Greatness Podcast Gretchen Gagel

Are you viewed as a "doer" or a "strategic thinker"? Being a "doer", someone that is capable of executing with excellence, is important. Adding the ability to think strategically, being viewed as a strategic thinker by those around you, is also critical in most contexts. I loved having Brenda Steinberg, leadership consultant and executive coach, on the Greatness Podcast to discuss how we can not only sharpen our strategic thinking skills, but also ensure that we are communicating with others in a way that helps them understand our strategic capabilities. As a gifted coach, Brenda also shares her thoughts on being coached effectively - how to be in the right mindset and how to be open to experimentation.

Have you ever felt betrayed? Maybe something happens with a colleague at work? Or in a personal relationship? I feel so fortunate to have met Dr. Beth Hedva, author of Betrayal, Trust, and Forgiveness, who joined the Greatness Podcast to share her wisdom on the topic. Beth talks about how we shift from "why did this happen to me?" to "how can I grow from this experience?" and shares her TRUST model for moving from feelings of betrayal to an ability to trust again. Beth's insights are remarkable.

My good friend Suzanne Arkel is a remarkable woman who has devoted her 25 year career to driving inclusivity in large construction programs. I asked Suzanne, who identifies as African American, to rate the inclusivity of the construction industry on a scale of 1 (low) to 4 (high), and I appreciate her answer - "It's a two-and-a-half . . . if there were no specification or contractual requirements, it would be a zero . . . ". Suzanne shares her insights on how we can all help small business and underrepresented communities thrive in our industry. 

I have a deep appreciation for people who immigrate from one country to another. I've learned, it's hard! I can't imagine doing it as a 17-year-old who doesn't speak the language. Laura Miranda joined the Greatness Podcast to share her journey from Columbia to Australia and how that led her to a two-year technical degree and to co-founding the podcast called "You Don't Look Like an Engineer". I am always grateful for the opportunity to meet people like Laura who step up as leaders to improve our industry. Laura's story is remarkable, wise beyond her years with incredible insights to share with us. I also encourage you to listen to Laura and her co-founder Sohan Roopra on their podcast as they share remarkable stories that help us understand diversity, equity, and inclusion in the construction industry. 

Women lifting up other women in the construction industry is critical to our efforts to be a more inclusive industry. As part of my journey of making new construction industry friends in Kansas City I met the amazing Erica Jones, Vice President of MMC Corporation and Founder of On The Rise. This incredible program elevates women in the construction industry during a half-day workshop. Erica is a wonderful example of someone who beyond leading marketing for a $1.2 billion company also steps up as a volunteer to lead change in our industry. Erica joined the Greatness Podcast to share many examples of how to support the success of women and minorities, intentionally, in our industry; and also shares her success in building the marketing team for MMC as the organization grew from $300 million to their current size. Her advice to women - be advocates for other women, lift women up, be a mentor, pay it forward. Let's embrace that we bring different things to the table - it makes every organization better.

I strongly encourage those of you in the construction industry (all genders) to join myself and five other amazing construction industry podcasters for the free inaugural Women in Construction Week Audio Summit 2024!

Join creator Barb Allen and myself for a preview of the Audio Summit on the Greatness podcast and sign up here - https://constructionbarb.ck.page/8c2e8cf8f1. I'll be talking about unconscious bias, a favorite topic.