Building Women Leaders (eBook)

A Blueprint for Women Thriving in Construction

Gretchen Gagel (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025
566 Seiten
Wiley (Verlag)
978-1-394-25140-7 (ISBN)

Infos

'In the decades I've known Gretchen, I have watched her grow and excel as a mother, a civic and business leader, and an influencer in the construction industry. We are so fortunate that Gretchen carved out the time to write this seminal book on women's leadership and I am confident that all will benefit from the knowledge she shares. Gretchen is a remarkable leader and role model who cares deeply for the construction industry, and her passion for helping women thrive helps us build a more inclusive industry.'
-Mary K. Rhinehart, Chair, Johns Manville Corporation.

Practical leadership guidance, inspiring stories, and actionable strategies for women and their male allies to elevate their careers in construction

Building Women Leaders: A Blueprint for Women Thriving in Construction is a guide to becoming a successful female leader in the construction, engineering, mining, and energy industries. Featuring real-world case studies, inspiring stories of successful women leaders, and actionable strategies, this book serves as a catalyst for transformation, enabling organizations to harness the untapped potential of their female talent and drive innovation and growth.

Leveraging the author's 40-year industry career as a construction industry executive, female trailblazer, and advocate for women empowerment in the workplace, Building Women Leaders includes information on:

• Techniques for navigating a male-dominated industry, including understanding 'dominant culture' and unconscious bias
• The qualities of successful leaders in these industries, including what it means to lead versus manage and how Grounded Self-leadership is critical to authenticity
• Guidelines for building strong relationships and leading a diverse team with confidence, courage, and humility
• Ways to handle difficult conversations and conflicts, and the role of trust and vulnerability in these situations
• How to build support via professional organizations, networking groups, and training and development opportunities for women leaders

Building Women Leaders is a timely, essential, up-to-date resource on the subject for leaders of all genders and at all levels and occupations in the engineering, construction, mining, and energy industries looking to harness the power of women in the workforce.

Gretchen Gagel, PhD, an influential leader in the construction industry, overcame discouragement from her father to study mechanical engineering and forge a successful executive career. She has advised some of the largest corporations on effective construction execution and in 2021 was inducted by her peers into the National Academy of Construction. The last chapter of Gretchen's career is dedicated to driving inclusivity in the construction, engineering, mining, and energy industries as founder of Women Thriving in Construction: A Global Institute. In this book, Gretchen brings together research and insights from over 120 global thought leaders to empower women and their allies. She candidly shares personal experiences - balancing executive leadership with motherhood and caregiving - while providing actionable strategies to accelerate the success of women and transform workplace culture. Connect with Gretchen on LinkedIn or visit www.gretchengagel.com.

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"e;In the decades I ve known Gretchen, I have watched her grow and excel as a mother, a civic and business leader, and an influencer in the construction industry. We are so fortunate that Gretchen carved out the time to write this seminal book on women s leadership and I am confident that all will benefit from the knowledge she shares. Gretchen is a remarkable leader and role model who cares deeply for the construction industry, and her passion for helping women thrive helps us build a more inclusive industry."e; Mary K. Rhinehart, Chair, Johns Manville Corporation. Practical leadership guidance, inspiring stories, and actionable strategies for women and their male allies to elevate their careers in construction Building Women Leaders: A Blueprint for Women Thriving in Construction is a guide to becoming a successful female leader in the construction, engineering, mining, and energy industries. Featuring real-world case studies, inspiring stories of successful women leaders, and actionable strategies, this book serves as a catalyst for transformation, enabling organizations to harness the untapped potential of their female talent and drive innovation and growth. Leveraging the author s 40-year industry career as a construction industry executive, female trailblazer, and advocate for women empowerment in the workplace, Building Women Leaders includes information on: Techniques for navigating a male-dominated industry, including understanding dominant culture and unconscious bias The qualities of successful leaders in these industries, including what it means to lead versus manage and how Grounded Self-leadership is critical to authenticity Guidelines for building strong relationships and leading a diverse team with confidence, courage, and humility Ways to handle difficult conversations and conflicts, and the role of trust and vulnerability in these situations How to build support via professional organizations, networking groups, and training and development opportunities for women leaders Building Women Leaders is a timely, essential, up-to-date resource on the subject for leaders of all genders and at all levels and occupations in the engineering, construction, mining, and energy industries looking to harness the power of women in the workforce.

