New Friend Marketing Inc. - Women in Business Interview:
Q & A with Lucina Enterprises Ltd.’s owner Stephanie Battiston
Introduction:
Q: Introduce yourself: role, industry experience, etc.)
A: My name is Stephanie Battiston and I am the managing director of Westrock Property and the Battiston Group of Companies (Westrock). I am the third generation family member leading this industrial real estate, property management and development group of companies and I am the sole owner of Lucina Enterprises Ltd. (Lucina) which is affiliated to these companies.
I received my BBA from Capilano University and have a Masters of International Business from the University of Hertfordshire in England. I also have had my trading services real estate license since 2013 and am currently a REALTOR® at Macdonald Realty in North Vancouver.
Born and raised in Vancouver, and currently residing in Whistler, I work primarily out of Westrock Property’s North Vancouver office but our portfolio includes over 300 tenants in 35 multi-unit industrial properties across Vancouver, North Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, New Westminster, Whistler and more recently Squamish and Penticton.
Backstory:
Q: What inspired you to start Lucina?
A: I was always so inspired by my grandfather, aunt and father’s entrepreneurial drive and determination to bring Westrock to the successful group of companies that it is today.
After 15 years of my personal experience in the commercial/industrial real estate industry paired with my business education background, I started Lucina to dive into solo projects where I can expand and diversify my own growth in the industry.
Company future:
Q: What is your vision for Lucina’s growth, both in the near future and over the long term? Where do you see the company making the biggest impact?
A: I know that I still have a lot to learn, but I also feel that I can offer a unique and creative approach to real estate investment and development industries. I feel I have developed a leadership style shaped by core values of collaboration, professionalism, growth, curiosity, creativity and integrity.
I would love to invest in something unique and really diversify from our typical portfolio of multi-tenant industrial properties. It is exciting because I feel like right now nothing is off the table. I am always looking at what might be a fun and creative avenue to develop, renovate or invest in. That’s the benefit about branching out through Lucina - I am not solely looking at our typical niche market per se; expanding geographically or into a new type of real estate world would be exciting and I think a smart business move for Lucina!
Representation:
Q: When it comes to higher-level roles in your industry, women account for only 27% or less. (director and executive management roles). Why do you believe having women in leadership roles is important for the future of the industry?
A: Leadership and the modern workplace is evolving quickly and I believe that discovering your own unique leadership style and tapping into your strengths is so beneficial to being a leader in any industry.
I think the most important thing to having women in leadership roles is that we can really bring an opportunity for different perspectives. Allowing for diversification of personalities and leadership styles within an organization can help companies reach a more innovative and progressive road to success. There is always room for growth and learning and having that mentality is fantastic for any company.
For me, I think a major advantage of being a female leader is that we often don’t think we are the experts or that we know everything there is to know. As a result, I try to approach each big decision or meeting with curiosity and open to collaboration. Is there something my team may know more about than me? What do they think about the situation?
I feel that the leadership approach of “my way or the highway” can actually be quite inhibiting for a company, especially in a rapidly growing and changing industry. Companies that are not open to hearing their team’s ideas regardless of hierarchy, gender or role can really be missing out on opportunities for learning. Good ideas can come from anywhere in your organization so listening to your team is huge!
You hire people for a reason, don’t overlook your most vital resource!
Team:
Q: How does having a primarily women-led team impact the culture and success of your businesses? How do you encourage innovation and creativity within your team?
A: I try to create an open and growth-centric approach to leadership. I want to be approachable because I want to foster an environment where people feel safe to share their ideas and feelings without feeling like they will be chastised for suggesting something outside of the box. In my experience, some of the best ideas can come from the people you least expect it to. You choose people to be on your team for a reason, and I think by investing in growth, learning and giving people room to feel inspired and take risks you can foster that growth as a company culture.
I try to set the atmosphere to be very team oriented. We have our individual roles, but I put out big decisions to the group so we can all discuss our ideas.
Breaking Barriers:
Q: What challenges have you faced as a woman in industrial real estate and construction, and how have you overcome them?
