The Importance of Good Leadership

As a leader, you always have to be open no matter what the situation is at hand. Someone else may have a winning idea. The way you’re doing things now may not work in a crisis and may have to change. Change doesn't always mean loss. It can mean things that are better.”

During our photoshoot in January, environmental services leader Alicia Aniello shared a little bit of her journey with me:

“What I do for a living is exciting and different. I have been with the same environmental services firm for 16-17 years now. We’ve gone from 130 people and two offices to being international (Canada & Mexico) with over 1,000 employees. I believe in the work that my executive team and company does. They’ve always looked out for my best interests and been good to me. I am so lucky in that regard.”

“I’ve had some really wild experiences in environmental services, like Hurricane Sandy. I’m proud of how we pivoted during COVID. Our focus became keeping people safe: 24/7 frontline worker education, PPE training, and N95 mask fittings for volunteers and staff. During the pandemic, I realized how many people live check to check in this city. We were able to put at least 80 people to work in addition to our usual staff and I was really pumped about that.

“That whole scenario changed me as a leader. It showed the need for good leadership that is agile and can lead through a crisis. Leaders need to figure out what they’re going to do to stay afloat and keep people working, building trust with your employees that you’re going to keep them safe.”

Thank you, Alicia, for sharing and for all you do for the people of NYC behind the scenes.

About Alissa

Alissa is a professional headshot photographer who creates photos that capture your essence. Alissa is based in New Jersey and provides her headshot services in NJ and NYC. Check out more of Alissa’s portfolio on the homepage, and read more photo stories on the blog.