Textauszug

Introduction

I learned two things from the experience of my father telling me I could not attend engineering school because “girls don't do engineering.” I learned that there are people in the world who have opinions about what other people can or cannot be because of unconscious bias, and I learned that I have the confidence to make what I believe are the best decisions for my happiness and success. This experience laid the groundwork for my passion for ensuring that all people are able to pursue their dreams regardless of their gender identity, skin color, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or any other unique characteristic. We all belong in the construction industry, and the construction industry needs all of us.

We must attract women and other underrepresented groups to our industry—not because it is “nice,” but because it is a business imperative for these reasons:

1. 1) Our ongoing talent shortage: This is an issue the construction industry has faced for decades. As an example, in 2023, the US construction industry faced a shortage of roughly 650,000 people (LaRocco and Goldberg, 2023).
2. 2) The benefits of diverse thinking: Diverse thinking brings about better team performance. For example, research demonstrates that teams with women on them outperform teams without women in solving problems (‘What makes a high‐performing team? The answer may surprise you,’ 2017).

As Andre Noonan, Chief Operating Officer of ACCIONA Australia and New Zealand shares,“It is a great industry that I love, and it really irks me that ninety percent of the people within the industry are from fifty percent of the population. It's just nonsensical. The other fifty percent are missing out on what is so great.”

(Andre Noonan, speaking to Gagel, 2022 Greatness Podcast)

The intent of this book is to: (1) help us examine the lived experience of all people—especially women—in the construction and related industries such as engineering, energy, and mining; (2) help all people thrive as leaders by exploring what I believe are the critical elements of great leadership; and (3) help us build a more inclusive construction industry. This book is a culmination of my 40 years in the construction industry as a leader and developer of leaders and my study of leadership theory during my PhD. Many of my life stories are included in these pages, along with the stories of over 100 incredible thought leaders who have appeared as guests on my Greatness Podcast or whom I have interviewed for this book.

I asked every person I interviewed to share their thoughts on what skills had contributed to the success of the women they admire in the construction industry, and several themes arose. The first is that you must be technically competent in your area of expertise (such as engineering, project management, accounting, marketing, or business development), as this is the ticket to the dance. You may not know everything in your field; the point is that you have knowledge and expertise, and you are working hard to continue learning your craft. The people I interviewed also believed that what truly propelled women's success in the construction industry was a belief in themselves as leaders and others believing in them (sometimes even more than they did themselves) and all of those really “hard skills” that have gained the misnomer of the “soft skills” (the ability to communicate, build relationships, garner trust, and resolve disputes, for example). These are the topics I have focused on in this book.

As construction industry leader Donna McDowall shares, “Know your value and be sure of yourself. Be okay being the diverse you and recognize it takes every skill set to make a project; and don't give up. It is a good industry.”

(McDowall, 2023)

The book's content follows a framework of leadership I have labeled the “ME, WE, and US” of leadership, first focusing on the “ME” of Grounded Self‐Leadership, then the “WE” of building strong individual relationships, and finally, the “US” of effectively leading teams, organizations, and even the construction industry as a whole.

ME

While the intent of this book is to be inspiring and future‐focused by exploring how women thrive in the construction industry and how our allies support us, I felt it would be remiss not to first reflect upon the lived experience of women in the construction industry. Part 1 of “ME,” The Lived Experience of the Construction Industry, touches on this topic, including the presence of unconscious bias in our industry and the realities of our dominant culture.

Part 2 of “ME” is an exploration of self‐leadership. I have labeled this the Grounded Self‐Leadership Framework because I believe being an authentic leader must come from a place of strong self‐identity and knowledge of our uniqueness and that this is “grounded” in our purpose and values. The topics covered in Part 2 include:

• Defining Leadership and Your Leadership Aspirations – An exploration of what leadership means to you, how leadership differs from management, and your leadership aspirations.
• Living Your Life Purpose and Values – An exploration of why you exist in the world and your personal values as the foundation you stand upon as a leader.
• Feeling Courageous and Confident with Humility – An exploration of the courage, confidence, and humility required to lead and influence, especially as women in male‐dominated industries.
• Thinking Critically, Learning, and Reflecting – An exploration of how we effectively utilize our brains to think and learn, as well as rest to fuel innovation and creativity.
• Telling Your Leadership Story – An exploration of the importance of being able to tell the story of our leadership brand to others and have a voice.

