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INDUSTRY EVENTS Open Forum GC when there is a problem and you are both afraid that you're going to miss a date. You want to work together to accomplish the goal at hand. That's where the respect comes from. Keingstein: You have to learn how to deal with people on their level or with their personality. I think women are better at knowing how to change from one mode to the next rather quickly. We know how to play the mother role. Manning: There is a lot to the networking game, too. For example, we don't play a lot of golf. And that can become an issue in a male- dominated industry. With banking, it's not so much a male-dominated industry. There are many senior executive women in the ranks. Sometimes, there tends to be a networking issue when the men say they are going to get a game [of golf] going. There's an exclusion that can happen. They may invite you; they may not invite you. But it's very easy for them to bond or connect at a level that's more diffi- cult for a woman to break through. We're wives and mothers. I don't go out drinking with the boys. So that's a little different playing field for women. Berry: I just finished a book that talks about "girl power." It talks about networking for women and networking for men. It says that you shouldn't underestimate the female network. It's a different net- work, but it's most likely a broader network. For example, you can build your network through your children, finding other professionals who are mothers and who have kids. You've got a network there, but you don't tap it on a professional level. You don't really realize it because it's on a social level or through your chil- dren. So while golf is important, understanding what network you have can get you just as far. CCR: When did you feel like you had this all figured out – you could do this? Askew: I think the epiphany for me was when I became a subject matter expert for our department in writing PIPs. It really helped me feel like I knew what I was talking about. Kelley: It's about reputation. All of a sudden you have a reputation for knowing what you know and people realize that. People start calling you and wanting more. Ann Terrill, TerCon Construction: When I was at Wal-mart, where I worked as a sen- You have to learn how to deal with people on their level or with their personality. I think women are better at knowing how to change from one mode to the next rather quickly. — Kerri Keingstein, Boss Facility Services ior construction manager before I broke out on my own, I actually had a group of peers. There were 46 construction managers at Wal- mart in the new store construction arena. We created a construction managers focus group. We had It's about reputation. All of a sudden you have a reputation for knowing what you know and people realize that. People start calling you and wanting more. — Diane Kelley, The Multnomah Athletic Club 64 Commercial Construction & Renovation September/October 2012