nobody's really ever asked me the question, but I think it's important, I think, if we find what we are passionate about. I think I just lost my earbuds.
Speaker 1:I can still hear you.
Speaker 2:Not live at all. Okay, earbuds back in. But if we find what we're passionate about, we do a much better job, right. So for me, you know, it's about really understanding if people are happy, right, and I think you know culture. A lot of times culture gets a bad rap, right, and a lot of places you know it's because they don't understand it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:No, hr makes me do it Right, like I always hear like oh, we got to focus on culture, but it's important. I think you know it's not about like pizza lunches. It's not, you know, like it's not about those frivolous things. I think it's about you know, understanding the pulse of your business right, and understanding what drives people, what motivates people, right, and working as a team a lot of times, you know teams are very dysfunctional.
Speaker 2:I'm not saying that's what's happening at my place at all, but you know, I've been through it but we've been through it.
Speaker 2:Everyone has yeah there's no communication or there's communication breakdown, and so really understanding, um, you know how, how do you break those silos right and how do you bring the team back together, because when the team is a well-oiled machine, you know that's when it runs perfectly, that's when you know my job becomes obsolete, right, and then that's when I have to look for the next challenge. But yeah, so that's what I've been doing right now is really understanding the business and focusing on the people aspect of it.
Speaker 1:I love what you said there about asking people what they like. I mean, that's something that I've seen done. I've had people do it to me and I very much appreciate it, because you know, it's like asking the runner to swim and the swimmer to jump and the jumper to fly. Why would you do that? You know, like if people have some natural skill, they're going to do so much better if you tap into that and maybe that does expose another gap that you hoped you didn't have. But as a manager, well, now you worry about that. You know, now that's the next thing that you're going to have to figure out how to fill or backfill or whatever it is you need to do. But forcing people into uncomfortable positions does not lead to great work.
Speaker 2:No, no, I'm. I'm okay with having to backfill something If the person's not in the right role. I'm completely open to that. Like for me it's. I don't mind being a little bit uncomfortable now in order to find the right rhythm later. Right, and I think that is so important for a company? Um, because if, if you don't have the right rhythm, you're always going to be out of alignment, right Like it's never going to run better. You're not going to get better Right and so for me that's that's crucial.
Speaker 2:Uh, like I said, I don't look at it as a problem Like, oh no, if that person leaves and I'm going to have to figure out what's going on there, I look at it as an opportunity. Ok, that person's not happy doing that, that means they're not going to be as productive as they could have. I found somebody that really loves doing that job, and if I found something that really enjoys it, you know it's going to be far more productive.
Speaker 1:Now in your first four and a half months. How much of a learning curve has this new job been for you as an incoming exterior leader? Because there's always a little bit of a spiciness to that coming into a company from the outside.
Speaker 2:You said that so nicely too.
Speaker 1:I've been there. I've been there.
Speaker 2:I've been there. I've been there. It's not. It's not easy to jump into a different team, especially because you have your way of doing things.
Speaker 2:I think the other thing the other key thing too is actually one of the managers I just hired. He said to me he said it best. He says different environments see different people, right, and you know, sometimes if you're not in the right environment the person doesn't thrive. Right, and I really kind of I listened to that and I I took that back and I thought you know what that's right, which also means that the environment that I came from I can't just try to then take the, the way I manage that way, and try to apply it somewhere else. Right, just because I was successful there doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to be successful doing the exact same thing here. So you need to adapt to what you have and then really understand where you are now right. So I'm looking at it with fresh eyes and, believe me, I'm not trying to adapt everything I used to do to the new place, but I'm trying to understand how it functions and how it flows. And then from there I really want to look at it from okay.
