Leadership Trends Women Leaders In Construction Need to Know

Building the next generation of construction women means building leaders, too. The National Association of Women in Construction offers women in the industry the opportunity to learn and grow with leadership trainings offered by local chapters, regional conferences, and at the NAWIC Annual Conference.

Here are a few leadership trends women leaders in construction need to know in 2022:

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, or DEI, initiatives create an environment that welcomes all and gives everyone access to succeed (regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, disability, age, or socioeconomic status.) Beyond hiring practices, women leaders in construction can embrace DEI to help bring about systemic changes in workplace culture, such as reducing microaggressions and outright harassment. Microaggressions are often the result of unconscious bias and can harm employee morale. An example of a microaggression is a male construction worker saying to a female colleague, “You’re too pretty to work in construction” or “mansplaining”, explaining something to a woman in a patronizing manner. Here are some other ways that female construction leaders can use DEI trends to implement change.

Equity is the focus of our 67th Annual Conference: Envision Equity and a featured educational track.

Values-based leadership
Honesty. Integrity. Fairness. Loyalty. These are examples of leadership values. While a company is guided by its core values and mission, leaders are guided by their personal beliefs and purpose. Authentic leaders use purpose, values, relationships, self-discipline, and compassion to inspire and lead. Taking assessment of what you believe in is the first step to leading with authenticity for women leaders in construction. Leadership coach Kevin Kruse said, “Instead of a leadership reinvention in 2022, consider instead a leadership reflection—on who you are as a person and how your leadership can be more aligned to that authentic self. At the end of the day, the best thing leaders can do is to be themselves—so that others feel safe to be themselves, too.”

Shakira M. Brown, an award-winning public relations, corporate communications, and branding professional, will share how to lead authentically and communicate your vision with confidence and charisma to transform profits, performance and team culture in her breakout session, Living Your Values: Leading with Integrity to Inspire Loyalty and Build Trust, at the 67th Annual Conference.

Emotional intelligence
It’s not what you say but how you say it. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand and regulate our emotions and to understand others’ emotions to communicate effectively and manage relationships. “When I interviewed 100 AEC business owners about their biggest leadership challenges, their number one issue was not finding better technical experts but finding people who can relate and communicate with peers and clients. Not to engineer something or solve a technical problem. But to be aware of what’s going on with their own emotions, to manage their emotions, to read people, and to have the sense of how to talk to someone. To know when to listen and be empathetic like a therapist. To know when to be direct and as clear as a drill sergeant. And to know how to do it well so you don’t tick people off but gain their admiration and trust,” said Leo MacLeod, noted trainer and coach in the architecture, engineering and construction industries and author of From the Ground Up: Stories and Lessons from Architects and Engineers Who Learned to Be Leaders.

In her presentation at the 67th Annual Conference, motivational coach Dr. Stevie Dawn Carter, will share how women leaders in construction can be more empathetic and use emotional intelligence to improve communication in the workplace.

Agility and responsiveness
“Success today requires the agility and drive to constantly rethink, reinvigorate, react, and reinvent.” – Bill Gates

Agility and responsiveness in leadership encompasses values-based leadership and emotional intelligence. This form of leadership involves thinking critically about a situation, understanding the emotional consequences, and using values to act accordingly. Covid has taught the world how to pivot, the ultimate in agility and responsiveness. The keys to agility, according to this article, are to prioritize curiosity, celebrate mistakes as opportunities, change the status quo, and be adaptable.

World champion triathlete and high-performance coach and cancer survivor, Siri Lindley knows about agility. A motivational speaker, she now empowers leaders and organizations to be resilient and fearless. Siri will be presenting two sessions (Winning Big and Living Fearlessly and Developing Resilient and Fearlessly Authentic Leaders) at the 67th Annual Conference.

The National Association of Women in Construction builds women leaders in construction. NAWIC provides women in construction of all experience levels with opportunities for professional development, education, networking, leadership training, and public service. NAWIC has 118 chapters throughout the United States – international affiliates, too. Membership is open to any woman in construction. Several membership options are available for flexible pricing and membership terms. To learn more about our work to support women in the industry and to inspire future women leaders in construction, contact us through social media, or our website.

NAWIC builds leaders. Don’t miss our newest blog post, “Leadership Trends Women Leaders in Construction Need to Know ” now on our website.

#NAWIC #NAWICWomen #womeninconstruction #womenintrades #leadership #mentorship #constructionindustry