The myth: Site leadership requires a certain toughness, command-and-control style. Women’s collaborative approach is too soft for construction. BUSTED: Effective leadership is not about dominance. It’s about getting the best work from people. Women excel at this. The industry is finally noticing and there are several prominent women leading major construction industry associations and builders.

Yesterday I got a call from a friend who had a painter on the job and no colour plan for her house. Yikes. She was in a panic and that's not what the painter needed at the time. Thankfully there are alot of online tools thesedays that can help with minimal input. So we started. The options for fences (I thought she was talking the back fence and wall) were Colorbond colours and I thought from experience that Woodland Grey was going to compliment her new polished floors and the look she's trying to get with some sage outdoor pieces. Only to be lost in translation and the painter painted the front picket fence in Woodland Gray. Oops. This is where a full colour schedule would be a good starting point before the start. Next step to complete that with a series of colours that will tie in tonally and then he can move onto the front door and step through to the back yard.

This myth is also a misnomer. It can be a success factor given recent research published in Construction Management and Economics (2024-2025) showing emotional intelligence (EI) is directly correlated with project success. Projects led by emotionally intelligent managers have higher completion rates, better team cohesion, and fewer conflicts.

This makes me laugh out loud given it's outdated for 2026. The reality is that modern tools, machinery, and equipment design have fundamentally shifted what the job requires. Success in these fields relies more on skill, precision, and knowledge rather than sheer strength.

Communication styles are different cross industries genders and experience. I definitely thought that I'd be heard and respected as a builder if I spoke like a bloke. WRONG. Ive found that faking it is like you are being defensive...that breeds mistrust. On the flip side, when someone shows up authentically (even if that includes asking clarifying questions or admitting uncertainty), they trigger higher trust responses. The brain reads authenticity as confidence. On a building site, this means: A woman who shows up as herself—curious, direct, collaborative—will be trusted MORE than a woman who's forcing a "tough bloke" voice. Do you have an experience of being authentic or playing a cool one of the boys roles?