Going Places

Mapping a Career

Elsenhans was accomplished, and after leaving Rice in 1978 she went directly to Harvard Business School, an unusual move because Harvard typically expects MBA students to have at least two years of work experience. By the time she finished in Boston—marking 18 consecutive years of formal education—she was more than ready to make the leap into the work world. But what to do?

Lynn and John Elsenhans

In some ways, she says, her options were limited. Since she had minimal real-world experience, the only companies that were eager to interview her were big ones in the pharmaceutical, chemical, and the energy industries. Weighing those choices, she thought carefully about how she could make an impact in the world. “It sounds corny, but it really mattered to me to work for something that made a difference,” she says. “I couldn’t think of anything that had more of an impact on our society than energy.”

Ultimately, the choices narrowed to two: Exxon, her father’s old employer, and Shell. Both companies had good reputations and corporate ethics, factors that were key to her. In Shell, though, Elsenhans saw the opportunity to reach her goal in a shorter time—the goal of running part of the business and having responsibility for resource allocation, strategic direction, and managing a bottom line. Besides, Exxon wanted her to work in New York, and Shell offered her a job in Houston. It made the decision that much easier.

Despite the fact that Elsenhans was among a select group of recruits, nothing was guaranteed. She faced a skeptical male-dominated culture when she arrived in the 1980s. Shell employee Tommy Weatherly recalls his reaction to being asked to report to Elsenhans when she became manager of the Deer Park chemical plant in 1985. “To be honest, I didn’t know how it would be, working for a woman,” he says. “I grew up in a world where, if something was cooked on the stove, mom cooked it, and if it was cooked on the barbecue, dad did it. A lot of people said I wouldn’t take the job because they didn’t think I could work for a woman.”

But Elsenhans won Weatherly over with her candor and hard work. “She was the straightest of shooters,” he says. “She wouldn’t act like she knew everything just because of her position. She would listen to people, articulate the business goals and the individual goals, get agreement, and then hold people accountable.” If she wasn’t sure of something or said something that turned out to be untrue, she’d admit it. “Not many bosses will tell you that they’re wrong,” says Weatherly, who still works with Shell.

It’s a trait that Elsenhans has maintained throughout her career. “She tells you what she thinks. If she doesn’t like what you’re doing, she tells you about it,” says Herlin, not only a former classmate but now a colleague. “Some people might think she’s difficult to work with or hard on people. I’d say she demands high quality. If you’re trying to hide stuff, you’re going to be in trouble because she’ll find out quick.”

While some find that blunt, straightforward manner refreshing, others recoil at it. And that’s something Elsenhans has grappled with. But she has come to recognize that her frankness is simply the result of her attempt to assert herself in an environment where she was a distinct minority. “Up until a certain time, a lot about work was making sure people knew I was credible, that I knew my stuff. So there was a lot about not being wrong,” she says. That changed for her 10 years ago, when she led a team charged with reshaping the company’s culture to be more inclusive and receptive to ideas. That effort transformed Elsenhans as well as the culture. “I still believe you have to have a good track record, but it doesn’t mean you can never make a mistake. The real lesson for me, however, was giving up the need to be right. When you open yourself to other points of view, you learn more and are more effective as a leader.”