Passionate and purposeful leadership

It’s rare to find someone that has experience in all sectors of an industry, but Deb Schwerman is the exception. The Executive Director of the Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association joins us for this week’s episode of Pave It Black and shares her experiences in a candid and humble manner. She has worn many hats in our industry from inspecting roads in the field to testing mixes in the lab to now leading association initiatives. Her journey is one of passion and a deep commitment to learning.

Deb shares how she’s navigated the transitions between the public and private sectors while staying rooted in her values. Her willingness to embrace every opportunity and forward-thinking perspective shows that leadership is shaped by the journey, not just the destination. For anyone looking to grow their career or make a difference in the industry, this conversation offers inspiration and practical advice on staying grounded and investing in others.

Here’s a sneak peak into our conversation, but make sure to tune in to the full episode to hear this insightful conversation. Listen now.

Could you identify some of the different skills you’ve identified working in the private and public sector?

For me personally, having worn different hats, being able to keep that perspective. I am opinionated, and I definitely have my beliefs and what I feel very strongly and passionate about, but, I also want to keep in mind that you not only have a responsibility, there are different perspectives to consider. The owners might have a different perspective to the customer and then also us as industry. So it’s being able to put yourself in their shoes and understand the perspective that they’re coming from that I think can make you better at your role and also more effective. You get to a point where no one’s going to change your mind. You know, no one’s necessarily going to come in and change my mind on something if I feel super strongly about it. But being able to have an understanding and to be able to one, talk about it peacefully and come to a consensus and a conclusion if you’re on complete opposite sides of the spectrum, I think is really important.

What personal and professional experiences can you attribute to shaping your leadership style?

I think all of us, in some way shape or form are who we are based off the walk that we’ve had to walk, the path that we’ve had to lead. Sometimes it’s always, or not always, that golden, perfect, smooth path. It is bumpy, and there are some obstacles to overcome. I think from a leadership style, it’s those that were willing to invest in the people and having been on that receiving end, that really made a difference in my life. That taught me to not take so much for granted and really make sure that I pass that along to others and try to bring others through. Again, make them the best that they can be and whatever their goals are, you know, I might want to keep them with me because they’re a great employee, but if they have aspirations and visions to do other things, I want to support them in that journey ’cause that’s what people have done for me. I’d like to think that I was a really good worker bee and I was really great at getting the job done, but it was the fact that they saw that I wanted to be a little bit more than that and evolve from that. They were willing to take a chance on me and I’d like to do the same and like to think that I do that for others.