Speaker 2:So from a continuous improvement aspect, because I really do enjoy making things better. You know there's certain things that run really well, there's certain things that will need improvement, but even the stuff that runs really well, can it be maybe slightly better, right, and so I'm always kind of wheels are always in motion, but that's where you hire. You know you hire really smart people, right, and you bring smart people or you train people that you know have the potential, and you get them to a point where they start telling you, like this is what I think, this is how the business should run. They start bringing the ideas to you because it's not just about me coming up with all the ideas, right, it's about the team and building. You know, like I'm not the type of person that's going to say this is how it needs to be done.
Speaker 2:I'm the type of person that says okay, come to me and present the options. Right, like what are the options? What is what? Do you think the best solution will be here, and oftentimes they come up with ideas you know that I wouldn't have thought of, because they're doing it day in and day out, right.
Speaker 2:So they are the experts at it and it'd be foolish not to listen to them, right? So I think for me it's it's about listening to your team, not micromanaging them, like allowing them the space to breathe, the space to come to you with ideas and to be creative.
Speaker 2:Yeah, building that culture where they can come to you and they're not going to get shot down and they're not afraid and I think a lot of places, you see, there's a lot of really good ideas out there from the employees and nobody really wants to say anything because there's fear that it's going to get rejected right, and nobody wants to be rejected and so you know, that's not the culture I'm trying to build. So for me it's important to like it's a laid-to-right foundation and then build from there. And I think once you have the right foundation it may take you a little bit of time It'll be much stronger in the long run. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Now I have heard a few terms throughout this interview that I know from my background. They sound like lean and six sigma words continuous improvement, finding areas of lacking, supporting making things that are good words. Continuous improvement, you know, finding areas of lacking, supporting making things that are good better, you know, always trying to find those gaps. How important was it for you to get that type of training? Because I know for myself that training was invaluable and I hear people kind of bash that corporate training a lot, saying all these corporate trainings are just the same thing over and over blah, blah, blah, and I don't, I don't believe that I find that there's a lot of value in a lot of these training, uh, styles or courses or or you know, methods. What do you think about them?
Speaker 2:So I did it myself, actually before my company kind of rolled out with the program. But I jumped ahead, Surprise, surprise.
Speaker 2:But I jumped ahead and I went after it, because it's part of who I am. I always like to think that, like efficiency and effectiveness were like my two favorite words in the English language. But so the point is like I like to make things better. I mean, I think it's important, right, and so I got my Six Sigma black belt long before the company brought it in, and then the company, of course, started focusing on on it, but I've used it so much Like, I think, even having the understanding of continuous improvements and ways that you can improve the process right, eliminate the waste, which is so key, especially in a business, right, because a lot of times there's a lot of wasteful steps, a lot of wasteful activity that there's cost savings to right, and not just cost savings but it just makes people's lives so much better right.
Speaker 2:So for me the importance was always there. But I would say, anybody who's thinking about doing it. I often encourage and I've encouraged in the past my operations managers for sure to get that done Anybody on the team that wants to get like, go through the certification if they have the time and want to spend the time to learn. Absolutely, I mean, I don't see a downside to it. Um, like I said I, I use it all the time I. I walk through the warehouse and already you know the wheels are starting to move as to. Okay, so why, what? Why are we doing that exactly?
Speaker 1:what's the value stream here? Yeah right, what's?
Speaker 1:the flow, is the flow making sense, and and so, um, yeah, I think it's incredibly important no, and I think that continuous improvement to yourself is key, because if you can bring in that attitude of continuous improvement to yourself, how you assess, how you, what you're learning to improve your own procedures, processes, communications translates into your work, which then turns into work that is continuously improving or trying to find new ways and or create less waste. They go hand in hand. You can't really I guess'm trying to, you know you can't fake it. You can't fake that type of work. You know what I mean absolutely.
Speaker 2:I I think it's, you know, focusing on, on how to improve yourself, right, and there's points where, like I'll have kind of a lull, like with my volunteer, with with work, with family.
