As a nationally recognized 女性-owned business and the largest 女性-owned project management firm in the Mid-Atlantic region, 我们在KGO的团队在整个工作场所都重视多样性. To help spread these values to individuals and companies within our area, 我们决定成为银杯赞助商 妇女建筑业会议.
The annual conference was held in DC on October 22, which marked the 15th 大会周年纪念. 以“由女人”为座右铭, 对女性”, 会议致力于提供教育, 专业发展, and networking opportunities 为 女性 throughout the entire construction and build industry. This conference holds great importance to KGO and several of our team members, 艾米DiPietro(bet5365首页经理)和AmyJo Aikele(变更经理), 谁能参加今年的活动 人. This marked Amy’s fourth year attending the Women in Construction Conferences, 而这是AmyJo的第一次.
作为一个新的与会者, 我们想采访AmyJo并分享她的经历, 包括关于会议的信息, 她从小组成员那里得到的关键信息, 以及为什么她会向其他人推荐这次会议.
These 女性 that I met, no one was there just to serve their own selfish desires. Everyone was telling me ‘What are you interested in, tell me how I can help you’. 在2021年，这种情况很少见，对吧?
会议的经验
The conference was organized into panels of people and different discussions, 这就提出了广泛的话题. Examples of the different topics discussed and what AmyJo thought of each one follows:
1. 妇女在实地面临的挑战和机遇
在整个小组, 女性 shared their stories about situations they have faced throughout the industry. AmyJo could connect things that happened within her own career with what the panelists were speaking to, 给她一种社区意识. 如果有一件事需要记住——那就是你并不孤单.
2. 群体思维
在这次会议之前，AmyJo从未听说过群体思维. 根据韦氏词典, 群体思维是“一种以自我欺骗为特征的思维模式”, 强制制造同意, 与群体价值观和道德接轨". WIC talked about the dangers of groupthink, and the effect that it can have on a company. If no one in a group spoke up about the possible negative outcomes of a given idea and instead went along with what the rest of the group wanted, 从长远来看，企业可能会做出错误的决定. 尽管AmyJo之前从未听说过这个词, 她很快就在业内找到了联系.
3. 妇女建设-三一学院建设
This panel discussed the construction of Trinity College, which was completely done by 女性. According to AmyJo, “not only was the whole board on the college 女性, 工作的建筑师是 一个女人, 当时的施工经理是 a 女人, 当时的工程师是 一个女人, everybody was 女性 from design to build – it was all 女性.” 这个故事赋予了AmyJo力量, 谁解释说只要你看到一个女人成功, 你也经常看到男人. 看到 女性 承担整个施工过程 作为一个整体 对于女性来说，听起来很有感情和鼓舞人心.
4. 倦怠
AmyJo believes that everyone always talks about 倦怠 and flexibility when it comes to your job and career, 但 it can still be hard to implement those conversations into daily life. What AmyJo found interesting is that one of the panelists recognized that she is not where she wants to be with 实现 倦怠她还有很长的路要走. Hearing that even the most powerful 女性 are struggling with 倦怠, made AmyJo feel more at ease within her own progress towards a better balance. 小组成员的开放和诚实的对话 被证明是一种鼓舞 为 与会者.
AmyJo的评论
“These 经验s that you have as a woman in the industry – you’re not alone”
“You don’t have to know everything; you just have to know who to go to”
“你的声音很重要——不要觉得你必须隐藏这一点。”
“我们需要认清自己的(倦怠)状态。”
为什么AmyJo向其他人推荐这种会议体验
AmyJo相信任何人都能从这次会议中受益, 只要他们对学习保持开放的心态. “You can easily go into it and not learn anything if you’re closed off,” AmyJo states. While there is a lot to soak up at the Women in Construction Conference, 你只拿你愿意接受的东西. By listening to the panelists and being receptive to their new ideas, anyone who comes to the conference will walk away with either a new set of knowledge or a new source of motivation – regardless of gender or career path.
这种会议的另一个好处是, 根据AmyJo, 是无尽的社交机会. While this specific conference is geared towards the construction industry, AmyJo was surprised at the diversity of people she connected with while attending. While AmyJo originally perceived construction as “hammer and nails” type of work, she was pleasantly surprised to see a number of construction attorneys in attendance. Many of the panelists’ backgrounds were not originally in the Construction Industry. Because of this diversity, there is a great opportunity to build your network at this conference. AmyJo encourages everyone to “network with people not just 为 yourself, 但 为 them. 有人可以向你学习，你也可以向他们学习.” There are plenty of people attending these conferences who are willing to help you out in any way that they can, 而且你还可以带来很多东西.
The last recommendation that AmyJo wants to give is to “take time to break from your day-to-day life to open your mind and learn from others. Exercise your mind a bit and make sure that you’re learning and growing”. We all understand that it can be difficult to step out of the routine hustle and bustle within your job, however the benefits that an educational and inspirational conference like this one can give you will outweigh and hold a higher importance than the hours you would spend behind your desk.