Ally Jencson didn’t have a traditional path to construction. She wasn’t born into it. She didn’t follow her family’s footsteps. Instead, she worked up — from window washing to floor finishing — as a mom of four.
It’s a path that would light the way not just for her family, but for thousands of people as her employees and mentees. Today, Jencson is president and CEO of Frontline Floor Coatings and founder of women’s leadership development organization Girder Skirts.
Jencson was a keynote speaker at the recent Women in Construction Summit, hosted by Werk-Brau at its headquarters in Findlay, Ohio. She didn’t mince words on the path she took, a path 160 women in attendance are also following.IRONMARKETS
Jencson was a keynote speaker at the recent Women in Construction Summit, hosted by Werk-Brau at its headquarters in Findlay, Ohio. She didn’t mince words on the path she took, a path 160 women in attendance are also following.
“The work is hard, and the people can be harder, and yet I’m a successful blue-collar woman,” she says, “I’m not done yet.”
Here are five tips for anyone in construction (but especially women) from Jencson’s session, “Constructing a Rebel.”
1. Approach challenges with detached curiosity.
Jencson says the common advice is to focus on the solution, not the issue, “but you can adapt that by bringing a playful approach and having fun in what you’re doing; enjoying the challenge.”
For instance, adding business lines can be an incremental challenge, whether it’s going from resurfacing concrete flooring to installing vinyl to expanding into specialty tile and grout.
When her first foray into ownership led to a “bad business breakup,” Jencson had to start fresh, which meant focusing on the sales pipeline first. “Like applying epoxy coating, running grinders or conducting estimates — it was one more thing I had to figure out in the school of hard knocks.”
2. Take continuous action.
One of the biggest enemies of success is feeling stuck, Jencson said, alluding to times like the end of her business partnership. In construction work, most answers will reveal themselves through doing (including trial and error) — “the same goes for your career trajectory.”
If you’re afraid or unsure of the next step in your career, she suggests thinking of four key areas to help guide you:
- Your unique achievements
- Best qualities about yourself
- What brings you joy
- What helps you feel relaxed (at work, this might be the activities where you feel like you’re in the flow)
With plenty of specialized roles in construction opening up every day, you could find your place in a job title you haven’t even heard of until you search or talk to your leaders about it — roles such as safety engineer, drone surveyor or sustainability officer.
3. Surround yourself with positivity.
Most women in this business experience imposter syndrome. “Bravery is to respect your values, and set boundaries around those values,” says Jencson. That’s especially important for women, who are disproportionately caregivers in their families.
For Jencson, that hit home during the seven months during which she cared for her ailing father out of state while also trying to revive her business and parent teens. This experience felt much like the time construction trades spend in their trucks. If you can’t surround yourself with positive people, “put affirmations on the dashboard and hit the road.”
And with people? Consider yourself the average of the five people you spend the most time with — and adjust accordingly.
“We spend most of our time with guys. It makes me act more masculine, more edgy, more competitive,” Jencson shared. “The National Association of Women in Construction and events like this help me balance that viewpoint.”
4. Focus on your goals.
Being energetic in this business doesn’t mean being hopped up on coffee. “It’s a mindset, where you focus and pick one thing to change at a time.”
Stress hurts energy. The American Institute of Stress reports that more than 80% of U.S. workers suffer daily work stress, and 76% say that stress affects personal relationships. More than half feel disengaged at work because of it. This stress can come from the disconnect between what you want and what you have.
In a room full of people who said they were hoping to get promotions and build better relationships at work, Jencson offered the advice to move beyond wishing and start envisioning what happens after. The outcome — and the feelings it brings with it — are what’s strong enough to carry you through tough days with less stress. Whether it’s the relief of making more money or happiness of work friendships or something else, this is where you focus.
5. Serve from your overflow.
You won’t have overflow if you don’t have time for you. It’s more than just improving your attitude and thinking. Routines are critical to time management.
“I love variety, so having a routine can get boring to me, so I change it up every so often,” Jencson says. “But I view my personal time as just as important as if it were a date with destiny herself. It’s nonnegotiable. I’m not going to cancel it. Later never comes.”
Leverage your skills and network to help build your routine and pay it forward when you have achieved what you want. At the Women in Construction Summit, few people said they feel comfortable networking, but Jencson encouraged them. “It’s like being in a room of sisters. It’s a safe place to practice networking and build that muscle like any other skill.”
