11-28-2016
When Women Lead: An Evening of Candid Conversation
"When Women Lead" Roundtable Participants (pictured from left to right): Susannah Zweighaft, Ann Rolland, Victoria Ponce de Leon, Suzanne Castellano, Heidi Blau, and Gail Beltrone
"If we are strong in what we believe, and are clear in terms of our expectations, and we do it with courtesy and grace and collaboration and respect, then what part of leadership are we [women] lacking?"
- Gail Beltrone, VP for Campus Services, Barnard College
FXFOWLE hosted "When Women Lead," a roundtable discussion presented by Women of FXFOWLE, whose mission is to support professional growth and leadership development for women. The discussion focused on the topic of women in leadership within the context of the Barnard Hall Swing Space Project (known as the LeFrak Center), a project notable for its prevalence of women in leadership positions. The panelists represented the Architect, Client, Contractor, Structural Engineer, and Lighting Designer, with each stressing the idea that these conversations—in which we share knowledge, experience, and workplace strategies—are one of the most important ways that we can make progress toward a more diverse field.
Heidi Blau, Partner at FXFOWLE, shared: "If the election has taught us anything it is that everyone must use their voice to express their opinion and their vision for the future. It is no longer sufficient to sit on the sidelines and wait to be invited to participate. So how do we achieve active integration of multiple viewpoints? I think it starts with acknowledging the magnitude of the issue and getting support at all levels for change. Because even if we can address the overt barriers to advancement, we need to be able to address the ones that occur supported by perception and not reality."
Defining Leadership
The team garnered a reputation among colleagues both for their collaborative and respectful working relationships, and for how they were able to produce the project (which included significant time and financial limitations) to exceed design expectations and remain on schedule and on budget. One of the main takeaways was that good leadership is based on trust, respect, collaboration, and confidence, and regardless of gender, a good leader fosters personal improvement and responsibility in his or her team. "Leadership doesn't have to be one person saying 'This is how it must be' and everyone following behind," said Beltrone. "If you're working with people you trust and respect, ... you're really working to try and find the answers. The leadership is by giving the feedback and knowing that the team is working together to get to the same goals."
Gustavo Rodriguez, Principal at FXFOWLE, asked about strategies to create an inclusive environment and encourage participation, and responses ranged from directly asking people their opinion, to having each team member present as part of an established agenda. Following the roundtable, Rodriguez put the advice into action: "The next day we had a team meeting with a senior partner and I took advantage of the moment ... Everyone participated and I was so happy to see how well they clearly presented the project and their ideas ... This will be my meeting format from now on."
Blau touched upon the intrinsically team-based nature of high-quality architectural work, which guides her role as Partner. "One of the traits that they talk about for women in leadership is about transformational as opposed to transactional skills. From my perspective, that's what I enjoy about the work that I do. It's about transforming spaces, ... but it's also about transforming the team that works on the project, allowing and empowering people to take on as much responsibility as they can. ... It's creating that kind of place for people to grow and to be mentored."
Achieving Progress
In examining their own careers, the six leaders looked toward the future of diversity within the building professions. For Ann Rolland, Principal at FXFOWLE, the next step is to encourage the employment of women in the building trades as well as within the professional teams: "For me, it's about creating a platform and a pathway for others to be successful. It's just that simple." For Blau, "As a senior woman in the office, I feel like half of my goal is to do my job really well and half of my goal is to find someone who will do my job in 10 years. So it's finding and mentoring the younger folks to be able to do and lead when I'm not here."
Progress is a multi-pronged pathway: it is a system of mentorship and sponsorship, open dialogue among ourselves and our peer offices to collectively implement change, and moving away from the myth of the architect as a lone visionary toward proper attribution of ideas to the team of authors. The goal of the future is to achieve progress by benefiting from the diversity of knowledge, experience, and creativity that each gender brings to the workplace.
Special thanks to the roundtable participants:
Gail Beltrone, VP for Campus Services, Barnard College
Heidi Blau, Partner, FXFOWLE
Suzanne Castellano, Project Executive, Turner Construction
Victoria Ponce de Leon, Associate, Silman
Ann Rolland, Principal, FXFOWLE
Susannah Zweighaft, Partner, AKF Group
Additional thanks to Catherine Joseph for moderating, and to RJ Panda (Project Manager, Lehrer) and Cristina Rodriguez for their introductions.
