A site superintendent\u00a0dismisses a decision\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0made,\u00a0and\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0just spent the next three days processing how that happened instead of making the next decision.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A\u00a0bid review\u00a0takes place\u00a0where your cost analysis gets\u00a0questioned and instead of responding with the data,\u00a0you felt\u00a0the need to defend yourself as a person.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A project gets credited to a male colleague and in that very\u00a0moment you say nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These are real-life\u00a0examples\u00a0Leslie Dibling, director of organizational development at AMC Services<\/a>, and\u202fAgnes Watkinson, founder of AMC Services,\u00a0shared during their keynote address at the recent\u00a02026 Women in Construction\u202fGala<\/a>\u00a0hosted by the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA).\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBeing in construction was\u00a0really about\u00a0understanding the difference between church and state. Really understanding where people come from and how they support each other in the industry,\u201d Dibling said, adding the conversation has moved passed getting women at the\u00a0table. \u201cYou\u2019re here because you belong here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0conversational\u00a0keynote\u00a0discussion\u00a0was meant to educate and provide tangible tools\u00a0to both help and encourage\u00a0women in\u00a0construction\u00a0to negotiate their value.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0question\u00a0both women posed was if the women in the room, and beyond, are negotiating like they have power.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re at the table you have power, it\u2019s what do you with it,\u201d explained Watkinson, who has over a decade worth of experience in the industry.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The speakers mentioned employees\u00a0can spend two hours and 26 minutes per day in drama and \u201cemotional waste.\u201d\u00a0 A large reason behind this is ego.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEgo is the need to be seen as right, whether you\u2019re\u00a0male or female,\u201d explained Dibling, a\u00a019-year construction veteran who worked her way through\u00a0nearly every\u00a0position, starting as a labourer.\u00a0\u201cStop believing everything you think. We can tell ourselves a really\u00a0good story.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYour ego is not your amigo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Removing your ego from situations and moving through them with data can often bring a more positive result.\u00a0<\/p>\n This can be rooted in the SBAR\u00a0methodology\u00a0\u2013 Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommend.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n This helps decipher what is happening with facts, not drama; the context the listener needs;\u00a0evaluating what\u00a0the risks\u00a0are; and what you propose.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFeelings are not negotiating currency,\u201d\u00a0advised\u00a0Watkinson.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a way to present them\u00a0(the facts)\u00a0in a way that benefits the organization.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Dibling added,\u00a0\u201cdon\u2019t\u00a0ever come to a situation without a solution.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Another angle the\u00a0speakers\u00a0highlighted pertained to a concept known as\u00a0the\u00a0Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement\u00a0(BATNA), which starts by defining what your \u201cfloor\u201d is.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhere can I not go below?\u00a0I\u00a0have to\u00a0stick to these guns,\u201d explained Watkinson, adding you strengthen your position by documenting your wins, being organized and then assessing the other person.\u00a0\u201cWhat don\u2019t they have? What do they need? Can I provide a solution\u00a0for\u00a0that?\u00a0You\u2019re\u00a0assessing their situation\u00a0so you understand how you can move around them in this\u00a0particular\u00a0negotiation\u00a0series.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Once you have\u00a0established\u00a0your floor,\u00a0she said,\u00a0\u201cAim higher.\u00a0You\u2019re\u00a0going to aim for the best.\u00a0You\u2019re\u00a0going to be flexible.\u00a0You\u2019re\u00a0not going to win the war, but you might win that battle.\u00a0Then the next time you negotiate, your floor has moved up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Both Dibling and Watkinson\u00a0stated\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0critically\u00a0important\u00a0for women\u00a0to\u00a0negotiate\u00a0as\u00a0defined by\u00a0their\u00a0current\u00a0role\u00a0or\u00a0responsibilities\u00a0and\u00a0not\u00a0their gender.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe industry\u2019s future is being built by people who are already here and that is you.\u201d\u00a0Dibling explained.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re negotiating for generations to come,\u201d added Watkinson.\u00a0\u201cKeep at it, keep the pressure on.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0how we raise that ceiling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n OGCA president\u00a0Giovanni Cautillo kicked off this year\u2019s gala with a simple message before he introduced Alexia\u00a0MacLeod, who will become the association\u2019s first female chair<\/a> in September.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re always pushing the envelope,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re always trying ensure we are part of the solution,\u00a0welcoming women, so that at one point in time we want to see 50\/50 (representation).\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n MacLeod, who is a\u00a0co-owner and president of Somerville\u202fConstruction,\u00a0not only introduced the keynote\u00a0speakers,\u00a0she\u00a0also announced three winners for the\u00a0inaugural\u00a0OGCA\u00a0Women in Construction Awards.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOver the years I have watched this industry evolve into something far greater\u00a0and more inclusive, but what inspires me most\u00a0is just how much the industry has changed,\u201d she told the audience.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0the people within it. I have seen barriers break down.\u00a0I have watched more diverse voices step into leadership.\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0witnessed\u00a0younger\u00a0generations\u00a0bring fresh ideas,\u00a0while seasoned\u00a0professionals continue passing down invaluable knowledge and information. The industry has read the\u00a0room so to speak.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n This year\u2019s winners\u00a0included:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe women in this industry are fierce,\u201d added MacLeod. \u201cAnd the most\u00a0exciting\u00a0part is we\u2019re still evolving.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n [ad_2] [ad_1] A site superintendent\u00a0dismisses a decision\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0made,\u00a0and\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0just spent the next three days processing how that happened instead of making the next … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1037],"tags":[357,295],"class_list":["post-35567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-commercial-news","tag-blog","tag-technology","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35567\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"OGCA](\"https:\/\/cc-production-uploads-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/OGCA-presidentweb.png\")
\u201cThey are not solving a problem. They\u00a0are processing their grievances, their\u00a0frustrations\u00a0and rerunning conversations in their head,\u201d said Watkinson.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/cc-production-uploads-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AWARD-ONEweb.png\")
A historic gala\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n
![\"Nicole](\"https:\/\/cc-production-uploads-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AWARD-TWOweb.png\")
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This article was originally posted at Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"