Celebrated Changemaker

How Meena Beyers Overcame Uncertainty and Stepped into Confident Leadership

Committed to community

Meena Beyers is the Vice President of Business and Community Development for Nicor Gas. The company is a subsidiary of Southern Company Gas, which delivers energy to 2.3 million customers and 650 communities across Northern Illinois. 

“I lead about 120 people, and my group focuses on growth and communities,” Meena says. “We also have a terrific community engagement program, which includes a local foundation, a charitable giving program, and employee volunteerism opportunities.”

Meena strives to improve the lives of individuals and families in everything she does—whether she’s looking for new ways for people to save on energy consumption and costs, or collaborating with other organizations to accelerate progress in the energy sector. As a leader, she empowers her team to do the same.

“Rayne helped me define my purpose. It felt like an awakening. Developing that understanding of what was important cleared up a lot of uncertainty in my head.” 

- Meena Beyers, Vice President of Business and Community Development, Southern Company Gas 

Searching for clarity

Meena has a strong reputation for courageous leadership and an unwavering commitment to social and environmental causes. In recent years, however, the energy sector has been grappling with new challenges—and Meena began experiencing moments of uncertainty.

“I lead a lot of new initiatives where we’re doing things that haven’t been done before,” Meena says. “I think it’s important as a leader to be effective in removing barriers so your team can get things done.”

In order to help herself and her team navigate rougher waters, Meena needed a better understanding of her purpose.

“I wanted to feel clarity in knowing that pushing through the challenges are worth the impact.” she says.

Building a legacy

Around the same time Meena came to this realization, she was following Rayne Martin, CEO and founder of It’s The Impact, on LinkedIn. She decided to reach out for coaching. When Meena met Rayne, she knew it would be a good fit.

“The work is so hard, and you have to be so vulnerable,” Meena says. “You have to get out of your own head and be really comfortable with the person that you’re doing that with. So fit is important.”

Meena signed up for one-on-one coaching and together, Meena and Rayne developed a plan to help Meena dive deep into her personal values and goals in order to figure out what drives her. 

“I didn’t have a clear path through all of this in my own mind,” Meena says. “In that first conversation, Rayne helped me clarify it.” 

Through this work, Meena connected her work to her sense of purpose. She also began considering the kind of leadership legacy she wanted to leave behind. 

“I’m very goal-oriented and driven, but had never really thought about my leadership legacy,” Meena says. “During one of our sessions, we figured out how a childhood experience inspired my career and different roles that I’ve had. We were able to pull the thread all the way through to today. That conversation was the foundation for defining my purpose.”

Making a stronger impact with targeted focus

Meena realized that her passion and strengths centered on collaboration—bringing stakeholders together to accelerate the critical work that needs to be done in the energy sector. 

“Some of my best days are when I'm working with external groups to figure out what is possible if we worked together,” Meena says.

This clarity inspired her to support the formation of a regional alliance of private, public and non-profit organizations, collaborating on sustainability and climate opportunities.

“Because I knew that this was important work that aligns with my purpose, it helped me put in the extra effort to build that business case and be able to position our company as a founding member of the alliance. I'm really excited to be a part of it and do impactful work with some really great people.”

Realizing her purpose also cleared up Meena’s feelings of uncertainty, because she could use her purpose as a roadmap. 

“These are big topics that we’re tackling in the industry,” Meena says. “Now, when I am at a crossroads, I ask myself what I’m trying to achieve overall, and consider how my decisions will align with my purpose and potential impact. It steadies me.”

With purpose driving her, Meena is happier in her work and leans more effectively into her strengths, which naturally helps her make a more significant impact on her industry. These newfound skills also help Meena plan for the future, because she has an objective lens for reflecting on outcomes and considering next steps. 

“At the end of the day, we do this work for our neighbors and family and friends—and all the communities that need us,” Meena says. “And they benefit when passionate people are doing the work.”

Leading by example

With her goals clarified and her decision-making strategies refined, Meena grew into an even stronger leader. She modeled her new techniques in front of her team, and shared what she’d learned with her colleagues.

“I regularly share with team members and colleagues that when you’re feeling challenged, you need to reflect back on why you want to do this work,” Meena says. “I encourage them to use their strengths to solve their challenges. Those nuggets I gained from coaching have been really beneficial for my team.”

Meena is also better equipped to help her team members when they need to make important decisions of their own, whether they’re trying to solve an issue with work-life balance or plan their career trajectory.

“I'm able to guide them in ways that I couldn't before,” Meena says. “Now I’m not just helping them navigate corporate culture, I’m also helping them understand what really makes them tick.”

In addition, in June 2023, Meena was recognized as a 2023 Notable Leader in Sustainability by Crain’s Chicago Business for her “leadership role in making a measurable impact on the environment”.

A longstanding resource

Meena plans to stay in touch with Rayne as she continues to build influence within her industry and expand on her leadership skills.

“She's always going to be a resource for me,” Meena says. “I'm a huge advocate of coaching and I believe in investing in it during different seasons of our career.”

Next, Meena wants to figure out how to take what she’s learned—and scale up. 

“I want to sort out how to make an even greater impact, and do even more meaningful work,” Meena says. “And frankly, I just want to help others do the same.”

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