While the number of female engineering students has climbed over the past 20
years, it still hovers just below 20 percent. Less than 9 percent of workers in the US construction industry are
women, according to the National Association of Women in Construction. Out
of almost 10 million people working in the industry, only around 900,000 are
women. These are some of the lowest percentages of female workers in any
industry in the United States.
It's easy to assume this is because women are exiting the
workforce, perhaps due to personal lifestyle choices such as raising a family
or caring for ailing family members. Statistics show that 15 percent of workers
left their jobs in 2017, and of those remaining, slightly more women decided to
stay in the workforce compared to male colleagues (82/81 percent). This proves
that women are not leaving the workforce, but they are just not
getting promoted. If we hold this pace, we will move the bar only 1 percent
over the next 10 years. However, if we promote and hire women at equal
rates as men, we can gain 10 percent over the next 10 years—which,
incidentally, still wouldn't bring us up to 50/50.
Why do this, though? Why do we care about these numbers? Because diversity
is immensely powerful. Eighty-seven percent of companies say they prioritize
diversity because it produces better business results. However, only 52 percent
of the employees of those companies said they feel the impact of that
prioritization.1
How can we better maximize the impact? What if there were some way to
influence this trend that benefits men, women, and the entire industry? What if
we could each be a part of "Making it Better"? And not because
it's the "right" thing to do, although it is, but because it
produces better business results.
There are three influential actions that I believe will help us increase
female representation in the construction risk industry.
- Embrace our differences.
- Erase the bias.
- Strengthen advocacy.
Embrace Our Differences
When both men and women perform the same task, different areas in their
brains activate. Historically in the medical field, studies were performed on
men and then extrapolated for women on the assumption that women are simply
smaller versions of men. In 1995, we learned that males have bigger heads and
thicker skulls but have the same number of brain cells (just in a smaller
space) as females. Women have larger amygdala's, enabling us to more easily
sense threats and recognize fear and errors. These traits are often perceived
as "perfectionism" or "nitpicking" but, in reality, are
better described as "hypervigilance." These traits are extremely
beneficial in a business setting, especially in the business of risk
management!
It has been said that women's decision-making is based more heavily on
their emotional intelligence, while men's decision-making is based more
heavily on their logical intelligence. This is great news because both
perspectives are crucial in business. In fact, I would argue that you can't
afford NOT to have both when making decisions about risk. Diversity of thought
is immensely as powerful. Embrace it and make it your competitive edge.
Erase the Bias (Social and Self)
In 10 years, the image of a woman has evolved from a sex symbol to an image
of strength, energy, and adventure. We've also seen strong signs of
equality in our vernacular over the past few decades: a "stewardess"
is now a "flight attendant," a "secretary" is now an
"administrative assistant," and "workman's
compensation" is now "workers compensation." But, we still have
work to do to balance the scales.
In 1995, there were zero female CEOs in the Fortune 500. Now there
are 33—but, there are only 33. That's 6.6 percent, and I know we
can do better. Cheryl Sandberg said, "In the future there will be no
female leaders, there will only be leaders."
Erasing the bias means identifying and influencing change every day. Studies
show if you take a woman's résumé and replace her name with a traditional
male name, the applicant has a 71 percent greater chance of receiving an
interview offer. My friend, Tracy Saxe, experienced this firsthand when he
graduated law school in the eighties. He sent numerous résumés out but
struggled to get called for interviews. Once he revised his name to read,
"Mr. Tracy
Alan Saxe," the
interview requests poured in. Although gender-neutralized names are more common
now, this struggle still exists today.
Here's another example: My sister is a secret service agent, and her
sworn duty is to protect the president, vice president, and other heads of
state. She stands post, scanning the area for threats with eyes and ears always
alert, ever ready to perform the duties necessary to maintain the safety of her
protectants. She stands guard with one hand on her weapon and the other on her
radio. It is an intense job with a lot of pressure and responsibility. More
than a few times while standing at her post, a man has approached her to say,
"Smile, honey, you look so serious!" This is infuriating. Her job is
very serious—there's no sense pretending it's not. She faces potential
life and death situations every day, and she's not standing there just to
look pretty. Additionally, no one would say that to a man. Consider that for
one moment. Would you ever walk up to a male secret service agent, standing
tall with his arms folded, wearing the exact same uniform as my sister—a
uniformed black suit with white shirt, belt packed with weapons and equipment,
earpiece wire running down his neck into his radio—and casually say to him,
"Hey buddy, how about a smile?" No, I don't think you would.
Let's apply this to a business setting. Picture a conference room. As
you enter, you see 10 men and 1 woman. Do you assume she's the executive or
the admin? When looking for coffee or the restroom, is she the first person you
ask? Why? Watch what happens in a meeting with her. Do people talk over her?
Does anyone "mansplain"? Does someone repeat her idea as their own?
