Women in Construction Week 2026: Building Credibility on the Jobsite (With or Without the Title)
Women in Construction Week is March 1–7, which is always an exciting time for the Kahua Trailblazers, Kahua’s Women in Construction Technology group!
To advance the conversation about women succeeding in construction and technology and mark the week, we spoke with Dr. Gretchen Gagel, Founder and CEO of the International Institute for Women in Construction. Gagel was joined by Sara Pope, Kahua’s Senior Director of Enablement.
At the beginning of her career, at age 27, Dr. Gagel was tasked with turning around a failing baby food plant with 800 employees, in 12 months.
“I didn't know how to fix things,” Gagel said, “but I knew I had 800 employees who did know how to fix things. And if I just walk the plant every day and listen to their ideas and built trust so that they would give me ideas over time. And we did turn that company around.”
Are you a women in construction tech? Join our Trailblazers group on LinkedIn!
Leadership is influence, not a title
One of the most useful reminders from the conversation is that leadership does not require formal authority. “Leadership is not about a title,” Gagel said. “Leadership is about an ability to influence.
“Leadership is not about a title. Leadership is about an ability to influence.”
Often, leadership may not be about direct reports or impressive titles. Effective leadership may be lateral:
- Coordinating across owners, designers, contractors, subs
- Getting alignment on schedule, scope, cost, and risk
- Introducing new tools and workflows without slowing the job down
If you are early in your career, or you’re leading from the middle of the org chart, this is good news: Influence is a skill you can build.
Watch or listen to the interview on Kahua's Built Different podcast!
4 ways women can establish themselves and be seen as a leader
1.) Invest in relationships before you need them
So how can women leaders build credibility fast, Pope asked. Gagel had a ready answer: knowledge, relationships, and backing yourself.
- Learn the work before you “improve” the work
- Ask the people closest to the field what’s breaking
- Turn what you hear into visible fixes
Mentors and sponsors are a major factor in career growth for women in construction.
Start by picking one relationship each week to strengthen, Gagel says. She suggests starting with a superintendent, project manager, project controls lead, or owner rep in your network.
Make the outreach about them, not what you need.
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Ask for 15 minutes with a clear, low-effort prompt.
“I’m trying to understand what’s hardest right now. What’s the one thing that keeps causing rework or slowing decisions?”
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Listen for their “big rocks,” then reflect them back.
“So your biggest headache is late approvals and version confusion. If we could tighten that handoff, it would save you time.”
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Offer one useful thing, even if it’s small.
Share a template, clarify who owns a decision, surface a risk earlier, or connect them with someone who can unblock an issue.
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Close the loop the same week.
If they name a pain point, come back with what you did or what you learned. Reliability is what turns a quick chat into trust.
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Keep it consistent, not transactional.
Mentors and sponsors usually emerge from repeated, credible interactions over time. The goal is not “networking.” It’s building a track record where people know you listen, follow through, and make their work easier.
2.) Stay the course so people believe the change is real
Construction is unforgiving, but change is personal. And resistance to change often comes from something basic: fear.
Gagel uses the analogy of a boat: Some people are eager to jump in, some keep one foot on the dock, and a few will never come along.
Instead of pushing harder, female leaders should focus on that middle group, the “one foot in, one foot out” group, where change either succeeds or stalls.
If you give wavering signals, people may believe that the change is optional.
It’s not.
“When you’re implementing change, you have to stay the course. If you start waffling, people are going to doubt the role, thinking, Maybe we’re not serious about this change.”
3. ) Use quick wins to help others build confidence
Gagel connects early wins to the fear of not being able to do it. When someone can try the new tool in a small, safe way and see it work, it turns the change from a threat into a skill they can repeat.
Early wins should be simple and visible; for example:
- Reduce a manual handoff point
- Standardize a form
- Automate a notification
- Clarify a set of responsibilities with a RACI matrix
4.) Lead with empathy, rather than labeling people “stubborn”
People feel vulnerable in the gap between old and new, and people in new or uncertain situations may feel protective.
Leaders need to resist the temptation to dismiss that reaction.
“Fear is a natural protective emotion that our brains have. And I think the more that leaders can have empathy for that. They may think, Well, they’re just being stubborn… but how we talk people through that, and how we engage?”
The question that lands hardest during Women in Construction Week is the one Pope saved for last: what misconception about women leading in construction should we retire?
“I wore blue blazers. I smoked cigars when I played golf. I drank whiskey. I mean, I did everything the guys did.”
Gagel has since learned that women don’t need a dominant style to lead. The industry needs more room for different voices and different leadership approaches.
Women in Construction Week is a celebration, as well as a chance to build a healthier industry for everyone.
Watch the full episode with Gagel and Kahua's own Sara Pope on Season 2, Episode 1 of the Built Different podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts!
Season 2, Episode 1: Women Driving Change in Construction Technology