Speaker 2:I feel like sometimes there's like there's this point where I'm like, okay, well, I have some time, like I want to take a night class let's learn something Like let's go on and learn a new skill or get a new certificate program, and it could be totally unrelated to what I need to do at work, but it's almost like my brain goes you're missing something, you haven't learned something in a while you haven't read a self-help book. You know what are you doing, like you know, feed me, right, and and so, um, it's ingrained, right, it's ingrained, if, if, if.
Speaker 2:like I said, if I'm not learning, then I want to learn right so I think it's it's a habit that maybe you kind of pick up early on, or maybe not right, but I think it is so beneficial because you never know where you're going to use where you're going to all training and I think all training, all training, like even skill, like even habits, right, you can get such enjoyment or, sorry, not have a hobby.
Speaker 2:You can get such enjoyment out of picking up a new hobby, right? I mean, it could be, like I said, totally unrelated to what you need to do for work, but, um, it's something that you always wanted to learn and and it helps you, all hobbies help you.
Speaker 1:Like I remember when we as a manager years ago, one of the things I like to implement is having professional development for all my staff. Like I feel like that's just as a leader, you have to give your staff space and time to learn on their own, and it's not me telling you what to learn, it's you asking me I want to take this, yeah, or you know, um, and I remember years ago I had, uh, an employee asked me well, can I use this for yoga? And I was like I seen absolutely a hundred percent everything awesome about that, because if you are physically fit and feel better and breathe and relax and can deal with stress, you're gonna a hundred percent do better work for me. So you know it's it's removing those barriers to for people to have that self-improvement because, number one, they're going to trust you as a leader because you got their back and number two, they're going to want to work a little bit harder for you because you are allowing them to be more than just a job. Right.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I think you know you need to break away from from. You know the societal abuse on things sometimes. And you said yoga and at the last, the last place I worked, I had a yoga instructor come in and actually teach us proper stretching. Not just the office, I have the warehouse. You know, everybody.
Speaker 2:We went out and we did proper stretching throughout the day and how important it is to you know, just kind of pay attention to that kind of thing. And I remember at the time I'm like you're doing yoga, it's like, wow, that's, that's forward thinking of you know, like not really. And I said, understanding, you know the benefits to it. And I had some very skeptical employees at the time as well going really you're making me do yoga. And I said it's not yoga, just do it.
Speaker 2:And after they came back to me and they're like wow, wow, like I feel so much better. And I said, of course you do Right, and I'm like you're, you're taking care of you now and and I'm, you know, and I think, in a leadership role now and I'm, you know, and I think in a leadership role if you make it okay for them to care about that kind of stuff, right, it sends a different message. It sends a message that you know, I do value you and I value your health and I think it's important that we take care of each other, right, and that is key. And, even though it may be looked on as really that's, that's out there, I'm like not really, yeah I need the best version of you to show up at work.
Speaker 1:So, and I mean I even do that like I mean, sometimes I look at my leadership style and I think, oh, I might be setting some bad examples, but I mean there's days where I'm overwhelmed, right, there's days that I'm overwhelmed and and I don't want to be that boss that's like, oh, you gotta put in your 80 hours this week or else you're not worth anything to the company type of attitude, cause I I don't see how that helped the generation before me. Honestly, I don't know if it got them anywhere, further than than anybody else to do that to themselves. So, you know, there's days that I'll I'll have my staff meeting in the morning and I'll be like you know, I don't feel well today. I think I'm going to take a couple hours off this afternoon and just lie down, and and that's fair, because what's the point of me, as your leader, trying to do something If I don't feel well? I'm not going to do it well, and it's not fair to all my staff. Let's, let's regroup, let's talk.
