Environmental company leadership talks makings of great leaders

For 50 years, Heritage Environmental Services has worked to solve complex waste management problems to protect human health and the environment. The company recycles, treats, disposes of and manages waste for customers across North America, prioritizing safety and compliance.

Martin started her Heritage career in 1988 as an intern. She holds various leadership positions in regional and national councils and associations, including the Spill Control Association of America and The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance. For her, being a great leader involves having traits such as empathy, passion, altruism and common sense. She said there isn't any one clear-cut image of a leader, but that leaders should "embrace who they are."

"All people are different and should use their differences, perspectives, experiences and intuitions to solve problems and move an organization forward," Martin explained. "I don't think it should matter if you are a woman, man or Martian. Use your strengths to move the ball."

Hamrick said she believes there are many marks of a great leader. Among these are leading safely, being knowledgeable and approachable, pursuing life-long learning, and demonstrating

humility, integrity, honesty and adaptability. She said leaders should be hands-on with their employees, caring about them while still maintaining high expectations and accountability, instilling confidence in others and tackling issues head-on.

One of the biggest challenges Hamrick has had to face in her career was a mission-critical problem she tackled with forward-thinking: "Around 2006, our landfill was running out of space, and I was told what our expansion plans were and that I needed to meet with the regulators to make it happen. The concept was a bit out of the norm and I knew the regulators would take forever ... So instead, I formed a small team to review our current land and develop a new and larger landfill on the northern part of our property. The result was a faster approval and a bigger landfill."

For Morris, who started at Heritage in 1997 as a field chemist, a great leader is "a source of inspiration for employees who provides direction with honesty, empathy and integrity." Some of the biggest leadership challenges she has faced involved uniting employees in times of great company change. Although she admits that obstacles remain a part of life, they shouldn't force you to give up. "Follow your intuition and don't give up in the face of challenge," she said. "These experiences are what shape you as an individual and build character."

For more information, visit www.heritage-enviro.com or call (877) 436-8778.