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Women in AEC: Wine After WorkAuthor: Bryce Batts
Wine After Work is designed for women who are ready to embrace their autonomy and take full ownership of their careers. Join us as we learn from one another and dive into meaningful conversations. In a landscape where women remain underrepresented across various industries! While I focus on the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction sectors, our discussions feature an incredible lineup of women from diverse fieldsfemale founders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, creatives, and inspiring trailblazers. Hosted by Bryce Batts, this podcast inspires and empowers you to attract and retain top talent! Language: en Genres: Business, Careers, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Breaking the Approval Addiction: Why Engineers Struggle With Autonomy in Leadership
Episode 10
Tuesday, 10 March, 2026
In this episode of Wine After Work, Bryce sits down with Elif Acar-Chiasson, P.E., founder of OPLE Leadership and former COO with over 30 years in the AEC industry. Elif built her consulting practice after living inside what she calls a "broken autonomy model." Brilliant engineers are promoted into leadership roles, then trapped in approval culture where every decision climbs uphill for permission. The leader becomes the bottleneck. The team stops growing. Everyone burns out. Together, Bryce and Elif unpack: • Why technical excellence and leadership requirements are often in conflict • The hidden addiction to approval and control inside engineering firms • Why autonomy is not "do whatever you want," but clear decision ownership with guardrails • How emotional intelligence supports decision-making under pressure • What stepping away from a COO role taught Elif about fit and courage • Why leading with both head and heart is not weakness but maturity • What competitive ballroom dancing at 50 revealed about starting over and discomfort Elif shares a systemic approach to leadership. Instead of coaching one overwhelmed leader in isolation, she looks at the entire decision architecture of a team. Who owns what? Where decisions stall. How trust is built or broken. Her core belief: the most critical structural integrity is not in buildings. It is in teams. About Elif: Elif Acar-Chiasson, P.E., is a Professional Engineer and founder of OPLE Leadership. After 12 years as an executive, including 8 as COO at CSRS/Westwood, she now works with technical professionals who are exceptional at their craft but struggling in leadership roles. She translates emotional intelligence into engineering frameworks and helps teams redesign how decisions are made so leaders are no longer the bottleneck. Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Elif brings a multicultural lens to leadership and challenges the idea that "people skills" are separate from technical rigor. https://www.elifchiasson.com/