Speaker 2:Let's think, and I'll, you know what I mean, yeah, no, exactly, I think, um, you know, it's important, I think, for for the leader to to model that behavior right. And so for me, I I'm, you know, I remember the times when I first started, you know, if you wanted to get ahead, the conception was that you know, your job is eight to five, but if you want to get the head, you do not leave at five o'clock, because then that's the message, clear message to management, management. And then this was communicated like an actual word communicated, that you are not interested in getting a promotion Right. And I, and I always thought, man, like, so that means my, you know, whatever my 18 and a half hours, that I have to work and I have to show that I'm working even harder than that, that, um, you know that, to show that I'm ambitious and driven and that I want a promotion. You know, I'm glad that we're starting to move away from that um because it wasn't balanced.
Speaker 2:I mean it. It burnt people out, it caused people to leave and I think it was the wrong message that we're sending our team.
Speaker 2:It was you know, for me, I think that a lot, of, a lot of the issues we had with a lot of people, um, just, you know, not engaged is because they were probably feeling and I remember feeling it at the same time that it's you're overworked, right, you're underappreciated and overworked. And I think now it's a matter of you know, us being aware, as leaders, that we've got to do better, especially for our teams, and we've got to be mindful of you know if they, if they are being overworked or not, right, and you have to. As a leader, I think you're responsible to say something and to do something, not just to say something but to do something right and to help them out.
Speaker 2:And so my thing is I always ask people you know, what can I do to help you right? And and you know when I'm leaving and I still see employees that are that are in the office and you know I'm guilty too. I stay late sometimes too, when I'm working on something and I want to get it done but it's because you want to do it yeah well, you do, right. And then without the screaming kids in the background, right like I want to get.
Speaker 2:I want to get my work done, um. But when I see people and I'm leaving and they're still there and I always say you know, don't stay too late, right, and it's just mindful that you know I see you, I know you're working hard, um, you know, and sometimes it's a matter if you see them like time and time again, like if you're there every night, you know, call it out and say is there something I can do to help you like or take this friday off.
Speaker 2:You know like yeah, yeah, Is it workload? Is it what is?
Speaker 1:it, what is?
Speaker 2:causing you to be here every single night, Because I feel responsible for that right and I don't want people to be burnt out. I want people to be at their best.
Speaker 1:Right and this is also like my angle on it because I'm very much burned. The patriarchy, the patriarchal systems favor the long hours to men. The majority of single parenting done in North America is by women. The majority of caregiving of children is by women. The majority of daycare hours are regulated around the 9 to 5 workday, which does not favor women. So when it's I want you to work 60 hours a week, or I want you to stay late, or I want you to work Saturdays, or I want you to work 60 hours a week, or I want you to stay late, or I want you to work saturdays, or I want you to work these weird times. That favors men. It always favors men statistically.
Speaker 1:So you are immediately, with that mentality, forcing women into a tough spot where they're not able, like if, like you said, it was communicated to you you got to stay late here to get a uh, to get ahead. Well, if you got kids and you're a single mom, that's not an option. So you've basically told your staff you're never going to get ahead because your family's holding you back. That is a terrible position to put someone into Right. So if you want to be equitable, it can't be based off of that right. It's got to be based off work, not work done, work expected right right, and it's.
Speaker 2:It puts people up at such a disadvantage. Right and and male or women, uh, you know, like it because it could go either way. Right, like the single parent could be the dad, right? Well, I was a single dad for years.
Speaker 1:So I just and I was, I remember being like complaining because I got two kids and I'm single dad and I'm like what am I complaining about? I still, I'm still a male, I still make more money per hour, I still get you know. So I I'm experiencing a slight disprivilege of my situation, whereas you know, 60 of women deal with this every day. So you know what I mean, but it's still.
Speaker 2:It's still an equity, no matter which way you look at it. I mean, it's still it's still, it's still an equity, no matter which way you look at it. I mean, it's still, it's still not right and I think shifting that mindset is is important to move forward and I and I'm glad that we're starting to see that Right and there's more of a focus on mental health or you know, because I think you know the reason and everybody's like, well, in my day we didn't have mental health and I'm like, well, you know so.