More importantly, when you see these actions, do you consider how you
can be a positive influence on the behavior in the room? Influence does not
need to be combative, awkward, or uncomfortable. It can be graceful
but impactful: "Gee, Frank, I'd really like to hear the rest of
Sally's thought before we move on." Even if the bias is not directed
at you personally, you have the power influence it for someone else's
benefit.
Erasing the (Self) Bias
Women tend to apply for a job if/when they fit 100 percent of the criteria.
Men will apply if they fit 60 percent of the criteria. I recently heard a story
of a woman who did not apply for a position she wanted because the requirement
was for someone with 15 years of experience, and she only had 13. While that
seems like a no-brainer to me, to someone else, this way of thinking may stifle
opportunity. Author Alice Walker once said, "The most common way people
give away their power is by thinking they don't have
any."
In the above cartoon, neither image is completely accurate—but the key is
learning how to balance these perceptions to a healthier self-image. I believe
there is a crucial distinction between self-confidence and ego.
Self-confidence is believing that you are capable and your
work is valuable. Ego is believing that your work is
better and more impactful than everyone else's work.
Below are some tools to navigate self-bias that have served me well.
- Be confident. There's no need to be embarrassed,
apologetic, or coy if you don't have all the answers. Have confidence and
speak with conviction—even if you are "confident" that you
don't know the answer! Commit to taking the initiative to learn more,
find the answer, and/or resolve the issue. When confronted with something
you're unsure of, it's perfectly acceptable to respond by saying,
"You know, Sam, I'm really not the best person to answer that
question, but I'd be happy to look into it and get back to
you."
- Show up how you want to be seen. If you embody
confidence, people will have confidence in you. If you embody insecurity,
people will question your capabilities. Humans tend to mirror others;
therefore, if you treat yourself with respect, others will do the same.
Likewise, if you do not respect yourself, you can expect to receive a similar
sentiment in return. If you want a seat at the table, take one, and be
mindful of the responsibility of sitting there. Confidence is quiet, and
insecurities are loud. I have counseled many younger females in the industry
to look for the open seats at the table, use their voices, and always aspire
to live up to the responsibility entrusted to us to help raise the bar.
- Don't try to lead like a man; lead like you.
It's important to study the styles of others, but be sure not to try to
emulate them completely. Be authentic and find your own genuine leadership
style and own it. This will ultimately gain you the most respect, whether in
the boardroom or the job-site.
Let's go back to that conference room, except in this scenario YOU are
that one female in the room. Where do you sit? Do you take a seat at the table,
next to the leader of the meeting, or more toward the periphery? Do you sit in
one of the chairs lining the wall of the conference room even though there are
three open seats at the table because someone more important might want to sit
there? Worse yet, do you sit in the back next to the coffee … because
that's a guaranteed way to be asked to make or serve some! Where you
position yourself in a meeting should be commensurate with your role in that
meeting. If you are a player in the meeting, or want to be, do not discount
your value by sitting so far away from the conversation that you need a
megaphone to be heard, both figuratively and literally.
Strengthen Advocacy
Let's consider some available mechanisms for advocacy that help raise
the bar for gender equality.
Sponsorship is about supporting the individual through
interactions with others by praising or recognizing a colleague's
success absent of ulterior motives. Talking (positively) about someone behind
their back as a form of advocacy can be done by anyone, for anyone, and takes
little effort. It's about lifting others, and to others, a little bit goes
a long way.
Mentorship is a development-focused action of supporting an
individual through interactions with that individual. This includes
developing goals, providing advice, and offering guidance. This form of
advocacy can and should come from various places and does not need to be
formalized to be effective. I have found that my greatest mentors have evolved
naturally from many influences in my life and career, and they tend to become
some of my best friends as well. They are male and female, older and younger,
well-educated and self-taught, etc.
Coaching is a performance-focused form of advocacy and is
designed to meet specific goals and develop specific skills and behaviors.
Coaching can come from professional "career coaches" or be
self-taught through books, videos, seminars, etc.
The main goal of advocacy is to elevate the individual. Always
remember to advocate for others and advocate for yourself.
Conclusion
The next time you walk into a conference room, I challenge you to step
outside of your brain for just a moment and take a mini self-inventory. Observe
how your thoughts and behaviors, about yourself or others, conscious and
subconscious, frame the conversation or the tone, the ideas that are presented
there, and how that affects the outcome of the meeting. Especially, if
you're the leader in the room, consider the power of your influence on
others' behavior and tone. Watch the powerful things that can happen when
we apply positive influence in our business day after day, year after year. In
this way, you can make diversity your market differentiator, the reason people
want to work for your company, and the reason your customers want to do
business with you.
The value we gain in business and in life by eliminating biases (against
ourselves and others), embracing the differences around us, and advocating for
ourselves and others is unlimited. These techniques cost nothing but
thoughtfulness. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "You must be the change you
wish to see in the world."