At the Construction Financial Management Association’s record-turnout annual conference, Chairman J. Brad Robinson said this year’s conference theme, “The Power of One,” was inspired by the “singular, powerful moments” when you invest time in someone else or benefit from someone else’s investment in you.
He gave examples, such as changing a tire for strangers on a highway or a high school teacher who makes chemistry fun. Then,
he related the stories to CFMA by challenging the 1,300 attendees, in Chicago from June 27 to July 1, “to look for [ways] to be the Power of One agent” for their chapters.
“Ask someone to attend a chapter meeting, come to an educational event or visit a chapter social. That small investment you make could make an enormous difference in the life of that person and that person’s company.” The effect could spread across 91 chapters and 7,000 members, said Robinson, also treasurer of the America’s region at Lend Lease in Charlotte.
A well-attended mini-conference on “Women in Construction: Building the Pipeline” developed the conference theme in terms of an individual’s ability to step up and help themselves in their own careers.
Jackie L. Buck, CFO of Harper Construction, said that when she was offered the job, she asked for a raise. Gary Kaplan, XL Insurance leadership council managing director, said that’s crucial, adding, “Women often do better, but men promote themselves more.”
Linda Clifford, CFO of C.C. Meyers Inc., advised a woman attendee who was troubled by “excessive compliments” at work. “You have to teach people how to treat you,” Clifford recommended.
