It was dress pants to carhartt’s for this new Field Operations Manager
“The day I went to buy my first pair of steel toe boots, I teased the sales lady and asked if she thought the boots would go well with a skirt!”
Starting out as an Executive Director of a daycare, where Sharon would often hand off crying children at the end of the day to parents who were Northwestel employees, she jokingly asked if they could get her a job at Northwestel, “somewhere that was quiet” she laughs. Two weeks later, without experience in telecommunications, Sharon was hired as a Business Care Consultant and has never looked back.
Sharon is grateful for her career spanning all areas of the business, leading her to her current role overseeing a team of 21 employees – 18 of which are male – as the Manager of OSP & Field Operations in Yellowknife.
Sharon in her office at the Northwestel Compound in Yellowknife.
“I’d never been exposed to the construction or the installation and Repair side of the business so that is exciting and rewarding. When I’m with the team(s) they make me feel like I’m one of them.”
Fear almost kept Sharon from accepting her current role, which has become a dream job she exclaims.
“If you let fear get in the way of change, you miss out on great opportunities. I left an environment where I wore dress pants and high heels every day. The day I went to buy my first pair of steel toe boots, I teased the sales lady and asked if she thought the boots would go well with a skirt!”
In her 20th year with the company Sharon is most proud of the fact that she has stuck with every challenge that came her way. “Every year brings new challenges and learning to operate an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic in my first year managing Field Operations has been one of the biggest yet. But we’ve learned a lot and stuck together as a team. I care about the people I work with. They become your family.”
Many who know Sharon know her dogs are an important part of her life.
#ChoosetoChallenge this International Women’s Day
From celebrating northern women in telecommunications and technology to recognizing the achievements and contributions of our female identified employees, International Women’s Day (IWD) is a time for Northwestel to take a step back and say “Thank you”.
We encourage our northern communities and leaders to challenge inequality and confront bias. On March 8, and every other day of the year, we #choosetochallenge because from challenge comes change. Want to share your own IWD moment? Learn more about this year’s “choose to challenge” theme, then share a photo on social media using the hashtag #choosetochallenge.
Continue your IWD 2021 celebrations by reading our other employee highlight stories:
- IT Manager acts as role model for daughters and girls everywhere
- Busy senior marketing manager pursues both career and family
- Unstoppable Account Executives like Carmen drive success at Northwestel
- Excelling in the traditionally male dominated field of health and safety
