Assertiveness and Self-Advocacy

Being an entrepreneur takes a substantial committment and one of the skills that is most beneficial is an ability to articulate what it is that I need. This ability to ask for what I need and push boundaries is something that came in handy for me as a tradeswoman.

One of the trends that happens to women in trades is that they end up getting stuck in the jobs that are less technologically challenging and more physically demanding. Female mechanics, for example, will often find themselves working in the service bay where they will be performing routine preventive maintenance on vehicles while some of the choicer aspects of the trade will be out of reach.

There are several reasons why this takes place. First of all, women are often discouraged from taking on new tasks. I have heard women say that they have been told that they would not understand the new task. There is sometimes a condescending attitude about women's ability.

Secondly, women who work in environments without supports, often refrain from taking on new tasks for fear of failure. Most new tasks in life require us to crawl before we walk - for example as a speaker, my initial attempts were probably not noteworthy, but with time I mastered the ability to speak in front of people. The same is true in the trades, new tasks can be awkward at first but with time they can be mastered. A woman, however, will often not be given the grace period to learn effectively. She will often be judged on her first attempt. As a result of this negative scrutiny, women refrain from stepping outside their comfort zone.

To become a master in the trade, it is essential that she expose herself to all aspects of learning. This will often require that she be persistent in articulating her need for support in the beginning. It means that she has to push back against resistence to new learning. She will often have to be her own advocate and understand that if she allows the scrutiny to influence her, she may never advance in the trade.

One of the things that I noticed was this. In new tasks where I tried and failed, tried and failed, tried and did better until eventually I could do it, even in a modified way - the persistence earned me the respect of some co-workers. It also connected me to the real support onsite. It helped me to identify who my real mentors were.

The environment can be harsh and sometimes toxic but a woman must learn to develop her own skills to get her needs met. The rewards are many.