Today we’d like to introduce you to Cory Fisk
Hi Cory , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a rural town with parents who wanted to make sure my siblings and I could live a safe, simple life while exploring the world. I was able to participate in powerful organizations that focus on youth leadership growth – 4-H, Future Business Leaders of America, Future Farmers of America and the California Rodeo Association. I competed in team sports – volleyball, basketball, rodeo, and softball. These early childhood experiences and responsibilities created a foundation unlike most and prepared me for the hard but rewarding career in the Construction Industry. Entering into a male-majority career was not intentional. I had started college expecting to go into Equine Science however upon graduation from Texas A&M University I became aware that the annual salary would less then what I owed in college debt so I turned back to the job I used to do in the summers – construction. The skills I learned early in life prepared me for the challenges for a woman in a career that demands strong personalities, leadership, competitive characters, intellectual boxing, critical thinking and problem solving. Working as a laborer, equipment operator, I earned my footing to qualify for my Class A Civil Engineering license and started a General Contractor firm. Concurrently, I began working as a Construction Manager which helped me understand how to run a business and I fell in love with the profession. While continuing my Construction Management career I continued to growth as a Project Manager, Executive Director, and Facility Director all while concurrently taking on the full-time teaching role as a Construction Technology Professor and Department Head. The combination of these experiences has me uniquely qualified to enter my next season of service to the construction industry as a mentor and coach helping the construction workforce find their way in this industry that has tremendous diversity in the opportunities of career advancement.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
A road is only as smooth as the shocks you have invested in to take you through the terrain. I am grateful for the foundation my parents created for me but honestly, I don’t know if they knew what their work was going to produce. As their parents before them, they led my siblings and I by the same virtues that most of us abide by. Ensuring that they would raise their children and give them what they did not have as children. This love we have for our children can cause an unintentional interference in the growth needed to prepare for the difficulties in life. Fortunately, I was the oldest and thus had more independence to shape my resolve and lead the way for my siblings who often got away with much more than I did. This upbringing and the fact that I grew up under the rough but loving hand of a 6’3″, 280 lbs man who’s physic was only a part of his powerful presence. He raised me to be a strong, independent woman who often questioned the statis quo which often put us in some toe to toes that were not pleasant but prepared me for my life as a Construction Manager. I hate the reality that many of the challenges I had to dismiss were because I was a woman. However, I now understand, that my gender has much more to do with the insecurities of men than the inability of me to perform certain tasks because I am a woman. But being a woman was not the only challenge I encountered. The insecurities of others were also ignited by my youth and beauty. Now I understand, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but men and women alike attacked it for different reasons. From jealousy to sexual tensions, being an attractive female in construction made for many very uncomfortable situations. Part of learning how to navigate harmless banter vs. inappropriate flirtations, to blatant sexual approach and intimidation tactics is all part of what has grown the much needed thick skin to survive and succeed in the construction industry. Honestly, it has been the easy part. Dodging daggers from other women, the loneliness of not being able to connect with other women, and constantly living in the darkness of past experiences that are a remembrance of high school clicks, jealousy, and back stabbers trying to get ahead in life by walking on the backs of others, has been the hardest. Other struggles in the construction industry include resistance to growth, innovation, and the assumption that others have the same level of comprehension as you do when asking them to perform a task. The construction carries a population of unhealthy egos, hard work, complex concepts, however the biggest challenge and most important one to master is the art of communication, at all levels. Moving back to the simplicity of following the Golden Rule, being unwavering in your own personal virtues and personal beliefs, will serve well any person wanting to rise above the unimportance of individual positioning and focus on the common goal of successful project completion.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Construction Management Online has been created for forward-thinking small ($500,000.00+) to mid-size ($5-15 million) construction companies with a need for implementing practical construction training into all levels within their company.
This program is specifically suited to support the promotion of internal skill & talent for employees already entrenched in the company’s culture and ethos. This training program offers opportunities that recognizes the untapped potential within company ranks by nurturing this homegrown talent, understanding that the leap from the tactile world of site work to the strategic echelons of office management is no mere step but a transformative journey.
This training program values the continuity of company culture and the smooth adaptation of employees to management roles, seeing the wisdom in investing in comprehensive training that not only sharpens technical acumen but also cultivates mindset, soft skills and leadership qualities necessary for the future leaders of the company. CMO bridges this gap with revolutionary applied educational techniques that appreciate the necessary change in thinking patterns when moving from the site to the office.
If your company wants to invest in your employees, provide opportunities for growth and promotion
in the workplace, as well as being able to learn new ways to balance stress and anxiety promoting
overall wellness in both personal and professional life experiences –
than CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT ONLINE is for YOU!
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT ONLINE provides a 12 week certification program for Construction Management Essentials and a monthly membership, CM-SKILLBUILDER which offers a library of resources to guide site management through common construction tasks – step by step. All of the programs come with access to the mentorship and coaching of Cory Fisk with over 30 years of diverse construction experience. Life long learning students of construction can also find free resources by following the YouTube Channel @CMOnline. and podcast, Just A Girl In Construction.
https://skillbuilder.constructionmanagementonline.com/
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
The mentors you need for your individual growth are all around you. Life has welcomed them into your sphere based on choices that you have made that create interactions with those best to support your growth. The happen chance of reading an article by a specific author, meeting someone in the coffee line, being presented with a specific challenge, or sitting with an elder, patiently listening to a story that at the moment, you see no relevance but as it carries deeper into the woven fabric of their life lessons that can be associated with your own tribulations. By looking for a lesson in everything and seeing those around you as teachers and mentors, we can appreciate that we learn from the perspectives and interpretations of everyone in our lives regardless of their age, gender, experience, etc.. The power in mentorship comes from those willing to ask. Those willing to receive a “no” and then ask again. Mentorship is not always obvious, sometimes it comes in a public figure, a parent, a relative, a friend but the most powerful mentor is the one that you become. We learn our deepest lessons when we are willing to take what we know, break it down into smaller, more defined pieces that we can share. Then, through collaboration of personal experiences and how what we learn, specially and uniquely molds our individual fingerprint. When we teach our expertise, we master our discipline.
Pricing:
- $49.99 Holiday Special
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ConstructionManagementOnline.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/constructionmanagement.online?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/constructionmanagementonlinecommunity
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CMOnline.
Image Credits
N/A