These elements form who you are as an authentic, unique, and grounded leader.

WE

The “WE” portion of the book explores how we build strong one‐on‐one relationships and leverage the help of others to thrive as leaders. Part 3 of “WE,” Your Supporting Cast, focuses on the amazing people who guide and support us (that I refer to in my life as “Team Gretchen”). This includes individuals—mentors, sponsors, coaches, and allies—and our networks both inside and outside of the industry.

Part 4 of “WE” focuses on Building Relationships with people, which is the next critical step in leadership. The topics covered in Part 4 include:

• Being Present, Listening, and Asking Great Questions – An exploration of how being in strong relationships begins with the ability to be fully present with someone, including the ability to listen and ask great questions.
• Utilizing Power to Influence – An exploration of our sources of power and how to use an appropriate level of power to influence others.
• Leveraging Emotional Intelligence – An exploration of how we experience and control our own emotions to avoid triggered reactions, and how we have empathy for others' emotions.
• Building Trust and Psychological Safety – An exploration of how we effectively build the trust and psychological safety necessary for meaningful relationships.
• Collaboration, Communication, and Conflict Resolution – An exploration of what I call the “Three Big C's” that are critical to our relationships with others.
• Clarifying Expectations and Providing Feedback – An exploration of the skills that are critical in helping others understand what a “good job” looks like and coaching them to success.

These elements provide the skills necessary to form strong relationships with those you lead and influence.

US

The third portion of the book broadens our viewpoint to leading and influencing collective groups of people. Part 5 of “US,” Leading Teams and Organizations, covers these important topics:

• Defining Purpose, Goals, and Objectives – An exploration of how teams and organizations align on why they exist and what they are trying to achieve.
• Building Organization Culture and Values – An exploration of how teams and organizations define their culture and the critical values that are the foundation of this culture.
• Executing Strategies and Tactics – An exploration of how teams and organizations develop and execute strategic and tactical plans to achieve the purpose, goals, and objectives of the organization.
• Utilizing Team Norms and Social Contracts – An exploration of team dynamics and the use of norms and social contracts to drive team performance.
• Attracting, Hiring, and Retaining Diverse Talent – An exploration of how we ensure that the right people with the right skills are in the right positions on teams and within organizations.
• Creating Agile Teams and Organizations – An exploration of how we lead change and develop agile teams and organizations that are able to morph to remain effective over time.

These elements are the foundation of leading teams and organizations to success.

Finally, Part 6 of “US,”...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 8.4.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Technik ► Bauwesen
• Schlagworte: AEC • Breaking Barriers • Building strong teams • Career Advancement • career growth for women • career success • Construction • construction business success • construction career development • construction industry leadership • Construction Management • D&I • Diversity • diversity in construction • effective communication • Energy • Equity • Executive Coaching • executive women networks • Female Executives • female leadership • Gender Diversity • gender diversity in construction • growth mindset • Inclusion • Inclusive leadership • industry mentorship • industry thought leaders • Innovation in Construction • inspiring leadership stories • Leadership Agility • leadership development programs • leadership in construction • leadership skills • leadership strategies • leading with confidence • male-dominated industry • mentorship for women • Mining • navigating male-dominated industries • Negotiation Skills • networking strategies • Overcoming Bias • overcoming biases • personal branding for women • professional development for women • professional organizations for women • psychological safety at work • Real-world case studies • sponsorship in construction • stereotypes • team-building strategies • thriving in construction • Women Empowerment • women in construction • women in construction • women in energy sector • Women in Engineering • women in engineering leadership • women in infrastructure • women in mining industry • women in STEM careers • women-led success. • workplace culture change • Workplace inclusivity
• ISBN-10: 1-394-25140-8 / 1394251408
• ISBN-13: 978-1-394-25140-7 / 9781394251407