Tanya Schneider

I've always stayed curious, and I've never believed that any role was beneath me. I understood early on that every opportunity could become a stepping stone to the next chapter. When I started my career as an administrative assistant, I wasn't chasing a title, I was just trying to learn. If you had told that version of me I'd one day be leading flagship projects for Cartier, I would have laughed in such a male driven field. The path was never a straight line, but looking back, starting at the bottom was one of the greatest advantages I could have had. It gave me the opportunity to understand what every person on a project contributes. Today, whether I'm talking to a subcontractor, an architect, an owner, or a CEO, I can appreciate their perspective because I've spent my career learning how all those pieces fit together. Along the way, I realized that success isn't about being the loudest voice in the room. It's about becoming someone people trust when the project gets hard. And in construction, projects always get hard.

If you can be someone who listens, solves problems, and makes people feel heard, regardless of their title, that's where your value is.

<blockquote><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Every time an opportunity comes up to learn something new, sit in on a meeting, visit a jobsite, or take on work outside my job description, I say yes. Looking back, those small opportunities changed the entire trajectory of my career. None of them feel life-changing in the moment, but they compounded over time. It taught me that you don't have to have your entire career mapped out. You just have to keep saying yes to opportunities that stretch you, even if they're a little uncomfortable.</span></blockquote>

I think I would tell young women not to mistake authenticity for weakness.

Early in my career, I received a lot of advice that, while well-intentioned, never really fit who I was. I was told I was too nice, too soft, that I needed to speak up in every meeting; even if I didn't have anything meaningful to add just to be noticed.

Honestly, it never felt authentic. What eventually changed my career wasn't pretending to know everything or trying to be the loudest person in the room. It was being honest about what I didn't know, asking thoughtful questions, and becoming someone who genuinely wanted to learn.

In construction, people can tell pretty quickly when you're bluffing. I found that saying, "I actually don't know, but I'll find out," built far more trust than pretending to have all the answers, or criticizing others answers.

Once I stopped trying to fit someone else's definition of what a successful leader looked like and started leading in a way that felt authentic to me, everything changed. So my advice would be this: be prepared, be curious, be reliable, and never stop learning—but don't feel like you have to become someone else to earn respect. Your authenticity can become one of your greatest strengths.

I think one of the biggest challenges in our industry today is simply the complexity of projects. There are more stakeholders, more technology, more regulations, and more moving parts than ever before.

Because of that, I think communication has become just as important as technical expertise. The people who can bring different disciplines together, build trust, and keep everyone aligned are becoming some of the most valuable leaders in our industry. That's actually what excites me most. Construction has always been about building buildings, but today it's just as much about building relationships.

Integrity and authenticity, without question.

For a long time, I thought success meant molding myself into the version of a leader I thought I was supposed to be. But the older I've gotten, the more I've realized that people don't connect with perfection—they connect with sincerity. As long as I'm honest, prepared, and genuine, that takes me much further than trying to be someone I'm not. I also value respect and kindness. Construction is often viewed as a tough industry, but at its core it's incredibly human. Every project is built by people—people who take pride in their work, solve problems together, and care deeply about what they're creating. When you remember that, you approach everyone differently, whether they're a laborer on the jobsite, an architect, or the CEO.

I've found that treating people with respect, listening before speaking, and staying true to who I am has become one of my biggest strengths. Ironically, the qualities I was once told were "too soft" have become the qualities that have helped define my career.

I hope those values become less of a differentiator over time and more of the standard for our industry.