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| Financial: Growing your Business through a Smart Marketing Program
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There’s No Crying in Business
 Roxanne Rivera is author of There’s No Crying in Business: How Women Can Succeed in Male-Dominated Industries. She is also the president and CEO of the Associated Builders and Contractors of New Mexico. She also serves as New Mexico’s liaison to the National Associated Builders and Contractors in Washington, DC. |
Starting a career in the ever volatile construction industry is always a gamble, but starting a construction company in the predominantly white, male, “good ol’ boy’s” network as a Hispanic woman in New Mexico in the ‘80s was an even greater risk. No one told me that I could not succeed in that male-dominated world, so I proceeded to build my business the best way I knew how—by working hard.
Though, it wasn’t easy, ignorance was bliss. I plunged into it not realizing that I would run into overt prejudice and subtle discrimination because I was a woman. I also did not understand all the issues being a woman in a man’s business would raise. I regularly encountered men who resented having a woman as a boss and customers who questioned whether a woman was “tough enough” to work with them.
I learned many lessons along the way, and of course, made some mistakes. One important lesson I learned was that in order to be successful, not only did I have to work harder than my male colleagues, but I also had to work smarter than they did. I also had to work twice as hard to establish credibility and to keep that credibility. I learned that I had to become my own public relations firm and market myself and my abilities. And, contrary to the advice being doled out by the media, I learned that I could be successful working with men and still maintain my femininity.
Women who work in male-dominated companies run into problems or are uncertain about what to do in certain situations precisely because they are women operating in a male culture. What are typical issues that may arise?
• Should I try to prove I am tougher than any guy in order to get ahead?
• What do I do to fit in with my male colleagues? Should I act flirtatious or helpless?
• Is succeeding in a male-dominated business all about game playing?
• What sort of boundaries should I set?
When I started in the construction industry, I wish I would have had a book that told me how to handle these challenges and the others I would encounter as a woman in a male-dominated field. Unfortunately, the books that I did find did not give me the information that I wanted. What I wanted was basic information which would help me navigate this male environment and which could be put to practical, everyday use.
So, since a book like this didn’t exist, I decided to write my own. Having spent 22 years running a construction business, I have experienced a wide range of challenges involving male cultures and problematic male colleagues. Though my experience has been primarily in construction, I also have been involved in politics and engineering, and these bastions of male dominance have yielded additional lessons. To supplement my knowledge, I interviewed a variety of women in a range of male-dominated fields: mining, medicine, science research, the military, academia, politics and other professions. As I interviewed these women, a pattern began to emerge, and my book evolved.
I strongly believe in the value of stories as teaching tools. There is nothing better than hearing a woman tell how she handled a macho colleague or how she confronted a boss who was being unfair to her. Throughout my research for my book, I collected a lot of great stories, and I think they are what truly brings it to life. They are not only entertaining but also instructive.
By Roxanne Rivera
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