- Gail Beltrone, VP for Campus Services, Barnard College
FXFOWLE hosted "When Women Lead," a roundtable discussion presented by Women of FXFOWLE, whose mission is to support professional growth and leadership development for women. The discussion focused on the topic of women in leadership within the context of the Barnard Hall Swing Space Project (known as the LeFrak Center), a project notable for its prevalence of women in leadership positions. The panelists represented the Architect, Client, Contractor, Structural Engineer, and Lighting Designer, with each stressing the idea that these conversations—in which we share knowledge, experience, and workplace strategies—are one of the most important ways that we can make progress toward a more diverse field.
Heidi Blau, Partner at FXFOWLE, shared: "If the election has taught us anything it is that everyone must use their voice to express their opinion and their vision for the future. It is no longer sufficient to sit on the sidelines and wait to be invited to participate. So how do we achieve active integration of multiple viewpoints? I think it starts with acknowledging the magnitude of the issue and getting support at all levels for change. Because even if we can address the overt barriers to advancement, we need to be able to address the ones that occur supported by perception and not reality."
Defining Leadership
The team garnered a reputation among colleagues both for their collaborative and respectful working relationships, and for how they were able to produce the project (which included significant time and financial limitations) to exceed design expectations and remain on schedule and on budget. One of the main takeaways was that good leadership is based on trust, respect, collaboration, and confidence, and regardless of gender, a good leader fosters personal improvement and responsibility in his or her team. "Leadership doesn't have to be one person saying 'This is how it must be' and everyone following behind," said Beltrone. "If you're working with people you trust and respect, ... you're really working to try and find the answers. The leadership is by giving the feedback and knowing that the team is working together to get to the same goals."
Gustavo Rodriguez, Principal at FXFOWLE, asked about strategies to create an inclusive environment and encourage participation, and responses ranged from directly asking people their opinion, to having each team member present as part of an established agenda. Following the roundtable, Rodriguez put the advice into action: "The next day we had a team meeting with a senior partner and I took advantage of the moment ... Everyone participated and I was so happy to see how well they clearly presented the project and their ideas ... This will be my meeting format from now on."
Blau touched upon the intrinsically team-based nature of high-quality architectural work, which guides her role as Partner. "One of the traits that they talk about for women in leadership is about transformational as opposed to transactional skills. From my perspective, that's what I enjoy about the work that I do. It's about transforming spaces, ... but it's also about transforming the team that works on the project, allowing and empowering people to take on as much responsibility as they can. ... It's creating that kind of place for people to grow and to be mentored."
Achieving Progress
In examining their own careers, the six leaders looked toward the future of diversity within the building professions. For Ann Rolland, Principal at FXFOWLE, the next step is to encourage the employment of women in the building trades as well as within the professional teams: "For me, it's about creating a platform and a pathway for others to be successful. It's just that simple." For Blau, "As a senior woman in the office, I feel like half of my goal is to do my job really well and half of my goal is to find someone who will do my job in 10 years. So it's finding and mentoring the younger folks to be able to do and lead when I'm not here."
Progress is a multi-pronged pathway: it is a system of mentorship and sponsorship, open dialogue among ourselves and our peer offices to collectively implement change, and moving away from the myth of the architect as a lone visionary toward proper attribution of ideas to the team of authors. The goal of the future is to achieve progress by benefiting from the diversity of knowledge, experience, and creativity that each gender brings to the workplace.
Special thanks to the roundtable participants:
Gail Beltrone, VP for Campus Services, Barnard College
Heidi Blau, Partner, FXFOWLE
Suzanne Castellano, Project Executive, Turner Construction
Victoria Ponce de Leon, Associate, Silman
Ann Rolland, Principal, FXFOWLE
Susannah Zweighaft, Partner, AKF Group
Additional thanks to Catherine Joseph for moderating, and to RJ Panda (Project Manager, Lehrer) and Cristina Rodriguez for their introductions.
