Dr Gretchen Gagel’s path in construction

Dr Gretchen Gagel’s path in construction
“As a leader in the construction industry, it is important to explore your own unconscious bias. What assumptions are you subconsciously making about people?” (Image: Kostiantyn/stock.adobe.com)

Dr Gretchen Gagel’s journey as a trailblazer in the construction industry shows how barriers can be broken and lights the way for the next generation of female leaders ready to make their mark.

By Dr Gretchen Gagel.

When speaking at conferences or to groups of leaders, I am often asked to share my personal story of success in the construction industry. I took that request to heart when writing my soon-to-be-released book, Building Women Leaders: A Blueprint for Women Thriving in Construction. While the voices and ideas of over 120 thought leaders are included, my personal story also shines through.

Dr Gretchen Gagel’s path in construction
Dr Gretchen Gagel. (Image: Heidi Victoria)

My father disowned me when, at 17 years of age, I turned down my Harvard admission to attend engineering school at Southern Methodist University. He felt it was not an appropriate career choice for a young woman and instead encouraged me to earn my “MRS degree,” to find a man to take care of me. I am grateful I had the fortitude to make the decision that was right for me.

My engineering career started and ended as an engineering intern for Lone Star Gas in Dallas, Texas, from 1983 to 1985. I say “ended” because, when I graduated as a mechanical engineer in 1986, Ralston Purina – now Nestlé Purina – hired me as their first female operations manager in the US – 62 men and me. I would describe my six-year career with Ralston Purina as successful – managing my own plant within two years and leading a much larger plant at the age of 27 – and at times extremely challenging, like when I walked into a plant I managed to find “@#$% Gretchen” painted on the wall. I left Ralston Purina because my soon‑to‑be husband no longer wanted to follow my career transfers.

After I received my Master of Business Administration, I joined what was then the largest investment banking and strategy firm in the construction industry – woman number two in 45 years. Again, I successfully became a director within four years and started a new business unit advising large clients such as General Motors and Intel. The challenges continued, including sexual harassment and contractors saying they would rather have “John” develop their strategic plan than a woman.

During these early days of my career, I was not consciously thinking about breaking barriers as a woman. I was pursuing my passions and raising my hand for opportunities where I could learn, grow and be challenged. I fell in love with the construction industry because of the vital role we play in building and maintaining the assets of society, and that is why I stayed. My male mentors and allies enabled my success, as there were no women to do so. When my first manager at FMI was told he needed to send in a man instead of me, he informed that potential client that they needed to find a new consulting firm because I was a vital member of the team. That is allyship.

In future editions of Inside Construction, I will share the leadership lessons I learned throughout my career as the CEO and managing director of four organisations, as well as from my PhD studies in leadership. One cannot talk about women breaking barriers without grounding the discussion in an exploration of dominant culture and unconscious bias.

Dominant culture

I believe that understanding how to support all people in our industry begins with a discussion of our dominant culture, which may vary depending on geographic location. The dominant culture of any industry is shaped by the demographics of the largest populations within that industry – gender, age, education level, etc. In most parts of the world, the construction industry is dominated by “more tenured” men of a European background. This is not a bad thing; it is simply a fact.

People who fit within the dominant culture often do not realise how challenging it can be for those who do not, because it is not their lived experience. I was recently in a meeting of construction leaders in the US where a young man shared that he did not see anyone who looked like him at his company, and he also did not appreciate a culture that demanded he prioritise work over his family. He stated he planned to leave the construction industry, and I can relate. Not only was I the second woman hired at FMI, but I also flew over 100,000 miles domestically in 1996 and somehow managed to find time to give birth to my son. That was what was expected of me in our industry at the time given its dominant culture.

The important takeaway for you as leaders is how important it is to take the time to understand the dominant culture, not only of our industry but also of your organisation and teams. What values are the underpinnings of that culture? Do people see others who look like them? What do we do that makes people feel, or not feel, like they belong? Sometimes we inadvertently tell stories that send the wrong signals. I am reminded of a recent incident where a male executive was dining with several female industry leaders and told the story of his upcoming golf trip with current and past male employees of their company. It sent an unintended message. Pausing to think about how conversations and stories build inclusion is important.

Unconscious bias

In an earlier edition of Inside Construction, I wrote an article about “demolishing unconscious bias” in our industry. We all have bias, and it is critical to the efficiency of our brains. As noted social activist Howard Ross said during our Greatness Podcast, you do not want to have to go to your prefrontal cortex to strategise when the car in front of you hits the brakes. You need an immediate action driven by bias, the file folders of your brain, that says “hit the brakes.”

During the time I was writing about this topic in the book, I landed at Reagan Airport in Washington, DC. My shared ride driver asked me, “Busy week?” I responded, “Yes – Kansas City, Chicago, DC, New York; fairly busy.” His next question was, “Oh, are you a flight attendant?” By the way, I was wearing a business suit. I calmly stated that, no, I was a business executive, and asked him, “Do you think you would ask a man that same question?” He admitted he probably would not, or that he would ask him if he were a pilot instead. This is unconscious bias.

As a leader in the construction industry, it is important to explore your own unconscious bias. What assumptions are you subconsciously making about people? How do your actions support equality without prejudgment? These are the questions we must ask ourselves as leaders in the construction industry.

I look forward to sharing more of the insights from my career and the book in future editions of Inside Construction. In the meantime, I encourage you to take time to explore the topics of dominant culture and unconscious bias, as I believe understanding these concepts is critical to our ability to build an inclusive, sustainable construction industry.

Dr Gretchen Gagel, GAICD, is the former chair of Brinkman Construction (US) and a member of the Risk Committee for GHD Engineering, the National Academy of Construction (US), the Construction Industry Culture Taskforce (AUS), and the Associated General Contractor (AGC) of America National Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Gretchen is passionate about leading change in the construction industry and developing our future leaders. You can hear more from Gretchen on her Spotify podcast, “Greatness” and her book, “Building Women Leaders: A Blueprint for Women Thriving in Construction”, is available for pre-order on Amazon. Find out more at gretchengagel.com

The post A story of perseverance: Dr Gretchen Gagel’s path in construction appeared first on Inside Construction.

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