Speaker 1:so maybe there was a reason why you think that we have rates were really high, like I mean geez I mean, the problem had to start somewhere.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly but you know, I, yeah, it is. It's like I said, it's one of those things where you choose the leader that you want to be and I think it is. It is important for the team to see that right and and, um, you know, if you, if you want to be that, for the longest time I, you know I was, I was here to be that nice or that kind or like empathetic person, because that wasn't what was out there, right? I mean what? You saw, was was the exact opposite of leadership and.
Speaker 2:I think now you're seeing that it's okay. It's okay to be nice. Nice doesn't mean weak, that's right. No way that I'm a weak person at all, everything that I face. It just means that you know I will put myself in your shoes, I will try to see it from your perspective, right, and I think you know, in a way that's that's stronger than not doing it absolutely being able to, uh, having a high along along longevity list, uh, of your, of you being able to bend and not break is way, way better than being rigid, because you're gonna snap eventually, right?
Speaker 1:so now, what's what's in the future for daniella? You know what do you got your eyes on next? I mean, you just started this new job, so I'm sure you got plenty of work for you for the next few years, but you're still a young woman and you still. You still got a long career ahead of you. So you know what are some of the things that you aspire to do, or even not necessarily even with the company you're at, but even with AW Meyer or other projects.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, you know, for me right now, um, and it's funny cause I'm always, I'm always looking so far ahead and and, uh, you know it is very new the job, but I I'm always thinking um what's the next step is so so I don't know. There's a lot on the plate. There's a lot there, so I don't know there's. There's a lot on the plate.
Speaker 2:There's a lot there that I don't know if I'm yet willing to share with the world, um, but keep in mind there's there's always plans, there's always a step forward in in where I want to go and what I want to do. Um, because it's just, it's just the way I dealt, right, and and um for me right now is building up um, quality places, profiles, uh, building up the team and strengthening the team. Uh, and that's fun, right, and I think it's presenting me with some challenge, uh, which I enjoy Absolutely. Uh, and who, who knows who knows what's next for me? I think, uh, for me it will be uh, you know it'll be hard to say at this point it will be awesome, thank you.
Speaker 1:And what about with AWMI? You know, regional director, now you are more involved with planning and and nurturing the chapters within your, your region. How's that and what's the what's the world look like for AWMI, for you going forward?
Speaker 2:So this is so much fun for me, uh, this new role, because before it was just Toronto and now it's. Now it's Toronto and New York and Mid-Atlantic and Pittsburgh, so there's four chapters within our region. Uh, and it's fun because each one of us or each one of them, I should say has different sets of challenges, um, has different strengths, so it is so much fun getting to know each one of the chapters right now. We have our spring regional coming up in March in Pittsburgh, just bringing the teams together. There's such a wide range of talent among all the ladies and I think you know you learn every single time from these sessions. So really, you know, being on the International Board of Directors right now is new, right, and it's only been a couple of months in this role, so there's lots to learn. And then exposure, of course, to the AWMI International Board. There's going to be a lot to learn from there too.
Speaker 2:So who knows, I mean maybe in a couple of years or so I might be on the international board for AWMI as well and and leading from that aspect, but definitely exciting for me lots of learning, lots of growth, which is exactly where I want to be.
Speaker 1:Good Well, I'm glad everything's coming up, daniela, for you. I'm glad that these opportunities are there and I'm glad I met you, because I'm enjoying watching your trajectory and what you do and how you do it. I think it's a great example and baseline for people to launch themselves from going forward.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and there's so much work that the AWM and the CWB, I think, are looking forward to in the near future, so I can't wait to see what we do next.
Speaker 1:Awesome Any last words of wisdom out there for the faithful followers as we wrap up with the interview. You know we have I touched on intersectionality. That's something that I always am very much trying to think about when I look at any situation. You know, and you cover many cross sections of society that I think are important. You're a woman, you're a strong leader. You're you know, you are an advocate, you're a volunteer For yourself. You know a young woman coming up. You know 18, 19 years old, coming out of high school, perhaps. What's the pitch to the steel industry? What would you say as a piece of advice for them looking to get into a great industry for a career?
