Women in landscaping: Steph Girgen

Most women in the landscape industry are used to being outnumbered by men. Career advancement can feel difficult in a patriarchal scenario. A few excuses I’ve heard for keeping women in subservient roles include women are too emotional for business, women need too much time off work for family (darn that pesky childbirth and, by societal default, most of the task management of a household) or women aren’t physically strong enough (Guess what? Men aren’t either. That’s why humans created tools and skid loaders).

I could write diatribes about each of these, but in the interest of disproving the stereotype of being shrill when showing passion or emotion, I’d simply like to explore emotion. Why is such an important feature of being human often considered a weakness in the workplace?

Business leaders seem to pride themselves on compartmentalizing their emotions and focusing only on hard data in their decision-making, but should they? Humans crave authentic connection. When selling to customers, emotion and empathy are powerful business tools because asking the right questions to put yourself in a customer’s shoes helps you learn what is important to them and what motivates their buying decisions. Human psychology tells us buying decisions are not made solely with concrete data but also with emotion.

A potential landscape design client and her husband were demolishing an older home to build a new one on a property bordered by woods along the Mississippi River. The conversation at our first consultation led the homeowner to share her fear of the snakes she had been seeing around the property. She worried landscaping would create too many hiding places for them but felt pressure to make the outdoor spaces as grand as the new home. My first take: Another client expecting me to magically solve impossible problems. But then I tried to picture myself living there. What might make me feel safer? Why not spec poured concrete surfaces rather than flagstone or pavers for less seams for critters to hide in? Design extra-wide walkways between the parking area and the entrance for quick visual scanning and adequate space to react. The first contractor she met with laughed her off when she shared a vulnerability. I listened with empathy and paused long enough to consider whether I might be wrong about my initial assessment. I got the job.

Within an organization, being in touch with emotion makes you a canary in the coal mine in any interdepartmental meeting or colleague interaction. An empath may perceive discord in relationships or company processes that could be corrected before the problems trickle down to affect the bottom line, at which point they may no longer even be traceable. Use your superpower. Ask the hard questions. Dare to contribute and argue for a different viewpoint if you feel it’s important.

Showing emotion about an issue you’re passionate about is not a flaw. It means you care.

I admit it’s intimidating to speak up when you feel outnumbered, because traditional gender roles afford males innate authority that, frustratingly, women must earn over time. Do it anyway. It takes time and work for systems to change. Take. Up. Space. Advocate for yourself and ask for what you want in your organization. Or start your own business and create the role you want. Stay curious, be authentic and show empathy for others in your customer base, your company and the wider landscaping industry whose voices aren’t being heard.

That is being a leader.