Today we’d like to introduce you to Barb Allen.
Hi Barb, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After receiving my bachelor’s degree in construction management from the University of Central Missouri, I was the first female JE Dunn Construction hired out of college to train to become a job site superintendent, which was my dream job. Traditionally, superintendents come from the career ladder of carpenters. Since JE Dunn is a signatory with the Carpenters Union in Kansas City, I was placed into the Carpenters’ Apprenticeship Program. I wore my carpenter bags and learned to build buildings and relationships physically, as well as a successful career as a woman in construction. I worked my way up to Foreperson, Assistant Superintendent, and Superintendent before transitioning to other companies and roles that included Project Executive and Operations Director. In 2022, I stepped away from physically building buildings to start Levocity. Levocity is a Speaking + Consulting business challenging gender norms and biases to increase recruitment & retention within the construction industry.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Women make up less than 14% of all people working within the construction industry and less than 4% of people working in the construction trades. It was not the most welcoming industry for me to succeed in at that time, and I faced many challenges as I climbed the ladder to leadership. Unconscious biases were the most significant hurdles, but I didn’t know what unconscious bias was back then. I also faced blatant sexism, bullying, and harassment on numerous occasions. Still, I was fortunate to feel supported by many around and above me, even if, at times, they didn’t know how to show or model that support effectively.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
It is the culmination of my challenges, the success I realized, and the lessons I learned that positioned me to be a thought leader on gender-specific struggles within male-dominated industries. I can relate to audiences and clients in a way that leverages their curiosity (Levocity = leveraging curiosity) and opens their minds to being educated on the little things that can bring about impactful change for the industry and the women in it. The construction industry is facing a gross employment shortage, which can be significantly reduced if industry leaders recognize what women bring to positions, teams, and companies and actively work to attract women to our industry. But if we successfully bring women in, we also must effectively develop, train, and promote to retain them. Through Levocity, I offer keynotes, training, workshops, and consulting to organizations that recognize the benefits of gender diversity but are struggling to achieve it successfully.
Regarding consulting, I have recognized 3 primary types of organizations related to gender diversity. Those who struggle to attract women to their organization. Those who successfully attract but struggle to develop those women into leadership roles. And those who have women in leadership roles but need to provide them with the appropriate support to solidify their success. I provide consulting to all three. The last type, however, is the one that surprised me the most when I encountered it during my climb. I thought it would get easier when I reached the top, but instead, I found the opposite to be true. As women in such a heavily male-dominated industry, we are conditioned to modify our personality traits to be successful during our climb, but once we reach the top, that conditioning becomes a double-edged sword. What gets us to the top becomes our handicap. Many women at the top get labeled difficult and hard to work with. Since other organizational leaders cannot relate, they must prepare to navigate those complaints and situations effectively. This is just one way I provide support.
My presentations, trainings, and workshops are designed for emerging leaders, team leaders, and executive teams. We focus on identifying, overcoming, and eliminating the four primary struggles women face as they climb the ladder to leadership. I relate these four challenges to missing, broken, slippery, and sticky rungs. Each of the offerings aims to educate, motivate, and inspire attendees to work together to build OneLadder™ to leadership that provides a safe and equitable climb for all.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
- Favorite Books: WE: Men, Women, and the Decisive Formula for Winning at Work by Rania Anderson, When Women Lead by Julia Boorstin
- My favorite podcast is my own, of course! “Constructive Behaviors”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://
constructionbarb.com/ - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/ constructionbarb/ - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/LevocityForChange - Linkedin: https://www.
linkedin.com/in/barbarakallen/ - Youtube: https://www.youtube.
com/@ConstructiveBehaviors - Other: https://podcasts.
helloaudio.fm/playlistPlayer? feedId=23e67f03-f514-473b- 9182-b875837037f7&code= G5wU6Zqd0j&fullFeed=true)
Image Credits
Adri Guyer