Speaker 2:I would say for me it's, it's um, a couple of key things, which is, you know, don't be afraid of trying new things right, and it doesn't mean you have to stay there forever. It just you know it can lead to something really exciting, right? So early on, you know if you're into a role and you want to put your hand up for another assignment. I found that extremely helpful, not only getting noticed, but also in learning new skills. Helpful, not only getting noticed, but also in learning new skills. And the second thing I would say would be don't let the thought of somebody saying no to you prevent you from asking the question. If I had to count how many times people said no and some slightly and some not so politely, you know I would never get to where I am today.
Speaker 2:I think the key is continue to ask the question, continue to ask people for some time, you know, to spend some time and maybe, you know, pull information from them. I'm on LinkedIn. You can reach out to me. I completely get it. It's scary to ask people for help sometimes. It's scary to ask people for help sometimes, but if you really want to get into a role and you really want to understand what it's about. I encourage people to do that and to reach out. Like I said, you may get some no's and sometimes people are just really busy and they can't help.
Speaker 1:But other times you know you'll find some individuals once you get to exactly what you're saying to being more comfortable with asking. The amount of people that are out there willing to help is a lot higher than you expect. People are a lot more forthcoming with help than you realize.
Speaker 2:And it's intimidating to ask, and you know, and I think that prevents a lot of us from doing so. You know, and I think that prevents a lot of us from doing so.
Speaker 2:I say that because it took me a long time to get to that stage where I was comfortable asking the questions and sometimes you know you don't know what to ask for, right, and then that could be the most challenging part of asking. But yeah, you know what I think? Don't let it prevent you. Don't let it prevent you Don't ask, and if you get a no bounce back, don't let that sit on you. Now you still ask, and if you get a no bounce back, don't let that sit on you. Um, now, if I get no, they just kind of move on like it's, like it rolls right off me.
Speaker 1:I don't even I don't even feel it awesome, danielle, any shout outs you'd like to say to anybody before we take off?
Speaker 2:uh, just my awesome team at quality plates and profiles. Um. You know I can't do what I do without them, so Awesome.
Speaker 1:Thanks so much. You know I love all the, all the. You know, all the wisdom that you've given us for for being a young person you have I mean I say young cause I'm older, so I'm allowed to say that but you know, you've been inspirational, even to me and to the people I know, and and my Daniela, who loves working with you. We've had great interactions with you and we look forward to working with you for a long, long time.
Speaker 2:Sounds really good. Thank you so much, Max, for this opportunity Awesome.
Speaker 1:And for all the people that have been following along here on the podcast. The information for Daniela will be available when the podcast hits. Like she said, she's also on LinkedIn so you can reach out to her if you'd like. And also, awmi is a fantastic group. Check them out online. They have a great website. They're also on LinkedIn.
Speaker 1:All the chapters also have representations. We work with them nationally all across North America and also directly. The Toronto chapter works with the Toronto chapter of the CWBA, so lots of great interactions there. And also directly, the Toronto chapter works with the Toronto chapter of the CWBA, so lots of great interactions there. If you're a woman listening, make sure you get involved, get into the trades. We need you. We need you badly. There is, even though you're hearing about these crazy things happening and the disruption of the systems, that's not going to change the amount of work that needs to happen in this country. So we really need all hands on deck. So sign up for whatever programs you can find, get involved, ask the questions and, of course, reach out to us anytime you need us. Until then, I'll see you at the next episode and take care.
Speaker 3:We hope you enjoy the show you've been listening to the cwb association welding podcast with max. If you enjoyed what you heard today, rate our podcast and visit us at cwbassociationorg to learn more. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions on what you'd like to learn about in the future. Produced by the CWB Group and presented by Max Horn, this podcast serves to educate and connect the welding community. Please subscribe and thank you for listening.