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This article is part of a series of conversations with women leaders in the construction industry. Click here for previous discussions.
Maggie Reed knows a thing or two about team sports.
The business unit leader for Gilbane Building’s Richmond, Virginia officeReed is a former college athlete and avid rugby fan. As a lock, or second row, Reed won a national rugby championship with his alma mater, Penn State, in 2004.
Sports teach you strength, resilience and how to overcome adversity, Reed said. As well as studying architecture, he said rugby taught him some important lessons as he learned to transition into construction.
Here, Reed talks to Construction Dive about what drew her to the field, the lessons she learned transitioning from architecture to construction, and what it means to be a woman in construction.
Editor’s Note: The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Immersion in CONSTRUCTION: What initially attracted you to construction?
MAGGIE REED: I went to architecture school at Penn State. At the time, I was trying to figure out if this was the right fit for me. It’s an amazing program, but tough, and I wasn’t sure it was the right call for me.
Funnily enough, I knocked on the door of a Gilbane construction trailer and asked if they were hiring. Turns out you need a resume, so I came back with a resume and applied again and started as an intern.
I went to a window detail and we talked about what its function was. I learned that if you don’t line up the terrazzo joint with the window joint and the way the light comes through, it feels out of tune.
I had the opportunity to go to different places. It causes a lot of growth and makes you think about how you are building yourself as you build your projects.
What were some of the lessons you learned in the transition from architecture to construction?
My dad didn’t graduate from college, so there’s this very strong emphasis that if you go to college you have to finish. That was very, very established in my family.
Maggie Reed
Permission granted by Gilbane Building
The idea that I was struggling with this that I was leaving so long behind was a very difficult thing. It was a hard feeling to have.
So when I got to a workplace, I felt more comfortable there. I have to be with tangible elements. Even in school, when I have the opportunity to complete a project, or it’s my design, I choose to complete the project. The vision doesn’t have to be mine.
It’s not about architects versus construction. It’s about, what’s the vision, how do we see what’s most important?
When I think of those early mentors, the comments about the terrazzo joint really stand out. The pour wasn’t quite lined up and we had to rip out that terrazzo.
It was an expensive mistake to see as a young person, but it was very important because it really highlighted the fact that we take responsibility and build properly. We do it right.
So if we make a mistake, you have to own it, figure out how you’re going to fix it, and still do it the way we’re going to do it, which we did.
What did rugby teach you about construction?
Rugby taught me a lot about resilience, which I think is very important, and very important in building.
I keep joking about this term, relentless resilience, with my team. It’s the idea that doesn’t just touch a wall. It’s about when you hit the wall, taking a minute and seeing if that’s the right wall, or do we have to get over it, through it, or around it. Therefore, we must overcome the barrier, but we cannot continue to wallow in the same situation. Never make space that way.
What does being a woman in construction mean to you?
It means being resilient.
It means considering that there is a high probability that you will run into some kind of friction, barrier, or disagreement and that you need to figure out what and how to help yourself, but also your team figure out what the next step will be.
People have the opportunity to avoid this difficult conversation, hoping that someone or something will come along and take care of it for you.
Well, you’ve already made a decision by not making a decision. And so what we want to make sure we’re not doing is we’re continually engaging in something, that we’re being more thoughtful, that we’re considering what it is that we’re trying to do, and then we’re giving our teams space to make those decisions while we’re supporting them.
It’s very easy to be a Monday morning quarterback and sit back and say, “I wouldn’t have written that email that way.”
But that doesn’t help anyone. If there’s a reason it’s not good, let’s coach them through it. Let’s talk about why they wrote it that way. We find out what the thought process and messages they were working with and then teach them.
I think, being a woman, these kinds of things that you know are going to happen, because there are still a lot of barriers, they are going to happen. So recognize it and then find your way around it, through it, over it.