A: I think for a lot of my history working in this industry, I was often put down for being “too nice”, “too friendly” and “too sensitive”. I was told having empathy was a weakness and I always felt ashamed of it. A people pleaser perfectionist to my core, I also always worried about what people thought of me and was afraid to make suggestions or speak up in meetings over a fear of sounding “stupid”.
However, what I have learned is that these traits are actually strengths when utilized in the right ways. Through gaining confidence, accepting my differences from those around me and leaning into some of my more “girly” labeled traits - I was able to shift my mindset to instead see them as my “super-powers”.
I learned to harness my differences and keep working towards my goals and staying true to my beliefs and core values.
I have found that my empathy allows me to see a lot of sides to a negotiation / disputes and be able to be very creative and solution–focused without having blinders on. Creating connections with stakeholders and networking in and outside our specific industry has been so helpful in finding supplementary businesses to help us grow. Being sensitive and having emotions helps me have a sense of understanding as a leader to be able to integrate important policies that have brought our company to be a great employer that retains our employees. Perfectionism and people pleasing tendencies have kept me organized and determined to not let others and myself down.
Setting boundaries has also been key in evolving as a leader for me. This was especially vital in my unique workplace environment - being the only female family member in a family business in a male dominated industry.
My leadership style has varied from the generations before me as I feel I am more open to collaboration, learning and growth, networking and team-based environment to harvest growth.
I think I had to learn not to take things personal. I also had to learn a “let them” mentality. As soon as I stopped worrying what people thought of me or if they thought I was just a dumb girl, I was able to instead focus on my energy on my goals and the solutions that bring the company overall success. If someone thinks you are dumb - let them, it’s their loss.
Q: How do you see your company making a positive impact on your industry or community?
A: I think right now we are in an era of change on multiple levels. We are trying to attend a lot of events, conferences and gather insights and expand our team’s knowledge. Some of our best ideas for overall direction of the company have come from discussions that were sparked at a conference, talking to friends in other industries or keeping up to date on what is going on with other companies. Seeing how we can adapt and grow and apply what we learn to our own company is monumental.
Advice & Inspo:
Q: Have you had any inspiring female mentors throughout your life/career? How have they influenced your journey?
A: Although my mom is not involved in the Westrock companies - she is an entrepreneur and currently runs her own personal training company. She has been very influential for me as she is a role model in the way she takes risks, follows her goals and works hard to always keep growing. She is self-made, confident and driven but is always kind, charismatic, empathetic and sensitive. I think I get a lot of my best traits from her.
Also, I really try to surround myself with driven, intelligent and focused women who build me up and support me. I have been a part of several female leadership groups and found that very inspiring and helpful. I lean on my friends a lot and often for advice and to bounce ideas off of. We have very intellectual and professional conversations and are vulnerable with each other. I think that surrounding yourself with like-minded people in all aspects of your life who inspire you and challenge you is invaluable.
Q: What steps do you think companies can take to support more women pursuing leadership roles?
A: I think it is very company specific, but I think the first step to breaking the “leaky pipeline” which is losing women as they raise to higher level positions, is to have more women in those positions of leadership - especially in male dominated industries.
A lack of female representation overall in certain industries is a barrier itself.
So we almost need to fix the leaky pipeline in order to break the glass ceiling. It is somewhat a cyclical issue but overall I think taking a chance on women, seeing what they have to offer, and hiring them if they are qualified for the job and a good fit. Being open to change, being open to hearing other people’s ideas - even if you do not agree, sometimes being heard is so important for employees.
I also feel that a culture or environment that has a lack of flexibility for change deters women. I think a lot of the more rigid “it’s done this way because that’s the way we have always done it” mentality is extremely detrimental to keeping female employees long term.
Q: What advice would you share with women aspiring to break into male-dominated industries or pursue their own entrepreneurial journey?
A: Don’t worry about what other people think. Go for it and try to just stay true to your beliefs and what your end goal is. Try new things, go outside of your comfort zone to grow and learn. Don’t hold back because you will regret not following through and investing on your ideas, your goals and yourself. You will always learn from mistakes so don’t be paralyzed by a fear of making them!
