Self-Advocacy is Key Strategy for Women in Construction
Devotion to work and technical prowess may not be enough to boost women up the ranks among construction industry employers; they also need to beat their own drums for better roles on jobsites and in boardrooms.
Women executives from industry firms urged more than 300 mostly younger female attendees at the ENR Groundbreaking Women in Construction conference to seek ways to raise their profiles to coworkers, bosses, clients and outside peers.
"Hard work will keep you employed but it will not get you into the higher reaches of your profession," said Mary Ann Tighe, CEO of global real estate developer CBRE Group’s New York City-based tri-state region, at the June 12 event in Manhattan. CBRE is based in Los Angeles.
Construction law firm Peckar & Abramson was an event partner.
Self-advocacy was a major theme among speakers who shared strategies for women looking to advance industry careers.
"Don't be afraid to be out there," said Aine Brazil, a 35-year construction veteran who is vice chairman and managing principal of engineer Thornton-Tomasetti. She urged attendees to "know your stuff, take your seat at the table and let it be known that you know what you're talking about. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to fade into the background no matter what."
Male executives shared enthusiasm for empowering women to climb the corporate ladder.
“It’s quite natural for women to rise up and play a much bigger part in the construction industry,” said Bob McNamara, CEO of contractor Lend Lease. "The more we can have women in leadership, the better we’ll do.”
Anna Beninger, research director at women's advocacy group Catalyst, noted the challenge for women in that "people perceive men as the default leader; women face a higher competency threshold level," particularly in technical fields.
Beninger and other panelists said that studies show women leaving technical fields in greater number by mid-career.
Gretchen Gagel, president of consulting firm Continuum Advisory Group and an 11-year veteran of contractor consultant FMI, pointed to a lack of role models, unequal compensation and "isolation."
Catalyst will release a study in September focusing on "high-potentials" in technology-intensive industries and why they leave to work in other industries, says Beninger. "We will offer recommendations for creating a more inclusive environment for top female talent," she told ENR.
According to instant polls of attendees, 45% pointed to still-existing glass ceilings in construction career paths and 73% believed there are fewer industry opportunities than in other business sectors.
Gumption
Jennifer Taranto, director of sustainability at contractor Structure Tone, said it's tough for some women to advocate for themselves.
“It takes a lot of gumption to call your manager out of the blue and say that I would like to talk to you for 30 minutes about where my career is going,” she said. “But, it’s the most valuable thing you will do for yourself.”
Women have to use tools and opportunities more creatively to boost their profiles. "When people underestimate you, you just have to rush in," said Deborah DeBernard, vice president of the American Institute of Architects.
Panelists told attendees to seek out and take advantage of "informal" opportunities.
“For many of us, there are no straight lines,” said Susan Kurland, assistant assistant secretary of aviation and international affairs for the U.S. Department of Transportation. “But we do need to prepare ourselves to take advantage of opportunities or to create opportunities for ourselves. We are all works in progress.”
Corissa Anderson, a project manager at Hunt Construction Group, told attendees to "find where the risk is and how to manage it." She said, "interfacing with clients, managing subs and knowing the critical path is how you get noticed."
Tighe urged women to determine “whose orbit I have to be in to realize my goals," and to bring something to the relationship with those who can help you get ahead, such as having "info that somebody else wants.”
Speakers noted the importance of mentoring, particularly with technology tools fostering easier access to top executives and allowing younger women to share technical skills with male veterans, in exchange for valuable institutional memory—so-called "reverse mentoring."
Panelist Sarah Carr, operations vice president at contractor McCarthy, says women mentors are growing in number. She is a co-founder of a new California-based peer group for AEC sector women in operations work.
Pat Hauserman, a 33-year construction veteran and vice president of Tishman Construction Corp., urged women to do more "calculated risk taking in determining how to get noticed."
CBRE's Tighe shared a personal anecdote about a paper napkin on which a former male colleague drew the company's organizational chart during a lunch meeting that basically spelled out why he thought she would never advance to the coveted position of vice chair.
Tighe placed the napkin in her purse and later dated it Jan. 8, 1997. On Jan. 11, 1999, the company issued a press release announcing her promotion to vice chair.
“That lunch was so helpful. I knew for certain that I had no internal champions,” she said.
Tighe already was an award-winning realtor, but she decided to increase her visibility with the press and with the Real Estate Board of New York.
“A person with a public profile is often viewed as an expert,” she said. “Putting yourself out there is indeed a risk, but absent risk, your life and career will be pretty ho hum. Once my profile was raised in the industry, my promotion to vice chair was pretty inevitable.”
