b"CONSTRUCTION PRIORITIES: WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTIONvery nimble leader and be a lot of thingsTo those who lack confidence in theirI still think it is extremely effective to to a lot of people. There are so manyown powers, she advised: Never accepthighlight womens accomplishmentsdifferent ways Ive got to communicatecriticism from someone you wouldnt goand leadership in our industry, says with them! to for advice! Fung. Weve gone a long way, but we She discussed her focus on gettingDespite our post-COVID obsession withoften have the responsibility of families people in the door to the constructionvirtual meetings, Di Maria said sheand the myth that women are notindustry. For women, this may meanbelieves in face-to-face contact. Its hardcareer-driven. Women are as drivenhighlighting the wide variety of officeto have mentorship behind a screen, sheto achieve goals; we are also veryroles as well as the on-site opportunities. pointed out. Come into the office! Abovehigh-performance.all, construction is not only bricks and She pointed out that research shows thatmortar, she said. Its about people. Its true that were seeing women a male applicant will consider applyingin leadership positions, but thats for a position if they feel they meet aboutSkapura reported that it was herbecause we have these organizations 50 per cent of the posted requirements,hairdresser who gave her a newand events, says Skapura. For me, but women wont apply unless they feelperspective on her own abilities. As shethe biggest takeaway was how well they satisfy about 90 per cent. Therefore,was leaving the salon, she was wishedreceived the panel was. This year a lot of she said, companies that hope to attractgood luck, but then was told No, I dont executives from the TCA were stressing women should consider streamlining thewish you luck. I wish you success; lucklist of posted job requirements to theis for people who dont know what that they received more positive truly necessary qualifications, not all thetheyre doing. feedback than ever before.nice-to-haves.Looking back on the panel, Davey saysIt was as good a panel as Ive ever Di Maria admitted that, early in herthat having these conversations andheard, full stop: strong leaders sharing career, she learned that fake it tilevents isnt just about women supportinginsights and best practices and you make it is a viable strategy. Inwomen, but about gathering allies.giving the audience a sense of what a workplace full of acronyms andTheres a new generation of men outsuccess looks like for a woman in the specialized jargon, sometimes the bestthere who dont see us as any differentconstruction industry, says Mollenhauer. way to operate is to act as if you knowthan them, but there still are a lot of whats going on until you have a chancestereotypes about what women can andMy expectations were high, and they to look up the missing facts. cant do. wereexceeded.For Your Legal Needs The Right Fit MattersAt Pallett Valo LLP we give you what youneed, not what you don't.With our \x1fexibility and the right expertise across a wide variety of business lawareas, we build a customized legal solution for you and your businessallwithout compromising excellence in service or advice. 1.800.323.3781www.pallettvalo.com BUILDERSDIGEST Quarter 1202527"