Courageous Leader: Julia Salvini, Transportation Leader

As President of Salvini Consulting Inc. a transportation engineering firm, Julia Salvini is technically a highly skilled and experienced consultant with an impressive resume but in fact, she is much more than that.

There is a quiet strength of leadership almost indefinable that I see in Julia. She has a sharp sense of humour and is incredibly intelligent, but what made her memorable to me was her approach to how she does what she does. She is all about people - both in solving transportation needs of communities and in how she views those she works alongside to accomplish these goals.

I interviewed Julia in the summer of 2020 to learn about what she thinks leaders need to do more of now, and she was quick to say she was not in fact a traditional leader. She continued with how important sharing her humanity is, collaborating with those who know more than us, and the importance of listening.

I hope you enjoy my summary of our discussion below and know that you too, can lead in non-traditional ways just like Julia and inspire others to do the same.  

Jen:  Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. I’m seeing so many people struggling right now and I think we need strong leaders in our businesses and communities to give us hope that as we come out of the pandemic, we will be better. How our leaders handle things will be a big part of that. For you Julia, how have your roles lecturing at the University of Toronto and volunteering with the Institute of Transportation Engineers informed how you lead?

Julia: For clarity, I’m not technically a team leader – owning and running my own consulting firm, I don’t have a team of employees.

That’s part of the reason why working with students brings me a lot of joy. Connecting with them on a regular basis is a good reminder of the passion and excitement they have for a field they are only just learning about. It’s a reminder to be curious and pursue learning at every stage. And it doesn’t take long for students to become colleagues – so helping to build their skills and network is a good investment in the field you are working in. I have always believed that an important part of leadership is investing time in the next generation of professionals in your field.

Volunteer work with my professional organization is something that I have always been involved in since I was a new grad. It’s a great way to stay current and connected with people in my field and an opportunity to provide support to students and new members. As President of the Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineers (CITE), I have the privilege of connecting with other transportation professionals across Canada on a regular basis and hearing about what challenges and inspires them in their work. A large part of my role is creating connections among members and helping to keep the organization current by responding to new trends and research areas in the transportation field. Balance of perspective is one thing I strive for as a leader whenever we are gathered around a table. As a national organization, I want to be sure we have representation from across the country, from small rural municipalities and large centres, from consultants and public servants, from younger people and more experienced professionals, from men and women, from people who were raised and studied in Canada and those who have lived elsewhere.

Jen: What projects are you currently working on that have been impacted by the pandemic?

Julia: Most of the work that I do is connected to how cities grow. We look at ways to connect people to the places they want to go and try to give them options in how they travel. We already know that people are not travelling today the way they were a year ago, but I think (and I hope) that the pandemic will help make lasting change to the way that people make decisions about where they live, where they work, where they play, and how they travel in between those places. I hope that there will be more flexibility around whether people work from home or from an office or both. We are seeing that people can be effective in their jobs in the places that make sense for them to work from if they have the support they need and the right tools. And it doesn’t have to be the same place every day.

Jen: Who is a leader in the transportation industry that you admire? What is it about them?

Julia: There are so many people that I get to work with that I look up to, especially in my CITE family – I affectionately refer to them as my Council of Mentors. Many of them are women that do amazing things as professionals while retaining their sense of self in the office and when they leave. One person I especially admire is Jen Malzer. She is a Transportation Engineer from Calgary who is a past President of CITE that I continue to get to serve with (and ask lots of questions). Jen has the gift of being able to look at the world through the eyes of another person even when that person’s perspective is quite different from her own. It makes her incredibly empathetic and gifted at understanding what might improve a given situation for another person. She uses the gift to help her design more accessible transportation systems and to relate to people in a meaningful way – both qualities that I strive for in my own life.

Jen: Tell me a bit about the groups you interact with on your projects. From that perspective, what do you see as necessary for leaders to demonstrate to be successful in trying times like the pandemic?

Julia: I think we have to show a little vulnerability and humanity – something like asking people how they are doing before jumping into business and sharing some of our own daily challenges. There are many people we might work with who have been doing things the same way for 30 or 40 years! Suddenly, being at home at the dining room table is completely foreign, whereas those who have always worked this way can adapt quite easily. If we don’t acknowledge the changes that are occurring for the human beings we work with, we miss an opportunity to connect and strengthen relationships just by asking the simple question: “How are you?”

Jen: Let’s talk about brave leadership. What is the bravest thing you have seen or done as a leader that may have cost something professionally, but advanced the team or greater good?

Julia: My mom is one of my greatest leadership role models. She was a principal in an independent school at a time when the were very few women principals and she had a different way of approaching her role. She was a practical problem solver who would step back and ask the questions: “What is the problem we are trying to solve?” and “What are we trying to achieve?” Then she would surround herself with the people who had the expertise to make things happen and lead them through it and learn along the way. Her collaborative style was not the norm at the time and it’s one that I try to emulate in my own life because I’ve seen the successes she has achieved in her life.

Jen: What have you learned through the lockdown period about people that you otherwise may not have?

Julia: People are opening up about real life in the workplace and at home and it’s refreshing. Very few of the people I speak with are telling me everything is fine. Rather when I ask, I’m hearing a lot more of “Well, here’s what I’m struggling with today.” I think it’s good for us to admit that everything is not fine and when people share their daily struggles it makes me feel like my experience in my own life is okay too. Then we can support one another and reach out in meaningful ways. It also improves the way we work together if we understand the perspectives of the people we are working with.

Jen: Do you have advice for leaders right now, based on what you are learning?

Julia: Listen, listen, and then listen some more. When you do, you may find out that the schedule of a recurring meeting just isn’t working for someone else or that a noise cancelling headset would make all the difference to someone on your team. Be flexible wherever you can be. If you are listening and asking the right questions, you can support the needs of the people you are interacting with and make a real difference in their lives. 

Do you have a Council of Mentors? Maybe it’s time to get one.

Does someone look to you as a role model? You may not realize it but the answer is likely yes.

My hope is that seeing Julia Salvini, an incredibly accomplished Transportation Engineer with a knack for bringing people together will inspire you to do the same. Don’t stop at being excellent, be a connector, a supporter and a mentor in your professional community, and watch the habit catch on.

For more information about Julia’s firm, you can reach her at www.salviniconsulting.com