ELFA - Equipment Leasing and Finance Association - Equipping Business for Success

Emerging Mothers in Equipment Finance: An Update

Interview conducted by Camtu Vo, Manager of Product Development at DLL and edited by Cole Farmer, CFO, Blue Street Capital.

In 2022, three of our industry’s emerging mothers provided their perspectives on motherhood and women's leadership in “Emerging Mothers: A Unique Perspective for the Equipment Leasing and Finance Industry.” For that article we spoke with Lexie Dressman, now Legal Counsel at DLL and Mom to Adaline, 6, and Wallace, 3; Xiang Ji, Commercial Risk Senior Manager at Toyota Industries Commercial Finance and Mom to Xavier, 5, and Athena, 16 months; and Emily Latham-Bolt, Head of Human Resources at DLL and Mom to Brynn, 3.

A year later, we revisit Lexie, Xiang and Emily to get an update. Below, we ask them about their experiences as working mothers and what changes they have noticed over the past year. We also review their recommendations to help emerging mothers stay and thrive in our industry, such as providing flexibility and diversity training, hiring women leaders to serve as role models, and more.

As we came out of the pandemic, did you face challenges in the transition from fully remote to hybrid working?

Lexie Dressman

Lexie:

The transition back into a hybrid schedule was bumpier than I would have preferred. I had to learn how to get out the door with two kids! I had forgotten all that goes into a morning routine. I have also noticed that I am more of an introvert than I thought. I find that I lose more energy around people than I perhaps did prior to the pandemic. But NOT being quarantined is amazing! I think I’ve also gotten a clearer picture of my goals and my values, which has enabled me to begin focusing on what I want to dedicate most of my time to and where to set better boundaries. I’m working on finding myself and my voice more than I did pre-pandemic.

Xiang Ji

Xiang:

Toyota Industries Commercial Finance (TICF) currently utilizes “2-3” work schedule, meaning two days in the office and three days working from home. The hybrid working schedule provides a lot of flexibility for me. My challenge initially was to create a new routine. I needed to rearrange my activities to allow me to take care of work and family responsibilities effectively. For example, working-from-office days are for team development and relationship building. For the days that I work from home, I will spend most of my time on the tasks that require focus without disruption. In addition, I schedule my son’s after-school activities on the days I work from home so that I don’t need to get stressed out about being stuck in traffic.

Emily Latham-Bolt

Emily:

During the pandemic DLL took the opportunity to reimagine and renovate our offices (think HGTV reveal!). It was exciting to return to this completely redesigned space that served a new purpose as the heart of our collaboration, culture and community. We all had to rethink when and why we would come to the office to meet with our team and customers, let go of the idea a traditional office had in our lives, and create new boundaries for work/life flexibility.

My daughter was born during the pandemic so balancing a commute to and from the office and daycare was new for me. Initially transitioning into hybrid working meant that I had to rethink my routines and divide responsibilities with my family so we all could maintain balance in our lives. Building a support network around my family and me was so important for maintaining that balance.

I have come to love my days in the office and feel more balanced because something as simple as changing the physical location of where I do my work allows me to separate the lines between my work and family life. I am a mother, wife, daughter and leader. I noticed I feel I can be more present in each of those roles now with this blended way of working (rather than being tempted to respond to one more email when I was fully remote).

Are there any lessons you have learned in the past year or things you would do differently?

Lexie Dressman

Lexie:

The pandemic taught me how to be more present because my life was not so busy—it was necessarily simplified. And I think I liked it once I got over the fear of being bored! I didn’t realize how creative I was, either, until I had to fill my kids’ time without taking them to many places. I also learned that the future is not necessarily as digital as we may think. I’m reading a book right now on living an analog life that was written specifically as a result of the pandemic. I got incredibly tired of having to do everything virtually, despite the convenience. I now relish being able to shop in person or see my friends at a restaurant. I’m even looking into getting a record player! The energy you feel while being physically around other people just can’t be duplicated.
Xiang Ji

Xiang:

I used to think about how much I may have missed out when I opted out for certain travel, training or social opportunities due to family responsibilities. I learned in the past year that there will always be more opportunities as long as I continue to learn and improve myself. Nowadays, I have a priority list that helps me to make decisions when there is a work-life conflict. Once the decision is made, I will stick to it without worrying about what would have happened otherwise.

 

Have you noticed changes in your company and/or around our industry about women and motherhood representation?

Lexie Dressman

Lexie:

It seems like workplace flexibility is more the norm now across the board, which is paramount as a mom. I’ve also noticed more focus on childcare options although there is a LONG way to go! I definitely think the industry is improving insofar as representation.

Xiang Ji

Xiang:

Yes, and luckily the change is in a positive way. Most companies realized that employees could still produce when they are working from home even at weird hours (such as after kids go to bed). Toyota offers different working schedules that allow us to accommodate our family needs.

 

Emily Latham-Bolt

Emily:

Flexibility has always been important at DLL, and I think post-pandemic this is further embedded into our culture and there is greater empathy and understanding on this topic—it is normalized. Since this is so widely accepted and there is far less stigma, one thing I’ve learned and I am doing differently is no longer justifying or over explaining why I need to leave early.

Have you seen the recommendations you suggested being implemented in some form or fashion?

Xiang Ji

Xiang:

TICF is a captive finance company in the material handling industry. As a result, our parental leave policy is more aligned with the manufacturing industry instead of the financial services industry. I’ve been very vocal to advocate for parental leave since I had my first child five years ago. TICF implemented a parental leave policy in January 2022—a new parent will have four weeks paid time off. This new benefit will not only help future new parents to bond with their child, but also help TICF to attract and retain young talent.
Emily Latham-Bolt

Emily:

Besides creating a support network personally, I am pleased to see more professional support networks created as well with a focus on DE&I. I continue to see more female role models who aren’t compromising who they are or boundaries in their lives and more mentoring programs (with male and female mentors) available to support building out professional development across all levels of employees.
Emerging Talent Advisory CouncilThis article is brought to you by ELFA’s Emerging Talent Advisory Council (ETAC), launched in 2014 to encourage industry employees get involved in the association early in their careers and to help members attract the best and brightest to the industry. ETAC holds emerging talent networking events and an annual ELFA EMERGENCE leadership development event. Get the most out of your ELFA membership and grow your career: Learn about ETAC and access additional career development resources on the Emerging Talent page.