Women’s History Month
Lisa Barton is the COO of American Electric Power.
It's appropriate as PUF celebrates Women's History Month that PUF talked with a couple of women in power. In this issue, we are fortunate to spend time with the CEO of IDACORP, Lisa Grow, and the COO of American Electric Power, Lisa Barton.
PUF's Steve Mitnick: How do you perceive your responsibilities at AEP?
Lisa Barton: We are an essential service provider. What we do as a company matters. The safety and well-being of our team members and the service we provide to our customers and communities is an absolute imperative.
I've realized that the further you rise in an organization, the greater your responsibilities and the more important some of the basics become, which is safety, zero harm, making sure that not only our employees, but our contractors go home in the same condition they came in. Their families are counting on us.
The second major element is focusing on how you strategically position the company for the future. You have on the one side, the day-to-day activities of making sure people are safe, that people understand how important what they do is to the corporation and on the other side, how important it is to reflect, flex, and look forward.
It's looking forward while asking, what could the future be, how could the industry change, and what do we need to do to adapt to those changing expectations, what does that mean for our customers and communities?