Jean Hansen | CONSULTANTS IN GASTROENTEROLOGY

Learning to understand conflict has helped Jean Hansen become an effective leader, no matter how small or large the issue. “Although conflict is difficult, it is necessary,” says Hansen, CEO of Consultants in Gastroenterology. “Good conflict allows you to evaluate your company and move it forward successfully.” She manages a practice formed by merging several smaller competing practices, and Hansen’s role as administrator has given her the opportunity to bring a fresh and change-ready approach to the merger. “This, coupled with a positive attitude, allowed me to manage and move the merger forward,” she said. “I love my job and bringing that energy to this practice is something I am proud to do.”

In her first management position, Hansen joined a professional group where two experienced managers befriended her and taught her that a network is essential to success, professionally and personally. “I can’t tell you the number of times I have called on these two to ask ‘What would you do?’ laugh, and even cry. My network sustains me,” Hansen said. That is just one example of how women bring a different approach to business. “As leaders, women have the opportunity to create a workplace that allows quality of life to be a key principle of their decision-making,” she said. “It is essential that we don’t lose sight of the importance of work-life balance. A well-rested and happy employee is more creative and productive. Women have the unique perspective and influence to shift the workplace to embrace this life balance.”

Laura Ozenberger | INERGY, LP

The biggest challenge Laura Ozenberger has faced as businesswoman is juggling a demanding career with being a wife, mother and daughter. That became even more acute recently when her father was ill and her son was transitioning to college. “I realized I had to take each day as it came and, through determination and the support of work colleagues and friends, I got through it,” she says. “I learned that life is short (and we) need to make the most of every day. I also learned that it’s important to work for the right organization and to work with people who share your same values.”

At Inergy, LP, where she is vice president, Ozenberger built the legal department from the ground up as the company was embarking on a growth driven largely by acquisitions. She also was instrumental in driving the launch of a second publicly traded security, Inergy Holdings LP, in 2005. During her tenure at Sprint in the 1990s, Ozenberger said most, if not all, women at the company would identify Jeannine Strandjord as a role model for the female executive. “She was one of the first women I knew who had successfully risen through the ranks to a senior-level position. Many of us learned from her how to effectively work in what was then a male-dominated world. Two important lessons she taught me were perseverance and collaboration,” Ozenberger said. “I often think of Jeannine when I consider the legacy I am leaving for other women.”

Jeanette Prenger | ECCO SELECT

In 1995, Jeanette Prenger established ECCO Select, which serves a distinguished list of Fortune 500 clients and government agencies with information technology consulting, project management, supplemental staffing and other work-
force help.

Under Prenger’s leadership as president and chief executive, ECCO Select has experienced average revenue growth in double-digits since 2001. There was a time when women in the work force were not taken seriously or considered too abrasive or aggressive, Prenger says, but times have changed. “Now, women are looked at to give a different perspective and counted on for their leadership skills,” she said. “They can multitask without having details fall through the cracks, and they can help create cultures that have work-life balance.”

Prenger said she was encouraged to find her own balance when working for a couple of technology pioneers in her mid-20s, women with families who shared their ideas on balancing work, children, family life and personal ambitions. “I never thought of myself as attaining the executive status that they had, but they constantly made me feel like I had the makings to do whatever I wanted. I still talk to them for counsel. They not only encourage me to go outside of my comfort zone, but challenge me to be the best I can be. “It’s great to have a mentor, but if that isn’t a reality, studying the best practices, traits that you admire and striving for attainable objectives can jump start a business plan.”