How Northwest Lineman College Used the Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework to Design a Scalable Leadership Development Approach
When you train the people who keep the lights on across the country, your definition of leadership cannot be vague.
Northwest Lineman College is one of the nation’s premier institutions preparing electrical lineworkers for a physically demanding, safety-critical industry. Its mission is practical and clear: equip students with the technical skills, discipline, and professionalism required to succeed in the field.
But in recent years, as the organization grew and evolved, a new question emerged internally: “What does strong leadership actually look like here?”
With new leaders stepping into expanded roles and expectations shifting across departments, Ellissa Ashley, NLC U Program Manager, recognized a gap.
“We didn’t have a shared, consistent way to define what strong leadership actually looked like across the organization,” Ellissa explains. “We could describe great leaders, but we couldn’t always agree on the specific skills behind those behaviors or how to develop them in a clear, measurable way.”
They needed a common language. One broad enough to apply across roles, yet specific enough to guide real development.
That realization became the catalyst for building an internal leadership development approach grounded in the Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework from America Succeeds. What followed was not just a program, but a scalable system designed to strengthen leadership in one of the most demanding industries in the country.
“Suddenly, the things our leaders had been describing for years had a name, a structure, and a shared definition. So instead of reinventing the wheel, we found one (literally!) that already captured what we were trying to build. It gave us the foundation to design development that could scale across our organization.”
Why the Pathsmith™ Framework Fit
For Ellissa, the framework worked because it was not abstract. It was usable.
“Words are important, and in many ways they feel like half the battle. We needed a shared language that leaders and employees could actually use, not just something that sounded good on paper.”
The Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework provided:
- Clear, intuitive skill definitions
- Actionable subskills
- Employer-grounded language
- A structure that translated easily into daily practice
“Some leadership development models can feel like isolated bolt-ons, but this framework felt more like a Swiss Army knife. It could be embedded into everyday work and used to guide real conversations about growth, expectations, and performance.”
As a craft trade educational institution committed to preparing students with practical, job-ready skills, Northwest Lineman College saw a natural alignment. If durable skills matter for students entering the workforce, they matter just as much for the leaders guiding them.
Turning a Skills Framework into a Leadership Experience
Ellissa connected with Michael Crawford from America Succeeds to translate the framework into something operational using a simple, scalable four-step model – the 4 A’s:
1. Awareness: Employees receive a guide outlining what each durable skill looks like at different levels in the organization. Skills like leadership, mindfulness, and collaboration move from abstract ideas to observable behaviors.
2. Assessment: Both employees and leaders complete a durable skills assessment, evaluating performance across the ten competencies. This creates a shared baseline and surfaces meaningful alignment or gaps in perception. Many leaders report that the assessment itself sparks powerful conversations.
3. Attainment: Together, leaders and employees identify priority skills and build individualized development plans. Northwest Lineman College created a catalog of development options that includes:
- Work-embedded stretch assignments
- Mentorship and coaching networks
- Internal and external learning opportunities
The structure is consistent, but the plans are personalized.
4. Articulation: Employees document growth over time, reflecting on what they have learned and how they are applying those skills in their work. This ensures development is visible, not assumed. The result is not a rigid program. It is a flexible system embedded into everyday leadership.
Durable Skills in a High-Stakes Industry
In the electrical linework industry, durable skills are not optional. They are essential.
“When I think about leadership in the electrical linework industry specifically, I think first about character and fortitude. This is work that requires integrity, consistency, and the ability to show up with discipline even when conditions are hard. People have to do the right thing when it is uncomfortable, inconvenient, or exhausting. Communication and collaboration are also critical. In the field, crews rely on each other to stay aligned moment to moment, and communication gaps are not something you can afford.”
In this context, leadership is less about authority and more about responsibility. Responsibility to uphold standards, to protect teams, and to ensure everyone goes home safely. Durable skills shape how leaders think under pressure, solve problems in real time, and build trust across crews.
Early Results: Reflection and Real Conversations
The response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive. Because leaders and employees complete assessments and planning together, growth has become collaborative rather than top-down.
“I have seen leaders become more reflective in how they coach and support their teams. The assessment and discussion process has created meaningful conversations that might not have happened otherwise. Their willingness to invest in their people while also staying open to their own growth has been one of the most rewarding parts of the program.”
Even in its early stages, the program is building clarity and a shared development mindset across the organization.
Advice for Other Organizations
Ellissa believes that leadership development works best when it is flexible, personalized, and grounded in real work. She recommends:
- Starting with clarity about goals
- Avoiding overcomplicating the rollout
- Embedding development into daily work rather than layering it on top
- Never building alone
“We are all working toward the same goal of developing a stronger, more skilled workforce. We get there faster when we share what we are learning.”
Future-Proofing the Workforce
In skilled trades, technical knowledge will continue to evolve, but behaviors endure.
“The industry will keep changing. The equipment will keep changing. The expectations will keep changing. Durable skills help us develop people who can keep up with that change instead of being disrupted by it.”
At Northwest Lineman College, durable skills are no longer abstract ideas. They are embedded into how leaders grow, how conversations happen, and how standards are upheld. And in an industry where safety is non-negotiable and reliability is essential, that foundation matters more than ever.
If you are interested in exploring how the Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework can support leadership or workforce development in your organization, connect with us to learn more.
