All the women on the panel emphasized the unique sensibility that women bring to the workplace, and encouraged female designers to bring their entire selves to the workplace, especially now when the concept of the workplace has shifted and become more flexible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you can\u2019t show up as your best self, you can\u2019t be your best self to everyone else,\u201d said Cindy Kaufman, director of hospitality at ShawContract Hospitality.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n To bring your best self, all the panelists agreed that you can\u2019t ignore your personal life and its various demands (such as motherhood, caregiving, etc). That is, of course, a larger social shift, but Marriott International\u2019<\/a>s Dionne Jefferson encouraged women designers to ask and negotiate upfront for what they need (be it a flexible schedule or more work from home days, for example) without apology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On a daily basis, Anita Summers, principal of The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry, said her daily list is a combination of work and personal tasks, which might seem counterintuitive but actually allows her to perform her job at a higher level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve got my daily list and that might be going to the pediatrician or it might be work-related; it\u2019s always a blur,\u201d she said. \u201cI can\u2019t focus on work unless I know I\u2019ve got my home life organized.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The reality is, Deary<\/a> said, \u201cif you love what you do and you\u2019re always growing and designing, there is no work-life balance.\u201d Rather, a trip to a museum might serve as inspiration for a design project, or a new idea might pop up during a long drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding that not only on a personal level, but also as a leader and colleague, is what the panelists believed will help lead that societal shift. For example, during the hiring process, Melissa Haft, head of environments design at Overmoon, stressed that employers should see a gap on a resume that’s due to child rearing or taking care of an elderly parent as a strength and a contribution to society\u2014not a weakness.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a leader, the days of \u201ccontrol and command as leaders is done,\u201d Summers said. The team members of today react better to a more personal, sometimes vulnerable, way of guidance and mentorship. Deary spent the past six months participating in an emotional intelligence for executives program, which she called the best class she\u2019s ever taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s an unselfish way of thinking,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat I’m seeing is that women bring that quality to the office and it is changing the way our studios, even the way our clients, work. They\u2019re very open to that vulnerability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s extended to the concept of mentorship, as well, which has undergone a rebrand. In today\u2019s connected world, mentorship can come from anywhere and everywhere\u2014as it should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA mentor could be an interaction that happens every six months who will tell you the honest truth and will give you advice. That\u2019s mentorship,\u201d Jefferson said. \u201cIt\u2019s networking to the next level, having a board of people you can reach out to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a changing workforce, female designers push for increased opportunities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":9035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,37],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kevinbarry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Will-Pryce-CF117044-FL.jpg\")
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\n\n\n\nFor more on inspiring women in design, check out KBAA’s roundup of women artists<\/a>, get to know KBAA president Allison Barry<\/a>, and see how the KBAA interspersed female empowerment at the C. Baldwin Hotel in Houston<\/a>.<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"